---
title: "Managing Products"
description: "The Products list is your central hub for managing everything you sell in your J2Commerce store."
url: "https://docs.j2commerce.com/v6/catalog/managing-products"
markdown_url: "https://docs.j2commerce.com/v6/catalog/managing-products.md"
last_updated: "2026-10-23T02:33:38+00:00"
version: "J2Commerce 6"
breadcrumbs:
  - title: "Home"
    url: "https://docs.j2commerce.com/"
  - title: "J2Commerce 6"
    url: "https://docs.j2commerce.com/v6"
  - title: "Catalog"
    url: "https://docs.j2commerce.com/v6/catalog"
  - title: "Managing Products"
    url: "https://docs.j2commerce.com/v6/catalog/managing-products"
---

# Managing Products

The Products list is your central hub for managing everything you sell in your J2Commerce store. From here you can view, search, filter, publish, and delete products — all in one place.

Each product is linked to a Joomla article, which holds the product title, description, images, and category. J2Commerce layers pricing, stock, shipping, and tax settings on top of that article.

## Accessing the Products List

There are **two** ways you can access Manufacturers.

**Option A:** Go to the **J2Commerce** icon at the top right corner **-> Catalog -> Products**

**Option B:** Go to **Components** on the left sidebar **-> J2Commerce -> Dashboard -> Catalog -> Products**

![Products list reached through Components, J2Commerce and the J2Commerce menu, with Catalog and Products highlighted](https://docs.j2commerce.com/images/docs/shared/manage.webp)

## Understanding the Products List

![Products list column headings highlighted: Status, Product ID, Product Name, SKU, Product Type, Price, Shipping, Visible and Article ID](https://docs.j2commerce.com/images/docs/shared/manage1.webp)

The list shows all products in your store. Each row displays:

**Status:** Green (published) or red (unpublished) toggle. Click to change.

**Product Name:** Product title with thumbnail image, category, and tax profile shown below.

**SKU:** The Stock Keeping Unit identifier for this product.

**Product Type:** Simple, Variable, Configurable, or Downloadable.

**Price:** Base price formatted in your store currency.

**Shipping:** Whether shipping is enabled for this product.

**Visibility:** Whether the product appears in your catalog and search results.

**ID:** The internal product ID number.

> **Tip:** Click any column heading to sort the list by that column. Click again to reverse the sort order.

## Toolbar Actions

The toolbar at the top of the page contains the actions you can take on selected products.

![Products toolbar with the New, Actions, Delete, Advanced Pricing, Options and Help buttons highlighted](https://docs.j2commerce.com/images/docs/shared/manage2.webp)

**New:** Opens the Joomla article editor to create a new product.

**Actions:**

- **Publish:** Makes the selected products visible to customers.
- **Unpublish:** Hides the selected products from your storefront.

**Delete Product:** Removes the J2Commerce product data but keeps the Joomla article.

**Delete Product & Article:** Permanently removes both the product data and the linked article.

**Advanced Pricing:** Opens the Advanced Pricing manager for setting special or tiered prices.

**Options:** Opens the global J2Commerce configuration settings.

**Help:** Opens the J2Commerce documentation.

> **Tip:** To act on multiple products at once, check the boxes in the left column, then click the toolbar button. Check the top checkbox to select all products on the current page.

## Searching and Filtering

Use the search bar and filter panel to quickly find the products you need.

![Products list with Filter Options and the open filter panel highlighted: ID range, Product Type, price, Visibility, Manufacturer, Vendor, Category, dates](https://docs.j2commerce.com/images/docs/shared/manage3.webp)

### Search Bar

Type in the search box to search by **product name** or **SKU**.

You can also use these prefixes for an exact search:

| Prefix | Example | Finds |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `id:` | `id:42` | The product with ID 42 |
| `sku:` | `sku:TSHIRT-L` | The product with that exact SKU |

### Filter Options

Click the **Search Tools** button next to the search bar to show additional filters.

| Filter | Description |
| --- | --- |
| **Product Type** | Filter by Simple, Variable, Configurable, or Downloadable. |
| **Visibility** | Show only visible or hidden products. |
| **Category** | Filter by Joomla article category. |
| **Tax Profile** | Filter by assigned tax profile. |
| **Manufacturer** | Filter by manufacturer (if configured). |
| **Vendor** | Filter by vendor (if using multi-vendor features). |
| **Product ID From / To** | Filter by a range of product ID numbers. |
| **Price From / To** | Filter by price range. |
| **Date From / To** | Filter by the date the product article was created. |

To clear all filters and reset the list, click the **Clear** button or remove each filter manually.

## Product Types

J2Commerce supports four product types. You assign the type when setting up the product.

| Type | Best For |
| --- | --- |
| **Simple** | A single product with no selectable options (e.g., a book, a candle). |
| **Variable** | A product with options the customer selects, such as size or color, each with its own price and stock. |
| **Configurable** | A product with customer-configurable options that affect the final price. |
| **Downloadable** | A digital product delivered as a file download after purchase. |

For detailed setup instructions for each type, see the [Product Types](https://docs.j2commerce.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=69) guides.

## Publishing and Unpublishing Products

A published product is visible in your store. An unpublished product is hidden from customers but remains in your admin panel.

**To publish or unpublish a single product:**

Click the status icon (green or red circle) in the **Status** column for that product.

**To publish or unpublish multiple products at once:**

1. Check the boxes next to the products you want to update.
2. Click **Publish** or **Unpublish** in the toolbar.

## Deleting Products

> **Tip:** Use **Delete Product** when you want to remove the J2Commerce settings but keep the Joomla article (for example, if you plan to re-enable the product later). Use **Delete Product & Article** to remove everything permanently.

1. Check the box next to each product you want to delete.
2. Open the **Delete** dropdown in the toolbar.
3. Choose **Delete Product** or **Delete Product & Article**.
4. Confirm the action when prompted.

## Advanced Pricing

The **Advanced Pricing** button in the toolbar opens a separate screen where you can set:

- Special prices for specific date ranges
- Quantity-based tiered pricing
- Customer group-specific prices

## Tips

- Use the **Visibility** filter to quickly find products that are hidden from your catalog. Hidden products will not appear in search results or category pages even if they are published.
- Use the `sku:` prefix in the search bar for exact SKU lookups when you know the full SKU.
- Products with a lock icon in the Name column are currently being edited by another user. Wait for them to save or cancel before editing.

## Troubleshooting

### A product is published but not showing on my site

**Cause:** The linked Joomla article may be unpublished, or the product's **Visibility** is set to **No**.

**Solution:**

1. Check the **Status** column. If the circle is red, click it to publish the product.
2. Open the product and verify the article it is linked to is also published in **Content** -> **Articles**.
3. Open the product and check that **Visibility** is set to **Yes**.

### I deleted a product but the article is still in Joomla

**Cause:** You used **Delete Product** instead of **Delete Product & Article**.

**Solution:**

The article is still in your Joomla **Content** -> **Articles** list. If you no longer need it, go there and delete it manually. J2Commerce does not automatically remove articles when using the product-only delete option.

### Filters are applied but I cannot tell which ones

**Cause:** Filters persist between page loads and are easy to forget.

**Solution:**

Click **Search Tools** to open the filter panel and review what is selected. Click **Clear** to reset all filters and show the full product list.