FAQ
Short answers to the questions store owners ask most, each with a link to the full details.
General
Is ShapedCart really free?
Yes. ShapedCart has no Pro version, no license key and no locked settings. Every feature in these docs, including the popup cart, floating cart, menu cart, coupon field and all the styling options, is in the free plugin from WordPress.org.
What's the difference between a side cart, a mini cart and a popup cart?
They're different names for a cart that opens on top of the page, so shoppers don't have to go to the cart page. A side cart, also called a cart drawer or slide-out cart, slides in from the edge of the screen. A popup cart opens in the middle of the screen. Mini cart is a general name for either. ShapedCart does both: pick Slide in from the right, Slide in from the left or Centre modal. See Opening & Heading.
Does ShapedCart replace the WooCommerce cart page?
No. Your WooCommerce cart page stays exactly as it is, and shoppers can still go to it. Most won't need to, because they can change quantities, remove items, apply coupons and go to checkout from the side cart. You can add a View cart button to the side cart if you want to link to the cart page. See View cart button.
Will it slow down my store?
ShapedCart adds one stylesheet and one script to your storefront pages, about 12 KB together once your server compresses them, and the script doesn't need jQuery or any other library. The cart is built into the page as it loads, so opening it doesn't need a trip to the server. Changes in the cart go through WooCommerce's Store API, and ShapedCart doesn't use WooCommerce's older "cart fragments" script.
Setup
Do I need to set anything up after activating it?
No. The side cart works as soon as ShapedCart is active: it slides in from the right when a shopper adds a product, and a floating cart button sits in the bottom-right corner. You can change any of it later. See Quick Start.
Why doesn't the cart open when I add a product?
The most common reason is WooCommerce's Redirect to the cart page after successful addition setting, which sends shoppers to the cart page before the side cart can open. Turn it off in WooCommerce → Settings → Products. See Troubleshooting for other causes.
Does it work with variable products?
Yes. When a shopper adds a variable product from its product page, the page reloads as usual and the side cart opens with the product in it. The options they chose, like Color: Black / Size: M, show under the product name. See Auto-Open on Add to Cart.
Can I stop the cart opening every time a product is added?
Yes. Turn off Auto-open on add at ShapedCart → Side Cart → 1 Side cart → General → Basic Settings. The item count on the floating cart and menu cart still updates, and shoppers open the cart when they're ready. See Auto-open on add.
Inside the cart
Can shoppers apply coupons in the side cart?
Yes. The coupon field is on by default, folded behind a "Got a discount code?" link. It applies the coupons you've created in Marketing → Coupons, as long as coupons are turned on in WooCommerce. See Coupon Field.
Can the side cart show shipping costs?
Yes. Turn on Show shipping under Cart Summary. It shows the cost WooCommerce calculates, or Free!, once shipping applies to the cart. The side cart doesn't ask for an address, so treat it as an estimate. The final cost is confirmed at checkout. See Shipping.
Can I show the total on the checkout button?
Yes. Turn on Show cart total on button under Checkout Section, and the button reads like Checkout · $77.00. See Checkout button.
Does it show sale prices and savings?
Yes. On sale items, ShapedCart shows the original price crossed out and a savings badge that reads Save 20% by default. You can change the wording, for example to You save $10.00. Both are on by default. See Show savings.
Does it show details from product add-on plugins?
Yes. With Show custom details on, which is the default, details like an engraving, a gift message or extra options show under the product name, the same way they do on the WooCommerce cart page. See Show custom details.
Cart icons and buttons
How do I add a cart icon to my menu?
Switch on the Menu Cart card at ShapedCart → Side Cart → 2 Triggers, then pick your header menu under Add to Menu. In block themes and page builder headers, paste the [shaped_cart_menu] shortcode where you want the icon instead. See Menu Cart & Shortcode.
Can I hide the floating cart on some pages, or on phones?
Yes. The floating cart's Hide on setting hides it on the cart, checkout, thank you, My account or blog pages, and Device Visibility chooses between desktop, tablet and mobile. You can also hide it until the cart has something in it. See Floating Cart.
Can my own button open the cart?
Yes. Add the data-shaped-cart-open attribute to any button or link, like <a href="/cart/" data-shaped-cart-open>My cart</a>, and clicking it opens the side cart. See Custom open button.
Customizing
Can I change the colors and width?
Yes. The Style tab sets the cart's width for desktop, tablet and mobile, its corner rounding, its icon and eight colors. The floating cart and menu cart have their own style settings. See Layout & Colors.
Can I change the wording, like "Your cart"?
Yes. The cart heading, button labels, coupon labels, summary labels, badge text, shipping note and empty cart message are all settings you can change. A few small labels, like Coupon on an applied coupon, come from the plugin's translation files instead. See Side Cart Overview for where each setting is.
Can I translate ShapedCart?
Yes. Type the labels in your language in the settings, and translate the plugin's built-in text with a language pack or Loco Translate. On multilingual stores, TranslatePress can translate the labels too, and WPML can with a little setup. See Translation.
Compatibility
Does it work with my theme?
ShapedCart works with classic themes, like Astra, Storefront and Kadence, and block themes, like Twenty Twenty-Five, because the cart opens on top of the page. If your theme has its own slide-out cart, or WooCommerce's Mini-Cart block is in your header, turn that off so shoppers don't see two carts. See Compatibility → Themes.
Does it work with Elementor and other page builders?
Yes. The side cart and floating cart appear on every page automatically. For a cart icon in a builder-made header, use the builder's shortcode element with [shaped_cart_menu]. See Compatibility → Page builders.
Does it work with caching plugins?
Yes, as long as your cache is WooCommerce-aware and skips shoppers who have items in their cart. Clear the cache after you change ShapedCart's settings. See Compatibility → Caching.
Can I use it with another side cart plugin?
Use one side cart plugin at a time. With two active, shoppers can see two carts open after they add a product. See Compatibility → Other side cart plugins.
Your data
Does ShapedCart store shoppers' personal data?
No. ShapedCart only stores its own settings. The cart itself belongs to WooCommerce, which stores it the same way with or without ShapedCart. See Uninstalling & Data.
What happens to my settings if I deactivate or delete ShapedCart?
Deactivating always keeps your settings. Deleting keeps them too, unless you turned on Delete Data on Uninstall before deleting. See Uninstalling & Data.
I used RenoCart. Do I need to do anything?
Usually not. RenoCart was renamed ShapedCart in version 0.2.0, and your settings and the [reno_menu_cart] shortcode carry over automatically. Clear your page cache after updating, and update any custom CSS written for the old reno-cart class names. See RenoCart is now ShapedCart.
Where can I get help?
Start with Troubleshooting. If that doesn't solve it, contact ShapedPlugin support through the support ticket form or the WordPress.org support forum.