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Color swatch guide

How to add color swatches to the Expanse theme.

Expanse is a paid theme by Archetype Themes, listed at $420 and at version 10.0.1 (August 21, 2026) when we checked on October 23, 2026. It uses Archetype's shared swatch settings, so native swatches come from category metafields and are switched on in the Variant picker block and under Product tiles.

Checked Expanse theme profile

Which route fits Expanse?

Route 1

Shopify's native swatches.

  1. Give each product a category

    In Products, open a product and choose the most specific match in the Category field. Categories come from Shopify's Standard Product Taxonomy, and picking one adds that category's attributes to the product as category metafields. You want a category that lists Color (or a color attribute such as Frame color or Band color). If Color is missing under Category metafields, try a narrower category.

  2. Add the colors you sell

    Under Category metafields, open Color and select every color your variants come in. Each color is a reusable entry. You can rename an entry, set its exact hex value or upload a pattern image later in Content > Metaobjects, and the change shows everywhere that entry is used.

  3. Link the Color option to the metafield

    In the Variants section, add an option and pick Color from the suggestions so its values come from the entries you just chose. If the product already has a Color option, open it, use the connect icon beside the option name and choose the Color category metafield. Swatches only appear for options linked this way, so do this on every product you want swatches on in Expanse.

  4. Turn on Enable color swatches in the Variant picker

    In the theme editor, pick Products > Default product, open the Product section and select its Variant picker block. Turn on Enable color swatches and save.

  5. Turn on swatches for product tiles

    Open Theme settings > Product tiles and turn on Enable color swatches, so collection grids show each product's colors. For swatches in collection filters, Archetype documents a separate Enable color swatches option in the Product grid section of Collections > Default collection.

  6. Check it on a real product page

    Save, then open a product in a private browser window and on your phone. Click each swatch and confirm the price, photo and stock message change with it. If Expanse shows plain text buttons instead, go back to the linking step: the option is probably not linked to the Color category metafield yet.

Route 2

A swatch app.

Expanse already shows swatches on product pages and product cards, so an app is for extras. Platmart Color Swatches joins separate products into one color picker, Rubik Variant Images & Swatch shows only the chosen color's photos, and GLO Color Swatch Variant Image adds product grouping and a hide-sold-out option.

  1. Duplicate Expanse first

    In Online Store > Themes, open the menu beside Expanse and choose Duplicate. Set up the app on the copy, preview it, and publish the copy only when the swatches look right. Your live store keeps working while you test.

  2. Install the app and start its trial or free plan

    Install the app from the Shopify App Store and approve the access it asks for. Every app suggested on this page had a free plan, a free listing or a free trial of 7 to 30 days when we checked on October 23, 2026, so you can test before you pay.

  3. Switch on the app embed

    Open the theme editor on your copy (Online Store > Themes, then Customize or Edit theme), click the App embeds icon in the left sidebar, switch on the app's embed and click Save.

  4. Match each color name to a swatch

    In the app's own settings, give each color name a hex value or a small image. Apps read your option values as text, so Navy on one product and Navy Blue on another need two swatches. Tidy the names first and you only set each color once.

  5. Avoid two sets of swatches

    If the app draws its own swatches, turn off Enable color swatches in Expanse's Variant picker block and under Product tiles.

  6. Preview a product page and a collection page

    Use the theme editor preview, then a phone, to check both page types in Expanse. If the app adds collection-page swatches, click one on a product card and confirm the card's photo or link changes to that color.

Apps that fit Expanse

Swatch apps for Expanse, from each App Store listing on October 23, 2026
AppFromRatingWhat it does
Platmart Color Swatches $9.99/month 5.0 (144 reviews) Made for stores that list each color as its own product: it joins them into one listing with swatches and lists collection-page support.
Rubik Variant Images & Swatch $25/month 5.0 (495 reviews) Best known for showing only the selected color's photos, with swatches included and ThemeForest themes named under Works with, but paid plans start at $25 a month.
GLO Color Swatch Variant Image $9.90/month 4.9 (1,906 reviews) A dedicated swatch app whose free plan already covers collection-page swatches and hiding sold-out options; image swatches start on the $9.90 Silver plan.

Prices and ratings change often; check the listing before you install. This site is not affiliated with any of these publishers.

Alternatives: Variants King & Color Swatch also groups separate products by color, and FB Variant Image, Color Swatch is free. Both were listed in the Shopify App Store on October 23, 2026.

Route 3

Editing the theme code.

You don't need to edit code for swatches in Expanse. Expanse reads Shopify's swatch data in its variant picker and product tiles, and both are switched on with settings.

Collection pages.

Expanse shows swatches on product tiles through one theme setting, Product tiles > Enable color swatches, so every collection grid picks them up.

  1. Turn on swatches for product tiles

    Open Theme settings > Product tiles and turn on Enable color swatches, so collection grids show each product's colors. For swatches in collection filters, Archetype documents a separate Enable color swatches option in the Product grid section of Collections > Default collection.

