Do you use Instagram Shopping and can’t tag products? Is your Instagram Catalog not working or showing? You’ve come to the right place. In this tutorial, you will learn how to solve the most common problems to have your Catalog up and running in no time.

Instagram Shopping and product tagging are necessary tools in online marketing that help leverage your social media presence and boost your sales. Even though they’re relatively easy to set up, many things can prevent them from working properly, so it can be quite complex to solve some issues.

Have you had issues and now your Instagram Catalog is not working? Don’t worry. In this guide, we’ll show you different solutions to the most common problems and provide you with helpful tips to get approved for Instagram Shopping.

Sell products via Instagram

Instagram Cataloging is the process of adding your shop and products directly to your Instagram page. This way, you can market your products on Instagram and sell them to your consumers directly. This includes adding a shop to your Instagram page as well as adding product tags to your posts.

We have already seen how to connect WooCommerce to your Instagram store and set up your Catalog, but there seems to be significant confusion and issues that cause the Instagram Catalog to stop working. As the shop depends on your Facebook and Instagram pages, it can create a significant number of problems.

In this guide, we’ll show you different ways to fix different issues when Instagram Catalog is not working for your store.

How to make sure your Instagram Catalog is good to go

Let’s go through a short checklist of things you need to make sure are in place for your Instagram Catalog to work smoothly:

• You have finished setting up your Facebook page and added all the required details
• Your Facebook Catalog has been set up on your page. This includes connecting it to your WooCommerce store and its products
• Your Instagram account has been set as a Business account and is connected to your Facebook page
• The catalog has been connected to your Instagram Shop
• You are approved for Instagram Shopping

Usually, the last point is where people might encounter some problems. Before you can tag your products on Instagram, Facebook and Instagram have to review your Shop and Page and approve it.

This process can take from a few days to a few weeks depending on your page, the type of product you’re going to sell, and so on. If Facebook considers that your Page and Shop aren’t well set up or miss crucial information, they might not approve your business until you fix the issues.

Let’s have a look at some of the pointers you should note to get approved as soon as possible.

Setting up your Catalog and Getting Approved for Instagram Shopping

First, let’s make sure that your Facebook page was created and set up to match your shop. To check your page, go to Facebook Business Manager and click on the Commerce section on the left tab.

In the Commerce manager, you can see specific details about your Facebook page and your store as well as the catalog. Always make sure that both the Shop and the Catalog are set up correctly. Also, ensure that you have all the necessary items displayed for your Instagram shop.

While you can add items manually or in bulk using a CSV file or a Google spreadsheet, you can also import your WooCommerce products as your Shop items using the Pixel service.

If you’re not familiar with the above process, we recommend you have a look at our guide on how to set up the Instagram Catalog.

But that’s just the first step. After that, you may face different issues. One of the most common ones is that your catalog isn’t connected to your Instagram shop. This can happen due to multiple reasons. For a clear understanding of the whole process, we recommend you go through this guide and ensure that you have completed all the steps.

Instagram Shop isn’t showing. What do I do?

This is a very common problem that users face. You’ve followed the steps described above and you’re ready to add and tag products but you don’t see the Shopping section under Business Settings. If that’s your case, don’t worry.

Most times, this is either because Instagram is still reviewing your account or it hasn’t approved your account for shopping on Instagram yet. Be patient as this can sometimes take some days. Also, keep in mind that selling items on Instagram is only available in certain countries, so make sure your country is one of them. More on this below in point 5.

Instagram Catalog not working? How to fix it

Now, we’ll go through some specific checks to make sure that your Instagram catalog is well set up. These steps will help you ensure that your Instagram/Facebook Shop gets published and your account gets approved for Instagram shopping.

