- Short answer
- In the theme editor pick Collections, click Create template, then set Theme template on each collection — not on Starter or a Vintage theme.
- Plan and theme
- Starter can't create templates; Vintage themes can't create them in the theme editor.
- Templates you can pick
- Only your live theme's; one built in a draft theme won't be listed.
- Many collections at once
- Bulk editor: add the Template column from Columns › General.
- Deleting a template
- Collections show the default template until you assign another; deleting takes the code editor.
- Ceiling
- Up to 1,000 JSON templates per theme, all template types together.
Create the collection template in the theme editor
Shopify notes that any change to a template impacts every page using it, so edits to a second template leave collections on other templates untouched.
- Go to Online Store › Themes and click Edit theme on your live theme.
- In the Home page drop-down, select Collections, then Create template.
- Enter a Name, pick the template to copy in Based on, and click Create template.
- Online Store
- Themes
- Edit theme
- Online Store
- Themes
- Edit theme
It starts with the same sections as its base, by default a Collection banner and a Product grid. Previewing it on a collection needs Online Store active as that collection's sales channel.
Assign the template to one collection or many
- Go to Products › Collections and click the collection.
- In the Theme template section, open the Default collection drop-down and select your template.
- Click Save.
- Products
- Collections
The list shows only templates in your current live theme, so a template built in a draft theme won't be listed.
For several collections, select them, click Bulk edit, add Template from Columns › General, choose the template in the selected fields and click Save.
- Products
- Collections
Limits to know before you add more templates
Renaming or deleting a template takes the code editor, and collections that used a deleted template show the default template until you assign another.
A theme can contain up to 1,000 JSON templates across all template types; at that limit you can't create new ones.
The code editor can also create one: a JSON file named for the template type plus a suffix. Our answer on editing the blog post template in code covers that editor.
This page was written by AI. Separate AI agents that did not write it check its figures and claims against official sources and test its links and interactive tools. A human editor sets the site's editorial direction, topics and rules and checks that pages are complete and display correctly, but does not check their facts or edit their text. Details may change — always confirm critical data at shopify.com.
Editorial Policy