WooCommerce: Show Checkout Even If Cart Is Empty

By default, the WooCommerce Checkout page redirects you back to the (empty) Cart page in case there are no products in the Cart.

Now, there are times when you still need users to see the Checkout page and avoid this redirect. And thankfully, WooCommerce provides us with two filters that we can use to immediately disable this default behavior. Enjoy!

Checkout page by default redirects to the empty WooCommerce Cart page when no products are in the Cart

PHP Snippet: Avoid Checkout Redirect to Empty Cart

/**
 * @snippet       Avoid Empty Cart Redirect @ WooCommerce Checkout
 * @how-to        Get CustomizeWoo.com FREE
 * @author        Rodolfo Melogli
 * @compatible    WooCommerce 3.6.4
 * @donate $9     https://businessbloomer.com/bloomer-armada/
 */

add_filter( 'woocommerce_checkout_redirect_empty_cart', '__return_false' );
add_filter( 'woocommerce_checkout_update_order_review_expired', '__return_false' );

Related posts:

  1. WooCommerce: Hide Shipping Rates if Free Shipping Available
  2. WooCommerce: Translate “Shipping” @ Cart Totals
  3. WooCommerce: Hide Coupon Code @ Cart & Checkout Page
  4. WooCommerce: Hide Shipping By Shipping Class
  5. WooCommerce: Display Total Discount / Savings @ Cart & Checkout
  6. WooCommerce: Enable Holiday / Pause / Vacation Mode
  7. WooCommerce: Add Content to Empty Cart Page
  8. WooCommerce: Redirect to Checkout on Add to Cart
  9. WooCommerce: Display Total Weight @ Cart & Checkout
  10. WooCommerce: Hide Shipping If Local Pickup Is Selected

Where to add this snippet?

You can place PHP snippets at the bottom of your child theme functions.php file (delete "?>" if you have it there). CSS, on the other hand, goes in your child theme style.css file. Make sure you know what you are doing when editing such files - if you need more guidance, please take a look at my free video tutorial "Where to Place WooCommerce Customization?"

Does this snippet (still) work?

Please let me know in the comments if everything worked as expected. I would be happy to revise the snippet if you report otherwise (please provide screenshots). I have tested this code with Storefront theme, the WooCommerce version listed above and a WordPress-friendly hosting on PHP 7.3.

If you think this code saved you time & money, feel free to join 14,000+ WooCommerce Weekly subscribers for blog post updates or 250+ Business Bloomer supporters for 365 days of WooCommerce benefits. Thank you in advance :)

Need Help with WooCommerce?

Check out these free video tutorials. You can learn how to customize WooCommerce without unnecessary plugins, how to properly configure the WooCommerce plugin settings and even how to master WooCommerce troubleshooting in case of a bug!

Rodolfo Melogli

Business Bloomer Founder

Author, WooCommerce expert and WordCamp speaker, Rodolfo has worked as an independent WooCommerce freelancer since 2011. His goal is to help entrepreneurs and developers overcome their WooCommerce nightmares. Rodolfo loves travelling, chasing tennis & soccer balls and, of course, wood fired oven pizza.

6 thoughts on “WooCommerce: Show Checkout Even If Cart Is Empty”

  1. Calvin

    Would be great to redirect to a specific URL. Unfortunately my checkout page is a blank white page when nothing is in the cart.

    Reply
    1. Rodolfo Melogli

      See Step 4 here: https://www.businessbloomer.com/woocommerce-cart-checkout-same-page/

      Reply
  2. Jean-Christophe

    Hi,

    Thanks for this trick. Working for me with WP 5.3 + Woocommerce 3.8 + Adorn theme.

    Best regards

    Reply
    1. Rodolfo Melogli

      Awesome!

      Reply
  3. John

    Works on WP 5.3, Woocommerce 3.8.
    On Empty Cart, Checkout goes to empty Check Out / Place Order page. Then when Place Order is clicked, message appears, “Your session has timed out.”

    View Cart goes to “Your Cart is Empty” message with “Return to Shop” button.

    I’d be interested in learning how to hide View Cart and Checkout in an empty cart, if anyone has suggestions.

    Reply
    1. Rodolfo Melogli

      Hi John, thanks so much for your comment! Yes, this is definitely possible, but I’m afraid it’s custom work. If you’d like to get a quote, feel free to contact me here. Thanks a lot for your understanding!

      Reply
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If you are writing code, please wrap it between shortcodes: [php]code_here[/php]. Failure to complying with this (as well as going off topic, not writing in English, etc.) will result in comment deletion. You should expect a reply in about 2 weeks - this is a popular blog but I need to get paid work done first. Please consider joining BloomerArmada to get blog comment reply priority, ask me 1-to-1 WooCommerce questions and enjoy many more perks. Thank you :)

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