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How to install the Meta pixel on Shopify and WordPress, and what to check when it will not connect

The Meta pixel for Shopify is installed through the Facebook and Instagram sales channel, and the Meta pixel for WordPress through one of two plugins that Meta publishes: Meta pixel for WordPress, or Meta for WooCommerce if you run a shop. Neither route needs code pasted into your theme. If it will not connect, the help pages point at three things: permissions on your Facebook Page and business portfolio, an asset already linked elsewhere, and an authorisation that needs removing and redoing.

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How to Meta pixel: the short answer

Use your platform's official integration. Meta's page on partner integrations says most of them need no manual code editing, and it links a separate guide for Shopify, for WordPress and for WooCommerce. Its page on commerce integrations gives the same starting point for all of them: in Events Manager open Data sources, select or create your pixel, open Settings, scroll to Choose a partner and pick your platform. It also asks for admin access to the business portfolio and two-factor authentication switched on.

What the pixel is, and how it works with the Conversions API, is in our post on the Meta pixel explained. This post covers the two platforms.

Meta pixel for Shopify: the official route

On Shopify the pixel comes with the Facebook and Instagram sales channel, not with code in your theme. Meta's guide to connecting Shopify lists what you need: a store that is not password protected, the Basic Shopify plan or higher, a Facebook Page, a business portfolio that owns that Page, and admin permissions on the portfolio.

  1. 01

    Add the sales channel

    Shopify's setup page says to go to Settings, then Sales channels, open the Shopify App Store, search for Facebook and add the channel.
  2. 02

    Connect your Facebook account and assets

    Start setup, sign in to Facebook, choose the business portfolio and Page, accept the terms and finish setup.
  3. 03

    Remove any pixel you pasted in earlier

    Shopify's Meta pixel page says old pixel code in theme.liquid, or a pixel ID under Online Store then Preferences, must go first, or two pixels will send duplicate or incorrect data.
  4. 04

    Turn on data sharing and pick the pixel

    In the channel's Settings, open the data sharing settings, enable customer data sharing, choose a level, then connect an existing pixel or create a new one, and confirm.

The level you choose decides whether you get the Conversions API as well. Shopify's data sharing page describes three, and Meta's guide says to select Enhanced or Maximum.

Shopify's data-sharing levels for the Meta pixel, as Shopify's help page describes them, October 2026
LevelWhat runsWhat is shared
StandardMeta pixel onlyBrowsing behaviour. A browser ad blocker can stop it.
EnhancedMeta pixel and Conversions APIBrowsing behaviour plus name, location, email address and phone number
MaximumMeta pixel and Conversions API, kept up to date with Meta's newest advertising technologyThe same kinds of data as Enhanced

Once connected, the same page says the pixel tracks seven events without further setup: PageView, ViewContent, Search, AddToCart, InitiateCheckout, AddPaymentInfo and Purchase. The channel also syncs your products to a catalogue in Commerce Manager.

One more setting is easy to miss. Shopify's page on app pixels says each one has a data access type under Settings, then Customer events. The default, Optimized, lets Shopify pause some or all of a marketing pixel's data when it judges the pixel is sharing more than it needs. Meta's guide accepts either type and recommends Always on.

Meta pixel not connecting to Shopify: what the help pages say

Most connection failures that Shopify documents are about who owns what on the Meta side. Shopify's setup page also says the channel is maintained by Meta, so Shopify has limited insight into its errors; the Get Support link inside the channel goes to Meta.

  • Your Page is not offered. The portfolio you select must own the Page, and you need full control of both.
  • The asset is already connected to another store. Disconnect the Page or Instagram account from the other Shopify store, then try again.
  • Your myshopify.com address is used by another business. Remove the domain from the unrelated business portfolio and redo the setup.
  • "You haven't installed this app" or "Something went wrong". Remove the channel in Shopify, remove Shopify under Business Integrations in your Facebook settings, then reinstall from a private window signed in to one Facebook account.
  • Login is disabled in the Shopify app on Android. Connect from a browser.
  • Connected, but nothing shows. A new pixel shows no data until customers do something on the store. If it still does not fire, the app pixels page says to check Settings, then Customer privacy, and to make sure any third-party cookie banner passes consent to Shopify.

Meta pixel for WordPress: two official plugins

WordPress has two plugins published under Meta's own author account, and which one you want depends on whether you run a shop. Meta's WordPress guide is short: open the WordPress page under partner integrations in Events Manager, follow the guided steps, then check the connection status.

