Key takeaways
- All cart text strings are edited in Online Store > Themes > Edit languages.
- Search for terms like “cart”, “subtotal”, or “checkout” to find the specific string.
- Structural changes to the cart drawer layout (new elements, different button styles) require Theme Editor or Fudge.
- Editing language strings is safe and doesn’t affect code.
Changing “Your cart” to “Your bag” or “Checkout” to “Secure checkout” is a quick brand polish move. All of these text strings live in the theme’s language file - editable without touching any code.
Why you can trust us
We’ve worked on conversion-focused storefront customisation for hundreds of Shopify brands. We also built Fudge — an AI storefront editor with a 5.0 rating on the Shopify App Store.
How to change cart text in Shopify
Step 1. From your Shopify Admin, go to Online Store > Themes.
Step 2. On your active theme, click the three-dot menu and select Edit languages (or click Actions > Edit languages on some theme versions).
Step 3. The language editor opens showing a searchable list of all text strings in your theme.
Step 4. In the search box, type the word you want to find. For cart-related text, try searching:
cart- finds “Your cart”, “Cart is empty”, etc.subtotal- finds the order subtotal labelcheckout- finds “Check out” and related buttons
Step 5. The matching strings appear with their current text and an editable field.
Step 6. Click into the field and enter your updated text.
Step 7. Click Save at the top right.
Changes appear immediately on the live store.
Related: Translate Text Manually in Shopify.
Common cart text strings you might want to change
| Default text | Alternative examples |
|---|---|
| Your cart | Your bag / Your basket / Your order |
| Checkout / Check out | Secure checkout / Complete my order |
| Subtotal | Order total / Total |
| Continue shopping | Back to shop / Keep shopping |
| Cart is empty | Your bag is empty / Nothing here yet |
| View cart | See my bag |
| Add to cart | Add to bag / Get it |
The specific string names vary between themes. Use search to find the exact label.
How to edit cart drawer structural elements
Language editing changes text. It doesn’t change layout, add new elements, or alter the cart drawer’s visual design.
For structural changes - adding a upsell section to the cart drawer, changing the button style, adding a trust badge row, showing a free shipping threshold - you need:
Theme Editor: Go to Online Store > Themes > Customize, navigate to the Cart page (some themes expose cart drawer settings here), and look for configurable blocks.
Fudge: For changes not available in Theme Editor settings, describe what you want. For example: “Update the cart drawer to show a free shipping progress bar at the top, and add three trust icons (secure checkout, free returns, fast shipping) above the checkout button.”
Related: Add Cross-Sells in the Shopify Cart.
Related: Add Upsells in the Shopify Cart.
Related: Change Button Text in Shopify.
Can you edit cart text on Shopify without a developer?
Yes. The language editor is a no-code tool anyone can use safely. It edits display strings only - it cannot break functionality.
Things you cannot do in the language editor:
- Change the cart’s visual layout
- Add new functional elements (upsells, progress bars, gift messages)
- Remove elements from the cart (like the quantity stepper or remove button)
For anything beyond text changes, use the Theme Editor or Fudge.
How to change the “Add to cart” button text
The Add to Cart button text is also in the language file - it’s not a product-level setting.
Step 1. Go to Online Store > Themes > Edit languages.
Step 2. Search for add_to_cart or “Add to cart”.
Step 3. Update the string (e.g., “Add to bag”, “Get this product”, “Buy now”).
Step 4. Save.
Note: this changes the button text across all products. If you want different button text on specific products (e.g., “Pre-order” for upcoming products), that requires a code-level customisation or a theme setting that supports per-product button labels.
FAQ
No. Cart drawer text is interactive UI text, not content Google indexes for ranking. Cart pages are typically excluded from Google's index anyway (they're personal/dynamic). Changes are pure UX/branding decisions with no SEO impact.
Match your brand category. Apparel/fashion: "bag" feels premium and brand-aligned. Grocery/general merchandise: "cart" is conventional. UK-focused stores: "basket" is the local convention. Whatever you pick, use it consistently across cart, checkout, and email confirmations.
Three usual causes: (1) you edited a draft theme but mobile is showing the live theme, (2) your store has multiple locales and you only edited English (mobile may be auto-detecting a different locale), or (3) browser cache — hard-refresh (Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+R) on mobile or test in incognito.
Yes via experimentation tools (Convert, VWO, Shopify's native A/B testing where available). Test variants like "Add to cart" vs "Add to bag" or "Check out" vs "Secure checkout". Effect sizes are usually small — only worth testing on high-traffic stores where small lifts compound to meaningful revenue.
Yes. Each locale has its own language file. Edit the cart strings separately for each active language under Online Store → Themes → Edit languages → switch language at the top of the editor. To rename a string across every active locale in one pass (e.g., "Cart" → "Bag" in English + matching translations in your other locales), describe what you want to Fudge and it updates each locale's language file. Translate & Adapt is the manual alternative.
