Want shoppers to save products without creating an account, or keep wishlists for your customers only? The Guest Options tab in SaveTo Wishlist controls this. This article explains each setting: turning guest wishlists on or off, showing or hiding the login link, and changing the heading and link text guests see.
Prerequisites
- SaveTo Wishlist is installed and active. Guest Options ships with the free plugin, so no Pro license is required for the settings on this page.
- To customize the guest wishlist heading and login link text (Guest Wishlist Title and Guest Wishlist Description), you need SaveTo Wishlist version 1.1.5 or later. Earlier versions have the Disable Guest Wishlist and login link controls only.
- From SaveTo Wishlist version 1.1.6, the login link setting is called Show Login/Create Account Link and controls the link in the guest popup and on the guest wishlist page. In earlier versions it is called Always Show Login/Create Account Link and only affects the popup.
How to access Guest Options
To open the Guest Options settings, go to SaveTo Wishlist → Settings in your WordPress admin, then click the Guest Options tab in the left-hand settings panel.
How guest wishlists work
When guest wishlists are enabled, visitors who are not logged in can add products to their wishlist without creating an account. Their wishlist items are stored in the browser’s local storage, tied to the device and browser they are using rather than to an account. This means:
- Guest wishlist items persist between page visits on the same device and browser.
- Items are not synced across devices or browsers.
- When a guest logs in or creates an account, their guest wishlist items are automatically moved into their new account’s default wishlist, then cleared from local storage.
Guests who visit the wishlist page see a “Guest Wishlist” heading (or your own custom heading) showing the products they have saved. When Show Login/Create Account Link is set to Yes, the page also shows a “Login or create an account to get started.” link (or your own custom text) that prompts them toward a full account wishlist. When it is set to No, the page shows the heading and products only.
Guest Options settings
| Setting | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Disable Guest Wishlist | When enabled, the Save to Wishlist button is hidden entirely for visitors who are not logged in. Guests will not be able to save products or view a wishlist until they create an account or log in. | Disabled (guest wishlists are on by default) |
| Show Login/Create Account Link | When set to Yes, a login or create account link appears in the confirmation popup a guest sees after saving a product, and on the guest wishlist page. When set to No, the link is hidden in both places. It is shown to guests only. Logged-in customers never see it, because they already have an account to save against. Guests see the confirmation popup with every Add to wishlist button setting except Fade, which shows a short notice instead, with no link. This setting is only visible when guest wishlists are enabled. | Yes |
| Guest Wishlist Title | Sets the heading guests see at the top of the wishlist page. Plain text only. Leave blank to use the default, “Guest Wishlist.” This setting is only visible when guest wishlists are enabled. Requires version 1.1.5 or later. | Blank (uses “Guest Wishlist”) |
| Guest Wishlist Description | Sets the text of the login/create account link guests see below the heading on the guest wishlist page. Plain text only. Leave blank to use the default, “Login or create an account to get started.” It has no effect when Show Login/Create Account Link is set to No. This setting is only visible when guest wishlists are enabled. Requires version 1.1.5 or later. | Blank (uses “Login or create an account to get started.”) |
Disable Guest Wishlist
This toggle controls whether non-logged-in visitors can interact with the wishlist feature at all.
- Disabled (default): The Save to Wishlist button appears on product and shop pages for everyone, including visitors who are not logged in. Guests can save products and view their wishlist.
- Enabled: The Save to Wishlist button is completely hidden for non-logged-in visitors. Guests will not see any wishlist UI on product or shop pages. The wishlist feature becomes account-only.
Show Login/Create Account Link
This setting controls whether guests see a login/create account link, both in the Save to Wishlist confirmation popup and on the guest wishlist page. It is only shown when the Disable Guest Wishlist toggle is off, so guest wishlists are active.
- Yes (default): A login or create account link appears in the popup after a product is saved to the wishlist, and below the heading on the guest wishlist page, encouraging guests to create an account.
