Refresh Theme - How to make collection's description show up automatically

Topic summary

Main issue: In the Shopify “Refresh” theme, editing the collection description in Theme Customizer applies the same text to all collections because multiple collections share the same template.

Key guidance:

  • Use the collection description field in the Shopify admin (collection backend). The theme can pull this per-collection content automatically, similar to how it pulls the title. One user confirmed this resolved their issue once they added the description in the backend.
  • Alternative suggestion: Use a page builder app (e.g., PageFly) if the theme setup doesn’t expose the description where desired. Some participants objected to needing an external app or code for this basic functionality.

Display/layout fix:

  • For a description that was wrapping too narrowly in the collection banner, adding this CSS to base.css was provided and confirmed helpful:
    @media screen and (min-width: 750px){
    .collection-hero__description { max-width: 100% !important; }
    }
    (A code snippet and a live page link were shared to illustrate.)

Status:

  • Partially resolved. Adding descriptions in the admin works; a CSS tweak improves layout.
  • Open question: Showing the description specifically in the subheading section on the main collection page remains unanswered.
Summarized with AI on February 2. AI used: gpt-5.

Is there way the description I put for a collection shows up on the Refresh theme automatically? Right now I have to go into “customize theme” to edit the description and that description is same for all my different collections.

https://yraoaf320jl574fm-38747963437.shopifypreview.com

The description before I customized the site. I changed that sentence to “wip”.

@Mousu - Actually shopify shares the very same template for multiple collections, therefore any change will show up on all pages. I recommend you to try some page builder like pagefly or some app which allows you to edit collection description.

Is there not a way the description of the collection show up like the collection’s name instead of going into the theme customization section each time to edit the description?

Right now I have 18 collections and may be adding more later.

I used Venture theme before this was and just assumed the way collection’s description show was same for all themes xD

But that’s ridiculous, why should we have to use an external app to make changes within the theme? Or have to change the code? I have the same issue and it is so unprofessional on an otherwise fab theme, but that issue is making my website look unfinished and is making me consider swapping to a different theme after I have put hours into the building of this one! Not impressed.

Did you find a resolution to this in the end? I’m having the same issue and it is driving me insane :disappointed_face:

1 Like

There has to be a way to edit the theme template for collections to pull the description in just as it pulls the title in for each theme individually. I unfortunately don’t know how to do this but that would be the solution.

@Douglas_Nixon - theme can pull description, you need to put description in collection backend

Yes! It was actually easy I just wasn’t looking lol.

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@Douglas_Nixon - it happens, great to know that your issue i solved. :slightly_smiling_face:

Would you know how to edit the code in the collection banner to make the collection description go to the end of page before starting a new page? You’ll see in the screen shot below it starts a new line about half way through the page.

@Douglas_Nixon - can you please share this page link?

https://frgtactical.com/collections/5-11-tactical

@Douglas_Nixon - add this css to the very end of your base.css file and check

@media screen and (min-width: 750px){
.collection-hero__description {max-width: 100% !important;}
}

1 Like

Thanks so much!!

ran into the same issue. Need to show the description in the subheading section on main collection page.