WooCommerce Custom Fields: How to Add and Use Them (2025 Guide)

Last Updated on December 3, 2025 by Himanshu Rawat

WooCommerce is powerful out of the box, but many stores need extra information on product pages, orders, or checkout forms to run smoothly. That’s where custom fields come in. They allow you to add and display additional data anywhere in your store, giving you more control and flexibility.

Whether you want to add product specifications, collect personalization details, show custom messages, or store backend-only data, WooCommerce custom fields make it possible.

In this guide, you’ll learn what custom fields are, why they matter, and how to create them using different methods, no coding or with code, depending on what you prefer.

What Are WooCommerce Custom Fields?

WooCommerce custom fields are flexible data points you can add anywhere in your store, product pages, checkout, order details, emails, or the admin area. They let you collect and display information beyond WooCommerce’s default fields, giving you complete control over customization and workflow management.

Product Custom Fields

Enhance product listings with extra details WooCommerce doesn’t include by default, such as:

• Material or fabric info
• Dimensions, weight, or technical specs
• Personalization options (engraving, monograms)
• Care instructions or unique product codes

Checkout Custom Fields

Gather important order-specific information, including:

• Delivery instructions or special notes
• Gift wrapping requests or custom messages
• File uploads for personalized products

Research indicates that streamlined and relevant checkout fields can reduce cart abandonment, which averages around 70% across eCommerce.

Admin-Only Fields

Use hidden backend fields to streamline operations:

• Supplier or SKU references
• Restock dates or shipment schedules
• Internal order processing notes

In short, custom fields make your WooCommerce store more flexible, personalized, and efficient both for your customers and your internal workflow.

Why Use Custom Fields in WooCommerce?

Custom fields significantly enhance your store’s flexibility and functionality, giving you more control over how products, checkout processes, and backend operations work. Here’s why they’re so valuable:

1. Provide richer product information

Custom fields let you add extra details like specifications, materials, or personalization options, helping customers make clearer, more confident buying decisions.

2. Enable dynamic layouts and conditional content

You can create special sections or tabs that only appear when certain custom fields are filled. This makes product pages cleaner, more organized, and tailored to the type of product being displayed.

WooCommerce also supports custom layouts through extensions like the Product Add-Ons plugin.

3. Enhance filtering and search capabilities

Custom fields enable you to power advanced product filtering (faceted search) using tools like FacetWP. This helps filter the solution that works seamlessly with custom fields. 

4. Capture extra order and customer data

Whether it’s personalization details, custom requests, or internal tracking information, custom fields allow you to collect any data you need for order customization, reporting, or integration with third-party systems.

5. Improve SEO with enriched metadata

Adding targeted, detailed metadata through custom fields can enhance search engine visibility, helping your products rank better and reach more shoppers.

How to Add WooCommerce Custom Fields

Now that you know why adding custom fields is so important for improving conversions and customer experience, let’s explore the three best ways to add custom fields to your WooCommerce store. 

Method 1: Using Advanced Custom Fields (ACF)

Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) is one of the most powerful tools for adding custom fields to WooCommerce. It allows you to create structured, user-friendly fields and assign them to products, categories, checkout pages, or even custom templates.

Step 1. Create a Field Group in ACF and assign it to Product, Product Category, or Checkout Page using ACF’s flexible location rules.

Step 2. Add your field types, such as text, textarea, select, checkbox, file upload, or date picker, depending on what data you need.

Step 3. Use Location Rules to precisely target where the fields appear (e.g., all products, specific categories, or certain product templates).

Step 4. Display the custom field values on the front end using functions like get_field() or the_field() inside your WooCommerce template files (e.g., single-product.php, archive-product.php).

Limitations

• Requires adding template code to display fields on the front end.
• Some advanced features (Repeater, Flexible Content) require ACF Pro.
• Not ideal if you need customers to input data. ACF is mainly for admin-side fields unless combined with additional plugins.

Method 2: Add Custom Fields Using a Plugin (Most Popular Method)

Using plugins is the easiest and most user-friendly way to add custom fields in WooCommerce, ideal for store owners who want flexibility without writing code.