1. Set up your Catalog and connect it to WooCommerce
2. Set the Facebook Page Template to Shopping
3. Add a Shop button to Facebook Page
4. Check Business Manager and Page Info
5. Make sure you’re operating in a supported market
6. All your products must be approved for your Shop
7. Match Facebook and Instagram business categories
8. I can’t tag products on Instagram
9. “This product does not use the domain you selected for Instagram Shopping”
10. This Page is already linked
11. Items not showing in Instagram Shop or Ads
12. Product is unavailable on your website

1) Set up your Catalog and connect it to your WooCommerce website

First, you need to make sure that you’ve set up your Shop catalog properly on your Facebook business page. This includes adding all the items to your catalog or migrating all your products directly from your store.

To check your catalogs, go to your Facebook Commerce Manager and open the Commerce Manager. The overview page usually shows you whether your Shop is properly set up or not and what you need to set up your Catalog. Once your Catalog is fully set up and you’ve added all the items, you should see the option to Publish your Shop.

This is important for Instagram shopping, but to publish your shop, Facebook has to review it. As mentioned before, this process can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks.

Whether your shop gets published or not depends on your shop details and how you’ve set up both your shop and products. That’s why we highly recommend you pay close attention to how you’ve configured and customized your shop to fix any issues that may cause your Instagram Catalog not to work.

2) Set Facebook Page Template to Shopping

If you haven’t customized your Facebook page much, you may not have realized that it is set to a Business Template instead of a Shopping page template. How well your shop is customized matters to Facebook when reviewing your page and it may be one of the reasons why your Instagram Catalog isn’t working.

To avoid being rejected by Facebook, make sure that your Facebook page template is set to Shopping. On your Facebook page, go to Settings and then to Templates and tabs on the left sidebar.

Here, you should see the current template selected for your page. Click Edit and set it to Shopping.

Then, click Apply Template to apply it to your shop.

3) Customize your Facebook Page and Add a Shop button

Another reason why your Instagram Catalog may not be working is that your Shop page isn’t correctly customized and doesn’t have a Shop button.

If it doesn’t, you can add one by clicking on the Add a Button option. You can choose among several options such as View Shop, Book Now, Get Quote, and more.

This simple addition can help you provide a better customer experience and boost your sales.

4) Business Manager and Page Info are set up with the right information

You should double-check that you’ve entered the right information for both your Page info and your Business Manager details.

To check your Page details, click the Edit Page Info section on your Page and make sure that all the information is correct.

Moreover, you should also check all the Business Manager details from the Facebook Business Manager. Select your page and go to Settings.

Here you can check both your Business and Billing settings to make sure that all your business information, payment methods, and payment details have been set correctly.

Additionally, you should make sure that the right Instagram account is integrated with your Facebook shop. To do so, click on the Settings icon under your Commerce Manager and go to Instagram Connection. Here you can integrate your Instagram account (if you haven’t done so already) or select a different one.

5) Your business is located in one of Facebook and Instagram’s supported markets

Another important thing to consider if your Instagram Catalog is not working is that the option to tag products and sell items on Instagram is only available in certain countries and locations. That’s why you should double-check that your business is in one of these regions. Otherwise, your Shop may not be approved for Instagram Shopping.

To learn more about this, check out this page.

6) All your Shop items should be approvable by Instagram

Instagram has strict policies regarding Shop items and the products your shop can sell. We recommend you read Facebook’s Commerce policies to make sure that your business and its operations are supported by Instagram.

Additionally, ensure that all your products are approved for your Shop. Keep in mind that your Shop won’t get approved if your items have pending issues to resolve.

7) Business categories of Instagram and Facebook should match

A common issue that may cause your Instagram Catalog to stop working is that your Instagram profile’s category doesn’t match your Facebook shop’s category. This is a small detail that usually creates a lot of headaches for users.

Instagram account

To check your category on Instagram, go to Edit Profile > Professional account.

Then press Change and select the appropriate category for your shop. For businesses and Shops, you should set it to Shopping and Retail.

Facebook account

To change your Facebook Page category, open your page and click Edit Page. Check the Categories section and choose the same category you selected on Instagram.

