WooCommerce Hide Shipping Method: Customize and Control Shipping Options

Ecommerce Feb 10, 2025 17 Add to Reading List

Introduction

Shipping is a critical aspect of any eCommerce store, directly impacting customer satisfaction and conversion rates. While WooCommerce offers various shipping options, there are cases where store owners need to hide specific shipping methods based on certain conditions. For example, you may want to restrict express shipping for certain products, offer free shipping only for orders above a set amount, or hide local pickup for international customers. In such scenarios, the WooCommerce Hide Shipping Method functionality becomes essential.

This guide will cover why and how to hide shipping methods in WooCommerce, the best plugin solutions, and step-by-step instructions to configure shipping rules effectively.

Why Hide Shipping Methods in WooCommerce?

Hiding unnecessary or irrelevant shipping methods can greatly improve the shopping experience for your customers. Here are some of the key reasons to use this feature:

1. Improve User Experience

Showing only relevant shipping methods prevents confusion and simplifies the checkout process, leading to higher conversions.

2. Avoid Customer Confusion

Displaying multiple shipping methods when only one applies can overwhelm customers. Hiding irrelevant options makes the process straightforward.

3. Implement Shipping Rules Efficiently

Certain products might require specific shipping methods due to size, weight, or fragility. Restricting inappropriate shipping options ensures compliance with logistical requirements.

4. Encourage Free Shipping for Larger Orders

If your store offers free shipping for orders above a certain amount, you can hide other paid shipping methods once this threshold is met.

5. Restrict Shipping Based on Location

Some regions might not support particular shipping methods. For example, local pickup should only be available for customers in a specific city.

6. Limit Shipping Methods for Wholesale Customers

Wholesale buyers may require different shipping methods than retail customers. You can hide express shipping for wholesale buyers and only show freight shipping.

How to Hide Shipping Methods in WooCommerce

There are multiple ways to hide shipping methods in WooCommerce, including:

Using built-in WooCommerce settings
Custom coding with PHP snippets
Installing a WooCommerce hide shipping method plugin

We’ll explore each of these methods in detail below.

Method 1: Hide Shipping Methods Using WooCommerce Settings

WooCommerce allows store owners to enable free shipping conditions. By default, when free shipping is available, other shipping methods remain visible. However, you can configure WooCommerce to hide all other shipping methods when free shipping is applicable.

Steps to Hide Other Shipping Methods When Free Shipping Is Available

Go to WooCommerce Dashboard → Navigate to WooCommerce > Settings > Shipping.
Select the Shipping Zone where you want to apply the rule.
Click on Edit and ensure Free Shipping is added as a shipping method.
Click on the Free Shipping method, and in the conditions, select “A minimum order amount” or another relevant condition.
Use a plugin or custom code to remove other shipping methods when free shipping is active.

Method 2: Hide Shipping Methods Using a Plugin

For more advanced shipping restrictions, using a plugin is the easiest and most flexible approach. Some of the best WooCommerce plugins for hiding shipping methods include:

WooCommerce Hide Shipping Methods Plugin
WooCommerce Advanced Shipping Rules
Conditional Shipping and Payments for WooCommerce

Steps to Hide Shipping Methods Using a Plugin

Install and Activate the Plugin
- Go to Plugins > Add New in your WooCommerce dashboard.
- Search for WooCommerce Hide Shipping Methods.
- Install and activate the plugin.
Configure Shipping Method Rules
- Navigate to WooCommerce > Settings > Shipping.
- Find the Hide Shipping Methods tab.
- Set conditions such as:
  - Hide shipping based on cart total.
  - Hide specific shipping methods for certain user roles.
  - Disable shipping options for certain zip codes or states.
Save Changes and Test
- Add products to your cart and check whether the shipping options are displayed correctly based on your rules.

Method 3: Hide Shipping Methods Using Custom Code

For developers, adding custom PHP code to the functions.php file can be a lightweight alternative to plugins.

Here’s an example of a code snippet to hide all shipping methods when free shipping is available:

add_filter('woocommerce_package_rates', 'hide_shipping_when_free_is_available', 100, 2);
function hide_shipping_when_free_is_available($rates, $package) {
    $free_shipping = false;
    
    foreach ($rates as $rate_id => $rate) {
        if ('free_shipping' === $rate->method_id) {
            $free_shipping = true;
            break;
        }
    }
    
    if ($free_shipping) {
        foreach ($rates as $rate_id => $rate) {
            if ('free_shipping' !== $rate->method_id) {
                unset($rates[$rate_id]);
            }
        }
    }
    
    return $rates;
}

How to Add Custom Code in WooCommerce?

Go to Appearance > Theme File Editor.
Open the functions.php file of your active theme.
Copy and paste the above code snippet.
Save changes and test your store’s checkout page.

Best WooCommerce Hide Shipping Method Plugins

Here are some of the top plugins for hiding shipping methods in WooCommerce:

1. WooCommerce Hide Shipping Methods

Hide specific shipping methods when free shipping is available.
Restrict shipping options based on cart conditions.
Works with multiple carriers (FedEx, UPS, USPS, DHL, etc.).

2. Conditional Shipping and Payments for WooCommerce

Hide shipping methods based on user roles and cart contents.
Restrict payment options based on selected shipping methods.

3. WooCommerce Advanced Shipping Rules

Allows complex shipping conditions based on weight, quantity, and cart total.
Ideal for stores with diverse shipping requirements.

Conclusion

The WooCommerce Hide Shipping Method functionality is an essential tool for improving customer experience, enforcing shipping policies, and making checkout more user-friendly. Whether you choose to use built-in WooCommerce settings, a plugin, or custom code, there are multiple ways to ensure customers see only the most relevant shipping options.

By implementing these strategies, you can streamline the checkout process, prevent confusion, and even encourage higher order values by strategically displaying or hiding specific shipping methods.