Popular Plugins
Tools like Custom Fields, Extra Custom Product Options, and Product Add-Ons for WooCommerce make it simple to create and manage custom fields with intuitive interfaces. These plugins support a wide range of field types, including text, dropdowns, checkboxes, file uploads, and more.

Step 1. Install and activate your preferred plugin.

Step 2. Create a new field or field group and select the field type (e.g., text, select, checkbox, number, date).

Step 3. Assign the fields to products, categories, or specific product types using simple rule-based conditions.

Step 4. Customize where and how the fields appear on the product page, in the cart, at checkout, or in the admin area.

Advanced Options

Most plugins also offer enhanced features such as:

• Grouping fields for better organization
• Reordering fields with drag-and-drop
• Adding validation (e.g., required fields, minimum/maximum values)
• Creating conditional fields that appear only when relevant selections are made
• Organizing fields using tabs or sections for cleaner layouts

This method is perfect for users who want powerful customization options without editing templates or touching code.

Method 3: Add Custom Fields with Code (For Developers)

If you prefer a lightweight solution without plugins, you can add custom fields using code.

Add your snippets to:

• Your theme’s functions.php, or
• A custom plugin (recommended for keeping changes theme-independent)

With code, you can create and display custom fields anywhere on product pages, checkout, cart, or admin screens while controlling how the data is saved, validated, and shown.

This method offers maximum flexibility and performance for developers who want a fully tailored setup.

Where and How to Display Custom Fields?

Custom fields can be displayed across multiple parts of your WooCommerce store, depending on their purpose:

• Product Pages: Showcase additional details in custom sections, extra tabs, or directly below the product price to enhance product information.
• Cart & Checkout: Display customer-entered data like personalization or special notes so shoppers can review and confirm their inputs before placing an order.
• Order Emails: Insert custom field values into order confirmation emails using WooCommerce hooks, ensuring customers and store owners receive complete information.
• Admin Area: Use hidden or admin-only fields to store internal data such as supplier codes, logistics details, or staff notes visible only to your team for smooth backend operations.

Real-World Case Studies: How Stores Use This

1. Root Science

Root Science, a premium skincare brand, relies on custom fields to organize ingredient details, skin-type suitability, and storage/expiry notes. This ensures shoppers see all essential product information in a clean and structured format.

2. All Blacks Shop 

This official rugby merchandise store uses custom fields to display authenticity codes, extended material specifications, and detailed sizing information. These fields help customers verify product quality and choose correct sizes with confidence.

3. Weber South Africa

Weber uses custom fields to highlight important grill specifications such as cooking grid size, fuel type, heat output, and even downloadable user manuals, all presented neatly for shoppers to review before purchase.

Best Practices for WooCommerce Custom Fields

• Use clear labels: Make each field easy to understand for both customers and admins.
• Add defaults and validation: Use required fields, limits, and default values to keep data accurate.
• Group related fields: Organize fields into sections or tabs for a cleaner layout.
• Use a child theme or plugin for code: Avoid losing changes during theme updates.
• Test across devices: Ensure fields display and function correctly everywhere.

Final Thoughts

WooCommerce custom fields are one of the simplest ways to make your store more flexible, informative, and tailored to customer needs. Whether you add them using plugins, ACF, or custom code, they help you create richer product pages, smoother checkout experiences, and more efficient backend workflows. Start with the method that fits your skill level, and gradually build a store that works exactly the way you want.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Do custom fields slow down my WooCommerce store?

Not if they’re used properly. Lightweight plugins or well-written code have little impact on performance. Avoid overloading your store with too many unnecessary fields or bulky plugins.

2. Can customers edit custom field information after placing an order?

By default, no. But you can allow it using specific plugins or custom code that lets users update personalization or order notes before fulfillment.

3. Do I need coding skills to add custom fields in WooCommerce?

Not at all. Most store owners use plugins like Product Add-Ons or ACF, which require no coding. Coding is only recommended for advanced or fully custom setups.

4. Can I show custom fields only on specific products or categories?

Yes. Both ACF and custom-field plugins offer condition-based rules so fields appear only on selected products, categories, or product types.

5. Are custom fields visible in customer emails?

They can be. You can insert custom field values into order confirmation or shipping emails using WooCommerce hooks or plugin settings.