Section Presets

TL;DR: The “presets” array on a section’s own schema — what it’s for, its full attribute list, category grouping, static-rendering caveats, and real-world examples.

A section preset is a "presets" array inside a section’s own {% schema %} tag. It lives with that section’s code, in the sections/ folder, not in config/ at all. Don’t confuse it with a Theme Preset, which configures the whole theme from config/settings_data.json — Shopify’s own documentation calls this distinction out explicitly, because the two are easy to mix up despite sharing a name.

What a section preset actually defines

A section preset defines what a merchant gets the moment they add that section fresh from the editor’s Add section picker: default setting values and a starting set of blocks. Think of it as a starter kit, not a blank section.

{% schema %}
{
  "name": "t:names.featured_collection",
  "settings": [
    { "type": "text", "id": "heading", "label": "t:settings.heading" },
    {
      "type": "select",
      "id": "layout",
      "label": "t:settings.layout",
      "options": [
        { "value": "grid", "label": "t:options.grid" },
        { "value": "carousel", "label": "t:options.carousel" }
      ],
      "default": "grid"
    }
  ],
  "blocks": [
    { "type": "product-card", "name": "t:names.product_card" }
  ],
  "presets": [
    {
      "name": "t:names.featured_collection_grid",
      "category": "t:categories.product",
      "settings": { "heading": "Shop the collection", "layout": "grid" },
      "blocks": [{ "type": "product-card" }, { "type": "product-card" }, { "type": "product-card" }]
    },
    {
      "name": "t:names.featured_collection_carousel",
      "category": "t:categories.product",
      "settings": { "heading": "New arrivals", "layout": "carousel" },
      "blocks": [{ "type": "product-card" }, { "type": "product-card" }, { "type": "product-card" }, { "type": "product-card" }]
    }
  ]
}
{% endschema %}

Full attribute reference

Attribute	Required	What it does
`name`	Yes	The preset’s display name in the Add section picker and sidebar. Persisted into the JSON template the moment a merchant adds it.
`category`	No	Groups related presets into a collapsible category in the picker (see below).
`settings`	No	Default values pre-populating the section’s own settings.
`blocks`	No	Default blocks included with the section, each needing a `type` that matches a real block type, and optionally its own `settings` and `name`.

How presets actually appear in the picker

Presets are listed alphabetically by name, not in the order you wrote them in the schema.
category groups related presets into a collapsible section in the Add section picker, letting you offer several starting points for one section type without cluttering the top-level list.
Uncategorized presets are always shown first, above any categorized groups.
The theme editor auto-generates a preview thumbnail for each preset. You can further control this with visual preview mode if the automatic preview doesn’t represent the preset well.

When to use more than one preset on the same section

A section can have any number of presets. Reach for a second one when a section genuinely has more than one common starting point that’s worth naming separately, not for every minor settings variation (that’s what settings are for):

Reach for a second preset	Just use a setting instead
A “Featured Collection” section offering a Grid preset and a Carousel preset, because the layout choice is significant enough to be its own decision, not a minor tweak	A “Featured Collection” section offering a checkbox to “show product ratings”
A “Hero” section offering a Full-bleed image preset and a Split image + text preset, two genuinely different visual structures	A “Hero” section offering a “text alignment” select
A “Testimonials” section offering a Single quote preset and a Grid of quotes preset, each with a meaningfully different block count and settings	A “Testimonials” section offering a “background color” setting

Sections with presets shouldn’t be statically rendered

If a section is statically rendered (baked into a template’s Liquid rather than added dynamically through the editor), it doesn’t go through the Add section picker at all, so its "presets" array never actually gets used. Use the "default" schema attribute instead for a statically rendered section’s starting configuration, it accepts the same shape as a preset object but applies without ever showing up in a picker.

Real-world example: a “Features” section with two presets

A theme’s “Icon list” section that highlights shipping, returns, and support benefits is a good candidate for two presets — a three-column layout for a full feature set, and a single-row banner for a merchant who only wants to highlight one thing:

{% schema %}
{
  "name": "t:names.icon_list",
  "max_blocks": 6,
  "blocks": [
    {
      "type": "feature",
      "name": "t:names.feature",
      "settings": [
        { "type": "text", "id": "icon_name", "label": "t:settings.icon" },
        { "type": "text", "id": "heading", "label": "t:settings.heading" },
        { "type": "richtext", "id": "body", "label": "t:settings.body" }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "presets": [
    {
      "name": "t:names.icon_list_three_column",
      "category": "t:categories.trust",
      "blocks": [
        { "type": "feature", "settings": { "icon_name": "truck", "heading": "Free shipping", "body": "<p>On every order over $75.</p>" } },
        { "type": "feature", "settings": { "icon_name": "refresh-cw", "heading": "Easy returns", "body": "<p>30 days, no questions asked.</p>" } },
        { "type": "feature", "settings": { "icon_name": "message-circle", "heading": "Real support", "body": "<p>A human replies within a day.</p>" } }
      ]
    },
    {
      "name": "t:names.icon_list_single_banner",
      "category": "t:categories.trust",
      "blocks": [
        { "type": "feature", "settings": { "icon_name": "truck", "heading": "Free shipping on every order", "body": "<p>No minimum, no fine print.</p>" } }
      ]
    }
  ]
}
{% endschema %}

A merchant who only cares about one trust signal gets the single-banner preset without hand-deleting two blocks; a merchant who wants the full set gets it pre-filled with realistic, on-brand copy instead of three empty blocks they have to write from scratch. That’s the actual benefit a section preset buys you: it turns “configure this from nothing” into “adjust this from something reasonable.”

Do / Don’t

✅ Do	❌ Don’t
Use `category` to group presets once a section has more than two or three, so the picker stays scannable.	Adding a preset for every minor settings variation instead of using a setting, this inflates the preset list for no real benefit.
Only add a second preset for a genuinely distinct starting configuration, not a minor variation, that’s what settings are for.	Forgetting `category` on a section with many presets, leaving merchants to scroll through a long flat list.
Give every preset realistic example content, matching the rule for Store & Design Requirements, not placeholder text.	Shipping a `"presets"` array on a statically rendered section, where it’s simply never used, instead of `"default"`.
Use `"default"` instead of `"presets"` for any section that’s statically rendered.	Shipping placeholder content (“Lorem ipsum,” “Heading here”) in a preset’s blocks instead of realistic example copy.
Localize every preset `name` and `category` with a `t:` key, the same as every other schema string (see settings_schema.json: Rules & Conventions).	—

Key takeaways

Section presets live in a section’s own {% schema %} → "presets" array, not in config/.
Attributes: name (required), category, settings, blocks (all optional).
Presets sort alphabetically by name; category groups them into a collapsible group; uncategorized presets show first.
A statically rendered section should use "default", not "presets".
Add a second preset only for a genuinely distinct starting point, not a minor variation.