8) Why can’t I tag products on Instagram?

Another common issue occurs when you can’t tag your products on Instagram even if your shop is approved. If this happens to you, there are several things you should consider:

• Make sure that you have an Instagram Business account and that you have added it to Facebook Business Manager
• Ensure that you are using a professional account, this is a business or creator account on Instagram. Otherwise, you won’t be able to tag products
• Check that your business is located in a supported market as mentioned in point 5
• Ensure that you meet Instagram’s Eligibility Standards to use promotional tools. You can check the requirements here
• Check if you have full access to tag products. Some accounts may have restricted access to some accounts and that will prevent you from tagging products
  • To check this, go to Business Settings > Data Sources > Catalogs > Select the correct catalog in your account that was approved > Instagram Business profiles tab and enable that catalog
  • After that, you need to wait some time for the changes to apply to your account and then go to Instagram > Business Shopping and select that catalog to be able to tag products from that catalog in your stories, reels and posts
• Go to Settings > Shopping Partner Permissions and make sure that Allow Product Tagging is enabled
• If you’re trying to tag a new product, keep in mind that Instagram needs to review it first. This process usually takes a couple of hours

If you were able to tag products on Instagram and now suddenly you can’t, make sure you haven’t switched your account from Business to Creator. In that case, you won’t be able to tag products. To fix this, simply switch back your account to Business.

What if I can’t find a product?

Alternatively, it may happen that you aren’t able to find a product. This usually happens when there are issues with your shopping partner’s permissions or with your product catalog. Some of the causes may be:

• If you don’t have permission to tag products: To check this, go to Settings > Shopping Partner Permissions and make sure that the option Allow product tagging is enabled for you and all your shopping partners.
• Make sure that the product you’re looking for isn’t under review or has been rejected. Every time you add a new item to your catalog, Instagram has to approve it before you can tag it. This usually takes a few hours but it may take longer in some cases.
• This may seem obvious but make sure that you have shared the product that you or your partner can’t find.

9) This product does not use the domain you selected for Instagram Shopping

The “This product does not use the domain you selected for Instagram Shopping” is another common and annoying issue that causes Instagram Catalog not to work.

The good news is that it’s quite easy to fix. First, in your Instagram account, go to Settings > Business > Shopping > Products and check that all your products are there. If everything is correct, go to Settings > Business > Shopping > Website, and under Current website, set up the website you’ve selected for Instagram Shopping. After that, verify it if you haven’t done so already.

Then update your catalog from the Other Websites in the Catalog section and you should be able to tag your products again.

10) “This Page is already linked” problem

Another reason why the Instagram catalog may stop working is the “This Page is already linked” issue. This prevents a Facebook page from connecting to Instagram. Most times, this problem appears when an existing user had connected their Facebook page and Instagram account in the past.

If this is your case, try these solutions:

• Log out from your Facebook and Instagram accounts
• Unlink your Facebook and Instagram accounts. Then restart your phone, and link them again
• Switch your Instagram account to Personal. After that, link your Facebook account to it and then switch your Instagram account to Business again
• Change your Facebook password. It may seem weird but this fixes the problem in some cases
• Make sure you’re an admin on your Facebook page
• Avoid using special characters such as symbols or emojis in both your Facebook page name and Instagram Business account

11) Items not appearing in Instagram shop or Ads

Another common issue is that certain products from your catalog don’t appear in your shop or ads on Instagram or Facebook. In that case, first, check if the items are correctly included in your Shop. If they are, then there’s a problem that prevents the products from showing.

If that’s your case, you have to find the issue. Go to the Catalog tab > Issues and look for an error called Items not showing. Then select Review and click the arrow to display the issues and the products that it’s affecting. There can be several problems that cause the products not to appear:

• Policy violations
• Item out of stock, that have been archived or hidden from the Shop
• Issues with the images
• Missing categories or quantities
• And others

Common issues for items not showing on Instagram Shop or Ads

Let’s have a look at some of the most common issues that may cause your items not to show in your shop or ads on Instagram and Facebook and how to solve them.

