4. Widget Not Appearing on My Store

Can't see the gift message widget on your store? Check Storefront widgets in the app, then work through the six common causes, starting with the app embed.

Written By Giftnote Team

Last updated 3 minutes ago

Installed Giftnote but can't see the gift message box on your store? This is the most common setup problem, and one of six causes below is almost always behind it. Work through them in order.

Start with the Storefront widgets status

In the Giftnote app, go to Settings → Overview and scroll to Storefront widgets. It lists each Giftnote widget and whether it's on your published theme:

  • Giftnote Control Panel is the app embed: the main switch that loads Giftnote on every page. If it isn't Active, no other widget shows. Go straight to cause 1.
  • The other rows are app blocks (Giftnote sections you place on a page), such as Gift Order Message, Gift Card Message and Check balance. Each shows Active or Not added. Click Add to theme next to one that's missing.
Settings → Overview in the Giftnote app: the Online store widgets card, showing the Control Panel and each Gift Orders and Gift Cards widget as Active or Inactive, with Edit on theme, Add to theme and Help buttons

The status only covers your published theme. Changes on a draft theme show up once you publish it.

Most common causes

Most common first. Cause 1 fixes it for most merchants.

  1. The Giftnote app embed is off. No widget shows anywhere until you turn it on.
  2. You published a new theme. A new theme starts with every app embed off, including Giftnote.
  3. Your cart drawer needs a code snippet. Most slide-out carts don't let you drag in a block.
  4. Another app is getting in the way, such as Route, Skio, Printful, Govalo or GiftShip.
  5. The widget block isn't on your product page template.
  6. A Giftnote setting hides it on purpose: the product is in Hidden products, the shopper's country is in Blocked markets, or the design hides the widget for B2B customers.

1. Enable the Giftnote app embed

The app embed is Giftnote's main switch. If it's off, the gift message widget doesn't appear on any page.

  1. In Shopify admin, go to Online Store → Themes.
  2. Click Customize on your live theme. This opens the theme editor.
  3. In the left sidebar, click the App embeds icon.
  4. Find Giftnote Control Panel and switch it on. If Giftnote isn't in the list, check it appears under Apps in Shopify admin. If it doesn't, reinstall it from the Shopify App Store.
  5. Click Save in the top-right corner.

To check it worked, open a product page in a new tab. The widget should appear within 30 seconds. In Giftnote, Settings → Overview → Storefront widgets should show Giftnote Control Panel as Active.

2. Turn the app embed back on after publishing a new theme

When you publish a new Shopify theme, its app embeds start switched off, even if Giftnote was on in your old theme. This often happens after a seasonal theme change or when a developer hands over a new theme.

  1. Go to Online Store → Themes → Customize on your published theme.
  2. Click the App embeds icon in the left sidebar.
  3. Switch Giftnote Control Panel back on.
  4. Click Save.

If you styled the widget with custom CSS on your old theme, add it again. In App embeds, open Giftnote Control Panel and paste your CSS into Modal Styling (CSS).

Tip: next time, turn on the Giftnote app embed in the new theme before you publish it. Then it's already on when the theme goes live.

3. Add the gift message widget to your cart drawer

On most themes, the cart drawer (the cart that slides out from the side) needs a small code snippet for the widget. Product pages and the cart page let you drag the block in instead. In Giftnote, Settings → Gift Orders shows the cart widget as the Message row marked Cart.

If the cart drawer is part of your theme: paste this snippet into your theme's cart-drawer.liquid file (or your theme's equivalent):

<template id="__NAME_OF_BUTTON__">
  <style> /* ADD CSS HERE */ </style>
</template>
<giftnote-button
  data-styles="__NAME_OF_BUTTON__"
  data-add="Add a gift message"
  data-edit="Edit gift message"
></giftnote-button>

Replace __NAME_OF_BUTTON__ with any name, the same in both places. The Giftnote app embed must be on (cause 1) for the button to open the gift message pop-up. See Add Gift Message Widget for more on the snippet.

Don't want to edit code? On a paid plan (Core or Professional), we can add the widget to your cart drawer on a copy of your theme so you can preview it first. Chat with us using the chat button in the help centre or in the app, or email support@giftnote.com, with your store URL and theme name. We'll send you a Shopify collaborator request.

A widget in the cart drawer gives customers one more chance to add a gift message, on top of the product page.

If you use Rebuy Smart Cart: try Rebuy's own Giftnote module first. In Rebuy, go to Smart Cart, open your active Smart Cart, scroll to Apps, configure Giftnote (set both button labels), switch it on and save. See Rebuy integration for the full steps.

