WooCommerce does not include a built-in setting to restrict product searches to titles only.

By default, WooCommerce uses WordPress search behavior, which checks both the product title and product description. While this can be helpful in some cases, it can also lead to less precise results, especially for stores with larger catalogs or detailed product descriptions.

As a result, many store owners look for a way to limit search to product titles only.

Why Would I Want to Search Product Titles Only?

There are several reasons why store owners may want to restrict search to product titles:

• More precise search results by avoiding matches from long or unrelated descriptions
• Improved user experience when customers expect exact or near-exact matches
• Cleaner results for large catalogs

In many cases, searching titles only can reduce noise and make it easier for customers to find exactly what they’re looking for.

Why WooCommerce Doesn’t Support This by Default

WooCommerce relies on WordPress’s default search functionality, which is broad rather than precise.

This means:

• Search includes both titles and descriptions
• There is no built-in setting to change which fields are searched
• There is no native control over search scope or relevance

Because of this, restricting search to titles only requires customization.

Your Options for Searching by Product Title Only

There are two main approaches to achieving this:

• code customization
• search plugin

Code Customization

You can restrict search to product titles by modifying the WordPress search query using hooks like pre_get_posts or filters that adjust the SQL query.

While this approach works, it comes with trade-offs:

• It requires development knowledge
• It can introduce compatibility issues with themes and plugins
• It adds ongoing maintenance, especially after updates

For most store owners, this approach is more complex than necessary.

Search Plugin

A search plugin is usually the easiest and most flexible way to control what gets searched.

Many search plugins allow you to:

• Limit search to specific fields, such as product titles only
• Exclude descriptions or other content from search
• Adjust search behavior and relevance without writing code

This makes it much easier to fine-tune search results based on your store’s needs.

Elevated Product Search for WooCommerce

Elevated Product Search for WooCommerce provides a clear example of how a search plugin can restrict searches to product titles only. In fact, it defaults to that option and then provides an Advanced Options section where owners can add other search fields:

The same section allows you to include custom fields, activate fuzzy search, and enable several other advanced features.

Final Thoughts

Restricting WooCommerce search to product titles only is not something you can do with default settings.

However, it’s a common requirement for improving search accuracy and user experience.

For most store owners, the simplest solution is to use a search plugin that gives you full control over what gets searched and how results are returned. Elevated Product Search for WooCommerce provides a good example of how this should be implemented.

However, it’s not the only plugin to offer this feature. See our 5 Best WooCommerce Product Search Plugins article for a list of others.