  2. Add color filters with swatches (optional)

    Open the Search & Discovery app, go to Filters > Add filter, choose Color with the type Category metafield, then open Manage values and turn on Include swatch. For patterns, turn on Use images when available so the filter shows each entry's image.

Expanse at a glance.

The theme's facts from the Shopify Theme Store and Archetype Themes' documentation, checked October 23, 2026. Anything we could not confirm says so.

Full Expanse profile Check images against Expanse's sizes
Expanse: theme facts
Theme Expanse
Vendor Archetype Themes
Price $420 One-time license price in the Shopify Theme Store, in US dollars, checked October 23, 2026.
Free or paid Paid
Where it is sold Shopify Theme Store
Status Current theme
Online Store 2.0 Yes
Current version 10.0.1 (August 21, 2026)
Native color swatches Yes
Variant picker block Variant picker
Swatch setting Theme editor > Products > Default product > Product section > Variant picker block > Enable color swatches
Swatches on product cards Theme settings > Product tiles > Enable color swatches
Swatches in collection filters Collections > Default collection > Product grid section > Enable color swatches
Theme Store swatch features Color swatches, combined listings
Swatch documentation Archetype Themes' documentation
Product images 1065 x 1420 px 3:4 recommended; minimum 532 x 710; 2x zoomable 2130 x 2840. Square 1:1 also suggested. Source: Archetype Themes' documentation.
Slideshow and hero 2880 x 1620 px Heroes, slideshows, collection headers, 16:9; minimum 1440 x 810. Source: Archetype Themes' documentation.
Slideshow on phones 800 x 800 px Minimum, 1:1. Source: Archetype Themes' documentation.
Collection header 2880 x 1620 px Same row as heroes/slideshows. Source: Archetype Themes' documentation.
Blog post images 2880 x 1410 px Doc states 4:3 ratio with minimum 440 x 330 and "recommended" 2880 x 1410 (ratio and size disagree in the source). Source: Archetype Themes' documentation.
Mega menu images 510 x 234 px Approx. 17:8, pulled from the collection image. Source: Archetype Themes' documentation.
Video 1920 x 1080 px 16:9; minimum 1280 x 720. Source: Archetype Themes' documentation.
Last checked October 23, 2026

Swatch problems on Expanse, and fixes.

  • Swatches not showing

    Work through three checks in order: the product has a category that includes Color, its Color option is linked to the Color category metafield, and the swatch setting is on in Expanse. In Expanse, that means Enable color swatches in the Variant picker block for product pages and under Theme settings > Product tiles for grids. Each product template you use needs its own Variant picker setting.

  • Wrong colors

    A native swatch takes its color from the entry in Content > Metaobjects, not from the color's name. Open the entry, correct the hex value and save, and every product linked to it updates at once. If two products show different shades of the same color, they're probably linked to two separate entries, so point both at one.

  • Pattern or image swatches

    Upload a square image to the color's entry. Crop it to the fabric or finish itself rather than a product photo, because at swatch size a busy photo turns into a blur. Multicolor has no preset hex value, so it always needs an image. Archetype's older method used .png files in Content > Files; for native swatches, put the image on the color's entry instead.

  • Out-of-stock variants

    How a sold-out color looks is decided by the variant picker in Expanse, so test it: set one color to zero stock and open the product. If you'd rather hide sold-out colors completely, Color Swatch Pug and GLO Color Swatch Variant Image both list that option (checked October 23, 2026).

  • Speed

    Native swatches are drawn by Expanse itself, so they add no app script to your pages. A hex swatch costs nothing extra to load; an image swatch adds one small image per color, so keep those files small. The swatch loading speed guide shows how to measure a collection page before and after a change. Archetype's product photo advice is 1065 x 1420 px at 3:4; swatch images need only a small fraction of that.

Expanse swatch questions.

Which Expanse setting turns on color swatches?

In the theme editor, open Products > Default product, then the Product section's Variant picker block, and turn on Enable color swatches. Archetype's swatch article and theme comparison chart, checked October 23, 2026, confirm Expanse supports swatches from category metafields.

How do I show swatches on Expanse collection pages?

Turn on Theme settings > Product tiles > Enable color swatches. Archetype also lists an Enable color swatches option in the Product grid section of the default collection template, which covers the collection's filters.

Do I still need Expanse's older swatch method?

Only for products you haven't linked to the Color category metafield. Archetype's older method matched an option named Color to HTML color names or to .png files uploaded in Content > Files. Native swatches are easier to keep tidy, because fixing one entry fixes that color on every product.

Can Expanse show swatches in Quick view or on tiles?

Archetype documents product tiles: turn on Theme settings > Product tiles > Enable color swatches. We didn't find a separate quick view swatch setting in Archetype's articles, so check the tile after switching it on.

What changed in Expanse 10?

The Theme Store listed Expanse 10.0.1 from August 21, 2026 on October 23, 2026. Archetype's release notes are linked below; the swatch settings on this page come from Archetype's range-wide swatch article rather than a version-specific note.

Related guides and tools.

Themes like Expanse

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Sources

Make the swatch files.

Turn your colors into hex values, swatch images and a printable sheet, ready for Shopify.

Open the swatch generator All theme guides