Why do I need to hit Save twice on Product Pages

Store Design

Topic summary

Users experience a recurring issue where the Save button on Shopify product pages requires clicking twice. After the initial save confirmation, attempting to navigate away triggers the Save prompt again (with a button wiggle animation), and the Next/Previous navigation buttons become greyed out until the page is reloaded.

Identified causes:

  • Asynchronous form saving conflicts: Shopify’s React-based editor may mark forms as “dirty” if fields re-render while a save request is still processing
  • Metafields and app integrations create separate save layers that require additional confirmation
  • Rich text editors, custom fields, and browser extensions (like Grammarly) can trigger false “unsaved changes” detection

Suggested workarounds:

  • Wait 1-2 seconds after saving before navigating
  • Disable browser extensions during bulk editing
  • Use Shopify’s bulk editor or third-party tools like Matrixify for repetitive updates
  • Test by disabling product-related apps individually to identify conflicts

Current status: The issue remains unresolved. The original poster notes that waiting longer after saving and clearing browser cache don’t fix the problem. They acknowledge metafields and apps are likely culprits but express frustration that Shopify hasn’t addressed this widespread issue systematically.

Summarized with AI on October 23. AI used: claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929.
1

This has been bugging me for ages. It doesn’t happen all the time, but about half the time.

When editing the Product Page I hit Save and it confirms. Then when I try to move to the Next or Previous product - or sometimes just to navigate away from the page - the Save button pops up again (and does its little wiggle). So, I hit Save (or Discard) and it saves again.

However now, the Next and Previous buttons are greyed out and I have to reload the page to bring them back.

When this happens it happens to every single product, pretty much doubling the time it takes for me to make the edits I need (which are often just copy/pasting to every product).

2

I too would love to know why after I save edits and make no additional edits I am prompted to save, again. It’s super annoying.

1 Like
3

That usually happens when there are two layers of edits going on one inside the product editor itself, and one inside the theme or custom fields attached to that product.

For example:

  • When you edit the product details (title, price, description), Shopify saves that first.

  • But if your product page also uses apps, meta fields, or theme sections, those changes may require a second “Save” to lock them in.

Here’s what you can do to fix it:

  1. After your first Save, refresh and check if the change actually stuck.

  2. If it didn’t, try disabling any product related apps one by one many of them override Shopify’s native fields and cause the double save.

  3. Test the same edit on a fresh product page (no apps or meta fields) if the issue disappears, you’ll know it’s app/theme related.

  4. Also clear your browser cache or try another browser sometimes the editor lags and forces a second Save.

In short: Shopify is saving your product data and the “extra” layer separately, which is why you see the double-save behavior.

If you’d like, I can take a quick look at your setup and let you know which app or theme section might be causing it.

1 Like
4

Hi @MyCsPiTTa ,
Yeah — that’s a real frustration many Shopify merchants (and even developers) have noticed when working in the Shopify Admin > Products section. It’s not you — it’s usually a combination of Shopify admin UI state syncing issues and autosave logic conflicts.

Here’s what’s actually happening and what you can do about it:

  1. Asynchronous form saving
  • The Product Editor uses React under the hood. When you click “Save,” Shopify sends an async save request.
  • If a field (like title, description, or metafield) re-renders while that save is still processing, the editor thinks something changed again — so it marks the form as “dirty” (unsaved) even though you just hit Save.
  1. Rich Text Editor and metafield lag
  • If you have metafields or sections (like product descriptions, tags, or SEO inputs) that load slowly or are connected to apps, the editor might detect them as “updated” right after your first save.
  • That triggers the “Save” button again (hence the “wiggle” you see).
  1. Navigation state mismatch
  • When that happens, Shopify disables the “Next” and “Previous” product buttons because it thinks there are unsaved changes.
  • That’s why you have to reload the page to reset it.

Common triggers

  • Editing metafields or custom fields from apps (especially with auto-formatting).
  • Editing products with large JSON metafields or many variants.
  • Having a browser extension that modifies inputs (e.g., Grammarly, language translators).
  • Quickly saving and navigating before Shopify’s save request fully completes.

Workarounds / Fixes

  1. Wait 1–2 seconds after clicking Save
  • Give the backend time to complete the save before navigating away — watch for the top “Saved” confirmation bar to fully disappear.
  1. Turn off extensions while bulk editing
  • Grammarly, ad blockers, or autofill tools can re-trigger input changes.
  1. Use bulk editor instead
  • From Products → Select items → “Bulk edit.”
  • It’s much faster for repetitive updates and doesn’t have this double-save bug.
  1. If you’re a developer/admin:
  • Try saving from the Shopify CLI / GraphQL Admin API if you’re doing repetitive copy-paste tasks — it’s more stable for mass updates.
  • Or use an app like Matrixify for spreadsheet-like editing without the UI bugs.
1 Like
5

Sorry, I didn’t see these updates - wasn’t notified, for some reason.

Both are reasonable and very detailed, so thank you to both StoreGrowthPro and MagePlaza.

Unfortunately, the causes leave a lot open to interpretation. The only thing I can exclude right away is not leaving enough time after hitting save - I’ve tried leaving even for a couple of minutes. And alos I’ve tried clearing my browser cache

My product descriptions do have metafields and custom labels you both mention. Not much I can do about that as I need them.

Likewise for apps. Perhaps sometime I’ll get around to hunting down which one/s is/are cause the problem. But TBH, what a massive PITA… I think this is something Shopify themselves should try and find a solution for, given we all have a menagerie of apps installed and so many are facing this issue.