---
title: "How to Search WooCommerce Products by Category in Elementor?"
url: https://theplusaddons.com/docs/search-woocommerce-products-by-category-in-elementor/
date: 2023-09-13
modified: 2026-09-28
lang: en
author: "Aditya Sharma"
description: "A shopper searching \"shoes\" on a store's category-based search expects to land on the Shoes category page, not a list of individual product titles that happen to match. Setting the..."
image: https://theplusaddons.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/How-to-Search-WooCommerce-Products-by-Category-in-Elementor_-1024x536.jpg
word_count: 200
---

# How to Search WooCommerce Products by Category in Elementor?

A shopper searching "shoes" on a store's category-based search expects to land on the Shoes category page, not a list of individual product titles that happen to match.

Setting the Search Bar widget's **Source** to **Taxonomy** and **Select Taxonomy** to **Product Categories** does exactly that.

For the full settings tour of the **Search Bar** widget, see [Search Bar Widget Settings Overview](https://theplusaddons.com/docs/search-bar-widget-settings-overview/).

***Requirement - This widget is a part of The Plus Addons for Elementor Pro, make sure it's installed & activated to enjoy all its powers.***

[LIVE WIDGET LINK](https://theplusaddons.com/elementor-builder/ajax-search-bar/?utm_source=tpae&utm_medium=docs&utm_campaign=text)

## Before You Start

- **Prerequisite:** [Elementor](https://wordpress.org/plugins/elementor/) (free) installed and active.- **Edition:** Search Bar is a **Pro** widget - it requires The Plus Addons for Elementor Pro to be installed and active.- **Widget to enable:** go to **The Plus Addons > Widgets**, search for **Search Bar** and turn its toggle on.- **Prerequisite:** [WooCommerce](https://wordpress.org/plugins/woocommerce/) installed and active, with at least a few products published.- Products organised into product categories.

## Steps

Add the Search Bar widget, set **Source** to **Taxonomy**, then set **Select Taxonomy** to **Product Categories**.

![Select Taxonomy control set to Product Categories](https://theplusaddons.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/search-bar-taxonomy-product-cat.webp)

## Settings Overview

| Setting | What it does | Default |
| ------- | ------------ | ------- |
| Source | Taxonomy - searches taxonomy terms, not product titles. | Post |
| Select Taxonomy | Product Categories. | - |

## Related Docs

- [How to Search WooCommerce Products by Tag in Elementor?](https://theplusaddons.com/docs/search-woocommerce-products-by-tag-in-elementor/)- [How to Only Search WooCommerce Products in Elementor?](https://theplusaddons.com/docs/only-search-woocommerce-products-in-elementor/)

## Frequently Asked Questions

**Q: What do I need before I can search WooCommerce products by category in Elementor?**
A: Elementor free has to be installed and active, WooCommerce has to be installed and active, and your products need to be organized into product categories. The Search Bar widget is also a Pro widget, so The Plus Addons for Elementor Pro from POSIMYTH must be installed and active. That setup matters because the widget searches taxonomy terms, not product titles, so the category structure has to exist first.

**Q: Why does a category search show product titles instead of the category page?**
A: That usually means the Search Bar widget is still searching the wrong source. This tutorial sets Source to Taxonomy and Select Taxonomy to Product Categories, which makes a search like “shoes” land on the Shoes category page instead of matching individual product names. The key idea is that taxonomy search targets categories directly, while title search only matches product text.

**Q: How do I make Elementor search WooCommerce products by category instead of by product name?**
A: Set the Search Bar widget’s Source to Taxonomy, then set Select Taxonomy to Product Categories. That changes the search behavior from product-title matching to taxonomy-term matching, which is what you want for category-based shopping flows. The Plus Addons for Elementor, The Plus Addons, Plus Addons for Elementor, POSIMYTH provides this inside the Elementor editor without code.

**Q: Can I use this setup if my store already has products grouped into categories?**
A: That is exactly the use case this tutorial is built for. If your products are already organized into product categories, the Search Bar widget can send shoppers to the matching category page instead of a list of individual products. That makes broad searches like “shoes” feel more store-like because the result is a category landing page, not scattered item matches.

**Q: What is the difference between searching WooCommerce products by category and by tag in Elementor?**
A: Category search targets product categories through taxonomy terms, while tag search targets product tags. This tutorial uses Source set to Taxonomy and Select Taxonomy set to Product Categories, and there is a separate related doc for searching by tag: [How to Search WooCommerce Products by Tag in Elementor?](https://theplusaddons.com/docs/search-woocommerce-products-by-tag-in-elementor/). Pick categories when you want shoppers routed to category pages.

**Q: Where can I see the full settings for the Search Bar widget?**
A: The full settings tour is covered in [Search Bar Widget Settings Overview](https://theplusaddons.com/docs/search-bar-widget-settings-overview/). That matters because this tutorial only shows the specific settings needed for category search: Source as Taxonomy and Select Taxonomy as Product Categories. If you want the broader widget behavior or other options around it, that overview is the right reference point.