If the module doesn't suit your cart, use a Custom HTML widget instead:

  1. In Rebuy, go to Smart Cart › Widgets.
  2. Add a Custom HTML widget where you want it in the cart.
  3. Paste the <giftnote-button> snippet above into the widget content.
  4. Save and publish your Smart Cart.

This works with or without a Rebuy API key in Settings → Integrations → Rebuy. The Giftnote app embed must be on (cause 1).

If you use another cart app (Slide Cart, CartHook):

  1. Check the Giftnote app embed is on (cause 1).
  2. Check whether your cart app accepts app blocks or custom HTML. If it does, add the Giftnote widget in the cart app's settings.
  3. If it doesn't, chat with us using the chat button in the help centre or in the app. On a paid plan (Core or Professional), we can set it up for you.

4. Fix conflicts with other apps

These apps can stop the gift message widget from showing:

  • Route: its shipping protection widget can cover or block Giftnote.
  • Skio: can stop the widget showing on subscription product pages.
  • Printful: can clash with how Giftnote saves order details.
  • Govalo or Rise.ai: gift card apps with their own widgets. Running both can give you duplicate or missing widgets.
  • GiftShip: has its own gift message box that can block Giftnote on the cart page.
  • The Broadcast theme's built-in "Gift Note" field: clashes with Giftnote.

To find the app causing it:

  1. Open your store in a private (incognito) browser window, so browser extensions don't interfere.
  2. Check whether the widget shows on a product page. If it shows there but not in the cart drawer or checkout, note which place is missing it.
  3. In Online Store → Themes → Customize → App embeds, turn off your other apps one at a time. Save and check your store after each one. When the widget comes back, you've found the app.
  4. Turn that app back on and chat with us. Send your store URL, the app's name and where the widget is missing. We'll find a way for both apps to work together.

Using the Broadcast theme? Hide its built-in "Gift Note" field in your theme settings or code. On a paid plan (Core or Professional), we can do this for you. Chat with us and we'll send a Shopify collaborator request.

Moving from Govalo or Rise.ai? Turn off or uninstall the other app before you turn on the Giftnote widget on your live theme. Running both can issue duplicate gift cards.

5. Add the widget block to your product page template

Most modern Shopify themes (called Online Store 2.0 themes) need the gift message widget added as a block on the product page template. The Giftnote app embed must be on as well.

  1. Go to Online Store → Themes → Customize. You can also click Edit on theme (or Add to theme) next to the Message row marked Product page in Giftnote → Settings → Gift Orders.
  2. Use the page selector at the top of the editor: click the drop-down that says "Home page" and choose Products → Default product.
  3. Click Add block in the product page template.
  4. Search for "giftnote", open the Apps tab and choose Gift Order Message. If Giftnote doesn't appear, check the app embed is on (cause 1).
  5. Drag the block where you want it. Most merchants put it just below the Add to Cart button.
  6. Click Save.

More than one product template? Repeat steps 2–6 for each template that should show the gift message widget.

6. Check Giftnote settings that hide the widget

If the widget shows on some products or for some shoppers but not others, a Giftnote setting may be hiding it. These work on every Shopify plan.

  • Hidden products: in Settings → Gift Orders → Advanced → Surcharge & visibility. Products listed here don't show the gift message option on the product page.
  • Blocked markets: in Settings → Gift Orders → Advanced → Where the gift message shows. Shoppers in these countries or markets don't see the gift message box at checkout or on the order status page. Test from a location outside those countries.
  • Hide for B2B customers: in Settings → Gift Orders → Widgets, open your design and check the Display card. When it's on, company customers don't see the widget. Test while logged out.

Still not working?

  • Check in a private (incognito) window. Your normal browser may be showing an old, cached version of your store.
  • Is your store headless? If your storefront is built with Hydrogen, another headless setup or a Webflow-to-Shopify bridge, the product page and cart drawer widgets won't work. Only the checkout widget works on headless stores, and it needs Shopify Plus. Contact us to talk through your options.
  • Check you're looking at your live theme. In Online Store → Themes, make sure the theme marked "Current theme" is the one where you turned on the Giftnote app embed. Changes on an unpublished theme don't show on your live store.
  • Chat with us using the chat button in the help centre or in the app. Include your store URL and a screenshot of your App embeds panel (with Giftnote switched on) or of Settings → Overview → Storefront widgets.