By default, WooCommerce does not include SKU in its front-end product search. When a customer types an SKU into the search bar, they will usually get zero results, even if the product exists.

Why Would I Want to Search Products by SKU?

There are several common reasons why SKU search is important:

• Faster product lookup, especially for returning customers or internal staff
• Support for exact product identification, since SKUs are unique
• Better experience for wholesale or B2B customers, who often search by SKU
• Improved efficiency for large catalogs, where product names may be similar

In many stores, SKU search is one of the most direct ways to find a specific product quickly.

Options for Searching Products by SKU

There are two main approaches to enabling SKU search:

• code customization
• search plugin

Code Customization

You can modify WooCommerce search behavior to include or prioritize SKUs by using hooks or filters such as pre_get_posts or by adjusting the underlying search query.

This approach allows you to:

• Include SKU in search queries
• Prioritize exact SKU matches
• Customize how results are returned

However, it also:

• Requires development knowledge
• Can introduce compatibility issues with themes or plugins
• May require ongoing maintenance after updates

For many store owners, this approach is too technical.

Search Plugin

In most cases, using a search plugin provides the best balance of flexibility, accuracy, and ease of use for enabling SKU search in WooCommerce.

Many search plugins allow you to:

• Enable SKU-based searching explicitly
• Prioritize SKU matches over titles or descriptions
• Support exact or partial SKU matching
• Customize relevance and ranking without code

This makes it much easier to deliver fast, accurate results—especially for stores where SKU search is a key part of the user experience.

Elevated Product Search for WooCommerce

Elevated Product Search for WooCommerce makes searching by SKU easy. It lets you include SKUs simply by enabling the SKUs option in its advanced Product Search Settings:

Once you do this, searching by SKU becomes as easy as a product title search. Even entering partial SKUs displays matching products in the search preview:

Final Thoughts

Searching products by SKU is not supported in WooCommerce’s default front-end search.

If customers need to search by SKU, store owners must add that functionality either through code customization or a search plugin.

For most store owners, a search plugin is the simplest and most practical solution. It makes it easier to enable SKU search, improve accuracy, and control how results are displayed. Elevated Product Search for WooCommerce is one example of a plugin that offers this functionality in a straightforward way.

However, it is not the only plugin that supports SKU search. See our 5 Best WooCommerce Product Search Plugins article for other options.