  • Meta pixel for WordPress, for a site without a shop. Its WordPress.org listing says it installs the pixel, supports the Conversions API, and captures events such as Lead, ViewContent, AddToCart, InitiateCheckout and Purchase. The listing still tells you to search for its old name, Facebook for WordPress, and pick the one authored by Facebook. After installing, open its settings, click Get Started, complete the Facebook connection and agree to share the access token with your site.
  • Meta for WooCommerce, for a WooCommerce shop. Meta's WooCommerce guide says to install and activate it from Plugins, then go to Marketing, then Facebook, click Get started, sign in, and choose a business portfolio, Page, Instagram profile, catalogue, ad account and pixel. Publishing can take 10 to 30 minutes. Products then sync to Commerce Manager. WooCommerce's own document says the Conversions API is built in and deduplicated against the pixel by event ID.

Best Meta pixel plugin for WordPress?

We cannot rank plugins from a source we would stand behind, so here is what can be checked. Both official plugins are free to download from WordPress.org and each reports more than 400,000 active installations. On 13 October 2026 the Meta for WooCommerce listing showed version 3.7.8, updated five days earlier; Meta pixel for WordPress showed version 5.2.2, last modified on 27 July 2026.

For any other plugin, this is how we would judge it. It is our view, not Meta's:

  • Who publishes it, and when it was last updated.
  • Whether it sends events by both the pixel and the Conversions API, with a shared event ID.
  • Whether it respects your consent banner before it fires.
  • Whether it would run alongside an official plugin and double your events.
  • Where support comes from when the connection breaks.

When the WordPress connection fails

Meta's WordPress guide offers one fix: if the status does not change after verifying, go through the steps again. Its commerce page adds three pairs: pixel not firing, check the plugin is installed; events not matching, check the event mapping; low connection quality, re-authenticate. For anything technical it sends you to the partner's support.

WooCommerce's document is more specific. It carries a notice that it is kept for existing users and will no longer be updated, so read it as a record of known fixes:

  • "Oops, something went wrong". Most often a store currency Meta does not support.
  • Account restricted. Commonly two-factor authentication missing on the business portfolio.
  • Your pixel is not in the list. Since version 2.0 only pixels created in a business portfolio can be selected.
  • Events do not fire. A caching plugin that groups JavaScript can break the tracking code; turn that option off.
  • Still stuck. Reconnect the plugin; a reset tool appears under WooCommerce, Status, Tools once Debug mode is on.

Confirm events are arriving, and mind consent

On either platform, finish in Events Manager. Meta's Test events page says to open Data sources, select your data, click Test events, enter your site address and open it from there. Browse a product, add to cart and, if you can, place a test order. Each action should appear, and the tool shows which events were deduplicated. On Shopify, Customer events also has a Test option in each app pixel's menu; that tool reports when a pixel is waiting for consent.

Consent is the quiet cause of missing events. Shopify's customer privacy page says that where its cookie banner is active, non-essential data is collected only after a visitor agrees, and that you remain responsible for complying with the law. Neither WordPress listing describes a consent setting. This is general information, not legal advice: read your regulator's guidance, such as the ICO's in the UK or the OAIC's in Australia.

Sources

Questions people ask

How do I set up the Meta pixel for Shopify?

Add the Facebook and Instagram sales channel in your Shopify admin, connect your Facebook account, business portfolio and Page, then open the channel's data sharing settings, enable customer data sharing, choose a level and connect or create a pixel. Shopify's help page says to remove any pixel code you pasted into your theme first, or two pixels will send duplicate data. Meta's guide says to choose the Enhanced or Maximum level, which add the Conversions API.

Why is my Meta pixel not connecting to Shopify?

Shopify's setup page lists the usual causes: the business portfolio you picked does not own the Facebook Page, you lack full control of the Page or portfolio, the Page or Instagram account is already connected to another Shopify store, or your myshopify.com address is linked to another business portfolio. For a 'You haven't installed this app' error it says to remove the channel, remove Shopify under Business Integrations in your Facebook settings, and reinstall from a private window. Shopify also says the channel is maintained by Meta, so further support comes through the Get Support link inside it.

How do I add the Meta pixel for WordPress?

Meta publishes two plugins on WordPress.org. Meta pixel for WordPress suits a site without a shop: install it, open its settings, click Get Started and complete the Facebook connection. Meta for WooCommerce suits a WooCommerce shop: install and activate it, go to Marketing then Facebook, click Get started and choose your business portfolio, Page, catalogue, ad account and pixel.

What is the best Meta pixel plugin for WordPress?

We cannot rank plugins from a source we would stand behind. The two official ones are Meta pixel for WordPress and Meta for WooCommerce, both published by Meta and both with Conversions API support. In our view, judge any other plugin on who publishes it, how recently it was updated, whether it sends events by both the pixel and the Conversions API with a shared event ID, and whether it respects your consent banner.

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Mockingbird is an independent product from Onwards Analytics and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Meta. Meta, Facebook, Instagram, Meta Ads Manager and the Meta Ad Library are trademarks of Meta Platforms, Inc. Meta changes its tools often; check Meta's own help pages for the current detail before you rely on it.