In short. Turn on Enable archives for the global attribute, use the saved Product attribute base, and save permalink settings after changes.
Definition: A WooCommerce product attribute archive is a page that lists products assigned a term of an attribute, such as
blackundercolor. WooCommerce makes that archive available through the Product attribute base only whenEnable archivesis turned on for the global attribute.
Key facts
- WooCommerce describes global attributes as attributes available for use on any product, while a product-level attribute exists for one product only, in its product taxonomy documentation.
- In the global attribute form,
Enable Archivesis optional. When enabled, WooCommerce documents a page listing products with any term of the attribute, usinghttp://yourstore.com/color/black/as an example. - The Product attribute base is optional. Its default is empty, producing
example.com/size/medium; addingattributeproducesexample.com/attribute/size/medium, according to the permalink documentation. - The attribute URL works through that base only if
Enable archivesis turned on. WooCommerce places the control at Products > Attributes, after selecting the attribute name. - After a permalink setting changes, the documentation says to click Save Changes. WordPress flushes its rewrite rules when the settings are saved.
Why does the archive URL return no page?
The first check is the archive switch. WooCommerce documents Enable Archives as an optional setting in the global attribute form. Its documented result is a page containing all products that have any term of that attribute. If the switch is off, the attribute is not available through the Product attribute base URL.
The second check is the attribute type. The archive workflow is under Products > Attributes, where global attributes are created for reuse across products. WooCommerce separates those from attributes created inside one product, which exist for that single product. A URL such as color/black therefore needs the global color attribute and its black term to be set up in the attributes screen.
How is the attribute URL built?
WooCommerce puts the setting beside the standard WordPress permalink settings. In Settings > Permalinks, the Optional section contains the bases for product categories, product tags, and product attributes. The Product attribute base can remain empty or can receive custom text.
example.com/size/medium
example.com/attribute/size/medium
The first path represents the documented empty-base form. The second represents a custom base of attribute. Use the base that is currently saved in the site settings when checking an archive URL. A mismatch between the path and the saved base leads to a different URL structure than the one documented for the store.
How do you enable the archive and refresh the URL rules?
Open Products > Attributes, select the global attribute, and turn on Enable archives. The taxonomy documentation says that global attributes can be assigned to any product, and that enabling archives allows a page for products carrying any term of that attribute. Its example uses black as a term under the color attribute.
If the site needs a readable prefix, open Settings > Permalinks and set Product attribute base in the Optional section. The permalink documentation says to scroll to the bottom and click Save Changes after updating a permalink setting. Saving flushes WordPress rewrite rules so the new URL structure takes effect immediately. If a product page returns a 404 after a permalink change, the same documentation says to save the permalink settings again, even without edits, to regenerate the rules.
FAQ
Do I need to set a custom attribute base?
No. WooCommerce documents an empty default that produces a path such as example.com/size/medium. A custom base changes the path prefix, but the archive switch remains required.
Where is Enable archives?
In the WordPress dashboard, open Products > Attributes, click the attribute name, and toggle Enable archives on. This control applies to the global attribute managed from that screen.
What should I do after changing the base?
Open Settings > Permalinks and click Save Changes. WooCommerce says that WordPress flushes its rewrite rules when you save the permalink settings.
Sources
- WooCommerce, "Permalinks Documentation", 19 May 2026
- WooCommerce, "Managing Product Categories, Tags and Attributes Documentation", 11 September 2026
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