- No: The login/create account link is hidden from the popup and from the guest wishlist page. The popup shows only the standard confirmation, and the guest wishlist page shows only the heading and products.
For developers: to hide the link on the guest wishlist page while keeping it in the popup, use the stwlite_show_login_create_link_on_wishlist_page filter.
Guest Wishlist Title
This text field sets the heading guests see at the top of the wishlist page when they aren’t logged in. Leave it blank to keep the default, “Guest Wishlist.” Like the other guest settings, it only appears in Guest Options when Disable Guest Wishlist is off.
Guest Wishlist Description
This text field sets the text of the login/create account link guests see below the heading on the guest wishlist page. It’s the clickable link itself, not a separate line of text. Leave it blank to keep the default, “Login or create an account to get started.” The text only shows when Show Login/Create Account Link is set to Yes. The link in the confirmation popup always uses the default text.
Both Guest Wishlist Title and Guest Wishlist Description accept plain text only. The guest page renders them directly, so any HTML you type will show up as literal tags rather than being applied as formatting.
When to enable or disable guest wishlists
The right setting depends on your store’s goals:
| Scenario | Recommended setting |
|---|---|
| You want to let shoppers save items without friction, with no account required | Leave Disable Guest Wishlist off (default). Guest wishlists let visitors engage before committing to an account. |
| Your wishlist feature is tied to a loyalty programme or account-only benefits | Enable Disable Guest Wishlist. This ensures only account holders can save and view wishlists. |
| You want to use the wishlist as a conversion tool to grow your account base | Leave guest wishlists on and set Show Login/Create Account Link to Yes. Guests can save items but are prompted to create an account in the popup and on the wishlist page. |
| You want no login prompt for guests (popup and wishlist page) | Set Show Login/Create Account Link to No. |
Troubleshooting
My custom guest wishlist text doesn’t appear, the defaults still show instead
Check that the field isn’t holding only spaces. A value made up entirely of whitespace is treated the same as an empty field, so the guest page falls back to the default heading or link text. Re-enter the text and click Save Changes.
My Guest Wishlist Description text does not show
Set Show Login/Create Account Link to Yes, then click Save Changes. When that setting is No, the guest wishlist page hides the link paragraph, so your custom text has nowhere to appear.
The Guest Wishlist Title and Guest Wishlist Description fields aren’t showing in Guest Options
These two fields only appear when guest wishlists are enabled. Check that Disable Guest Wishlist is off. If you turn it on, the fields are hidden, but any text you’ve already saved is kept and reappears if you turn guest wishlists back on.
My custom text shows literal HTML tags instead of formatting
Guest Wishlist Title and Guest Wishlist Description are plain text fields. Any HTML you type is displayed as-is on the guest page rather than rendered, so avoid pasting markup into either field.
Frequently asked questions
Do guest wishlist items transfer to the customer’s account when they log in?
Yes. When a guest logs in or creates an account, SaveTo Wishlist automatically moves their locally stored wishlist items into their account’s default wishlist, then clears the items from local storage.
What happens to guest wishlist items if the customer clears their browser data?
Because guest items are stored in local storage, clearing browser data (cookies, cache, or site data) will remove any items the guest hasn’t yet moved into an account. Once a guest logs in or registers, their items are copied into their account and no longer depend on local storage, so clearing browser data afterward has no effect on them.
If I disable guest wishlists, will existing guest wishlist data be deleted?
No. Disabling the guest wishlist only hides the Save to Wishlist button from non-logged-in visitors going forward. Any data already stored in browser local storage remains until the visitor clears their browser data. The button is no longer shown on product and shop pages.
Can I translate the guest wishlist heading and login link text?
Yes, if you run WPML with the String Translation add-on. Once you save a value in Guest Wishlist Title or Guest Wishlist Description, it’s registered under the STWLite Settings package in WPML’s String Translation screen (as “Guest Wishlist Page Title” and “Guest Wishlist Page Description”), where you can add translations per language. An empty field is never registered, so enter your text in Guest Options first, then translate it in WPML.
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