Metafields let you store custom information in Shopify objects like products, variants, orders, and customers. Since Shopify’s native theme editor now supports metafields without coding, they’re more useful than ever.
What Are Metafields?
Metafields are custom data fields you define. Examples:
- Product: “Material composition”, “Care instructions”, “Country of origin”, “Expiry date”
- Customer: “VIP tier”, “Wholesale account number”, “Sales rep assigned”
- Order: “Custom engraving text”, “Gift message”
Create Metafields in Shopify Admin
Go to Settings → Custom data. Select the resource type (Products, Collections, Customers, etc.). Click “Add definition” and create a metafield with:
- Name (shown in admin)
- Namespace and key (used in Liquid code): e.g.
custom.material - Type: text, number, date, true/false, reference, URL, etc.
Fill Metafield Data
Once defined, metafields appear in the product editor. For products with many metafields, use the Shopify CSV import with metafield columns, or use a metafield manager app like Metafields Guru or Accentuate Custom Fields for bulk management.
Display Metafields in Your Theme (No Code)
In Online Store 2.0 themes (Dawn, Craft, etc.), go to the theme editor. In a product section, add a “Text” block or other relevant block. In the content field, use the dynamic source picker (the icon looks like a stack of data) to connect it to your metafield.
Display Metafields in Liquid Code
For developers, output metafields in Liquid:
{{ product.metafields.custom.material }}
{{ product.metafields.custom.care_instructions }}Metafield Use Cases
- Size guides: Attach a size chart image per product instead of one global chart
- Ingredient lists: Display full ingredients for food/cosmetics
- Downloadable files: Link to PDFs (manuals, assembly guides) per product
- Related articles: Connect blog posts to specific products
- Warranty information: Different warranty periods per product category