• Missing or invalid images: If your products don’t have a valid image, they won’t show up in Instagram Shop. Make sure that your product images follow the specifications, that the images are JPEG or PNG and that their size is under 8 MB. Also, keep in mind that all the image links must begin with http:// or https:// and have to be functional. 
• Image too small:  Images should be at least 500 x 500 px to appear on ad placement.
• Archived or hidden items won’t appear in the Shop
• Missing or invalid category: If your items in the catalog are missing a valid Google or Facebook product category or tax code, they won’t show up. To fix this issue and prevent it from happening in the future, turn on the automatic.
• Expired items: If you’ve set an expiry date for some of your products and that date is in the past, they won’t appear. To make them show up again, edit the expiration_date field for items in your data feed or leave the field blank.
• Invalid or missing price: Make sure that the price of your products has a valid price (from 0.50 to 100,000).
• Missing information (for selling in India): If you’re selling in India on WhatsApp or Shops, you need to provide the item’s country of origin by adding the origin_country field to sell your products. Additionally, if the country of origin isn’t India, you must also fill in the importer_name and importer_address fields. For Instagram and Facebook Shops you must also add the manufacturer information via the manufacturer_info field. However, if you sell non-physical goods on WhatsApp, you can avoid providing that extra information by using the wa_compliance_category field. More info here.
• Out of stock for more than 56 days: If the product has been out of stock for more than 56 days, it won’t appear in your Instagram Shop. Simply update the quantity to 1 or more.

For specific information on how to fix these specific problems, have a look at this link.

12) Product is unavailable on your website

Sometimes Instagram catalog stops working and you see an error saying that your products are unavailable on your website. This can happen if you change your domain. If you encounter this issue, follow these steps:

1. Check that your domain is verified and that that verified domain is the one you’re using to sell your products on
2. Make sure that everything on your website works properly and customers can buy coming from Facebook without any issues
3. Check that your products are added correctly to your catalog and that they have the correct link to each specific product. Each link has to be associated with the correct product.

Bonus: “No Products Sources Found” issue

Another problem that may prevent your Instagram Catalog from working is the “No Products Sources Found” issue. If you face this on your Instagram Shop, you have to double-check that your Business account has the right catalog and it’s integrated with the correct Instagram account. Additionally, you should make sure that the right users have full access to your catalog.

To fix the “No Products Sources Found” issue, open your page’s Business Manager settings, go to Data Sources on the left tab and click Catalogs.

You will see the list of all your available catalogs. If you click them, you will see the people and business partners connected to that catalog. You can also check which sources the catalog is connected to (i.e. your Shopify or WooCommerce stores), user roles, and access.

To minimize product source issues, make sure that your accounts have full access to your catalog.

Conclusion

All in all, selling through Instagram can help you leverage your social media followers and boost your sales. Setting up your Shop isn’t hard but different issues may cause your Instagram Catalog not to work properly.

In this guide, we’ve shown you the most important points that you should consider to be approved for Instagram shopping. However, keep in mind that there might be situations that we haven’t contemplated here. In such cases, to fix issues with your Shop items we recommend you recreate your Shop catalog.

Alternatively, you can reach out to the Facebook support team for help. Facebook handles the Commerce review, so it’s always helpful to get their direct advice. The Instagram Catalog may stop working for many reasons, so always get help from Facebook or Instagram if you can.

Finally, we highly recommend you check out our previous guide on how to set up an Instagram shop to make sure you get started on the right foot.

Are there any specific issues that you are having trouble with? Are there any other tips or solutions we should add to this guide? Let us know in the comments section below.

If you want to learn more about how to market your Instagram content, you can check out our tutorial to integrate Instagram with WordPress. Additionally, if you want to add a feed to your site, you can check out the Instagram Feed Gallery plugin.