Hi @brianhogg,
I can see how trying to move to the Checkout block and then running into that message can feel confusing, especially when working with a custom theme. I am here to help you get this sorted.
The Checkout block does not require a full site editing theme in most cases. However, the theme must declare support for block templates or include the necessary WooCommerce block compatibility. When a theme does not include this support, WordPress shows the message that the site does not support the woocommerce checkout block.
To get the block working, you can review the Checkout block documentation here https://woocommerce.com/document/woocommerce-store-editing/customizing-cart-and-checkout/checkout-block/ to confirm what your theme needs to support and how the block is expected to behave. If your current theme is not block ready, you can either add the required support through the theme developer or move to a block compatible theme so the Checkout block loads correctly.
If you would like, you can also share your system status report using https://pastebin.com, and I will be happy to take a closer look to confirm if anything else is preventing the Checkout block from appearing.
@lovingbro Thanks for the quick reply!
I’m not able to find any notes on what the theme needs to support within that documentation link, as I was searching for it before. Searching for the word “theme” doesn’t return any results within the content of the article. Is there another page with notes on what the theme needs to support? We are using the block editor with the theme currently.
Hi there!
I understand the confusion the documentation you checked mainly explains how the Checkout block works, but it doesn’t specifically list the theme requirements.
To clarify, the WooCommerce Checkout Block does not require a Full Site Editing (FSE) theme, but the theme must explicitly declare support for block-based templates. If that support is missing, WordPress will display the message you’re seeing.
Could you please share the theme you are using where this issue occurs? I would also suggest contacting your theme’s support team to confirm whether their theme supports block-based templates or if they can help you resolve this issue.
Alternatively, you could try switching to a different theme to see if the issue persists. Here is an article that explains what block-based themes are and where you can find them:
Block Themes Documentation
I hope this helps!
Thanks for the new reply!
Yes, themes like Astra do allow the Checkout block, but we’re trying to enable it in our theme.
I attempted to add both woocommerce and wp-block-styles:
add_action( 'after_setup_theme', function() {
add_theme_support( 'wp-block-styles' );
add_theme_support( 'woocommerce' );
} );
I also attempted adding a theme.json and though it applied styling that messed up the theme display, it still does not allow the Checkout block to be added. Only the “Classic Checkout” block appears as shown in this screenshot, and adding that block and selecting the button to convert to blocks results in the error that the checkout block is not supported.
Is there any other documentation on what specifically themes must do in order for the Checkout block to appear?
Hi there!
Thanks for the detailed update and for sharing the steps you’ve tried. I understand how confusing it can be when trying to enable the Checkout block in a custom theme.
I wanted to clarify that support here is limited to WooCommerce core functionality. The issue you’re experiencing — enabling the Checkout block in a custom theme — falls under theme compatibility and isn’t something we can directly fix within WooCommerce core.
If you need more in-depth support or want to consider professional assistance for customization, I can recommend WooExperts and Codeable.io as options for getting professional help.
Alternatively, you can also ask your development questions in the WooCommerce Community Slack as custom code falls outside our usual scope of support.
