Manual groups vs Auto Groups - which should I use?

Both create the same storefront result (a combined listing with swatches). The difference is how the products get in and whether the group maintains itself.

	Manual group	Auto Group
You pick products	Yes, by hand	No, by a rule
Stays in sync automatically	No	Yes
Best for	A few curated groups	Catalogs that change often
Effort to maintain	You update it	Hands-off

Choose Manual when…

• You want exact control over which products and what order.

• The group rarely changes.

• The products don't share a tidy tag, collection, or title pattern.

👉 Create a product group

Choose Auto Groups when…

• Your products already share a tag, collection, vendor, type, title pattern, or metafield.

• You add or change products often and don't want to update groups by hand.

👉 Auto Groups overview

And for one-off bulk work…

• Bulk group by title creates many groups in a single pass (not ongoing). Learn more

• Import CSV creates/updates many groups from a spreadsheet. Learn more

Rule of thumb: if a tag or collection already describes the group, use an Auto Group - it's the least work and never goes stale.