Appearance
Limit Selection
Set the fewest and the most values a customer can pick on a multi-select option.
Overview
Multi-select options let customers pick as many values as they like. Limit selection adds a minimum, a maximum, or both — "pick at least 2", "pick up to 3", "pick between 2 and 5" — and enforces it on the product page.
The setting is off by default and changes nothing until you turn it on. Existing options are unaffected.
Use it for:
- Build-your-own bundles — "Choose any 3 flavors"
- Capping included extras — "Up to 2 free toppings"
- Minimum picks — "Select at least 2 colors"
- Keeping a long add-on list from being selected in full
Available For
Limit selection is available on the option types where customers can pick more than one value:
Single-select types (Radio, Dropdown, Swatch (Single), Buttons (Single), Font Picker, and the rest) don't have this setting — they already allow only one value.
Settings
All three settings are under Advanced Settings. Min selections and Max selections only appear once Limit selection is set to Enabled.
| Setting | Options (default) | What it controls |
|---|---|---|
| Limit selection | Disabled / Enabled (Disabled) | Turns the limit on and reveals the two fields below. In-app help: Set how many values customers can select |
| Min selections | whole number, 1 or more (empty — No minimum) | The fewest values a customer needs to pick once they start selecting. In-app help: If the option isn't required, customers can skip it, but once they start picking they need at least this many. |
| Max selections | whole number, 1 or more (empty — No limit) | The most values a customer can pick. In-app help: Most values customers can select. Cannot exceed the number of values. |
You can fill in one field and leave the other empty:
- Max only — a cap with no minimum ("up to 3")
- Min only — a minimum with no cap ("at least 2")
- Both — a range ("between 2 and 5"), or the same number in both for an exact count ("exactly 3")
Leaving both empty is the same as having the limit off.
Switching Limit selection back to Disabled hides the two fields but keeps the numbers you entered. They are ignored while the limit is off and come back when you enable it again.
How to Set a Limit
- Navigate to Option Sets and open your option set
- Click a Checkbox (Multi), Swatch (Multi), Buttons (Multi), or Scrollable List option
- Click Advanced Settings below the option label
- Set Limit selection to Enabled
- Enter a number in Min selections, Max selections, or both
- Click Save in the contextual save bar
Min Selections and Required
A minimum does not make the option required. The two settings work together:
| Required | Min selections | What the customer has to pick |
|---|---|---|
| Off | empty | Anything, including nothing |
| Off | 2 | Nothing at all, or at least 2 |
| On | empty or 1 | At least 1 |
| On | 2 | At least 2 |
With Required off, a customer can skip the option entirely. The minimum only applies once they pick something — one value out of a minimum of two is not accepted.
To force a minimum on every order, turn on Required as well.
What Customers See
Reaching the maximum
Once a customer has picked the maximum, the next pick is refused — the value doesn't get selected — and the maximum message appears under the option right away. To swap a choice, they unselect one value and then pick another. Unselecting is always allowed.
Adding to cart
Add to cart is blocked while the selection is below the minimum or above the maximum. The message appears under the option, in the same place and style as the required field message.
Live updates
After a message is showing, it follows the customer's picks: it updates as they select and unselect values and disappears as soon as the selection is valid. No message is shown while a customer is still making their first picks.
Select all
On Checkbox (Multi), the Select all control is hidden when Max selections is lower than the number of values a customer can pick, because selecting everything would go over the limit.
Messages
| Situation | Default message |
|---|---|
| Fewer values than the minimum | Please select at least {min} option(s). |
| A pick beyond the maximum | You can select up to {max} option(s). |
Both messages can be reworded in App Settings > Storefront Settings > Validation and Inventory, next to the Option Required Message. {min} and {max} are replaced with the option's own limits, and {option} with its label — see Language Settings.
One message for the whole store
The wording is set once and used by every option that has a limit; the numbers come from each option. The messages are not translated automatically, so write them in your storefront's language.
Rules When Saving
The option set can't be saved while a limit is invalid. Advanced Settings opens automatically and the error shows under the field:
| Problem | Error shown |
|---|---|
| Min is greater than max | Min selections cannot be greater than max selections |
| Min is greater than the number of values | Min selections cannot exceed the number of values |
| Max is greater than the number of values | Max selections cannot exceed the number of values |
| More values are pre-selected than max allows | More values are preselected than max selections allows |
| Zero, a negative number, or a decimal | Enter a whole number of 1 or more. |
Deleting values lowers the limits for you: if you remove values and a limit is now higher than the number left, min and max drop to the new number of values.
Behavior Notes
- Unavailable values lower the minimum. If some values are out of stock or hidden by a condition, the minimum drops to what can still be picked. With 7 values, a minimum of 4, and 4 values sold out, the customer needs the 3 that are left — a limit can never make an option impossible to complete
- Hidden options don't count. An option hidden by conditional logic never blocks Add to cart, whatever its limit
- Pre-selected values count. Values marked Pre-selected by default are part of the customer's selection from the start, which is why you can't pre-select more than the maximum
Test It in the Editor
You can check a limit without opening your storefront:
- Open the option set and look at the preview beside the editor
- Click Manage preview and tick Show Add to cart button
- Pick values in the preview and click Add to cart
The button runs the same validation a customer gets, so the minimum and maximum messages appear exactly as they would on the product page. Nothing is added to a cart.
Related
- Required Fields — making an option mandatory
- Language Settings — rewording the minimum and maximum messages
- Help Text — tell customers about the limit before they pick
- Max Length — the character limit for text options