Fix WooCommerce Cart Page Not Updating Quantity (AJAX Issue)

Introduction

A very common WooCommerce issue is when the cart quantity does not update automatically, forcing users to manually click “Update Cart” or refresh the page. This negatively impacts user experience and conversion rate.

In this article, we’ll fix this issue using a simple AJAX-based solution.

Why This Issue Happens

Common causes include:

• Theme overriding cart templates
• Disabled AJAX cart updates
• JavaScript conflicts
• Aggressive caching plugins

Quick Fix: Auto Update Cart on Quantity Change

Add the following script to your theme.

add_action('wp_footer', 'rudra_auto_update_cart');
function rudra_auto_update_cart() {
    if (is_cart()) {
        ?>
        <script>
        jQuery(function($){
            $('div.woocommerce').on('change', 'input.qty', function(){
                $('[name="update_cart"]').prop('disabled', false);
                $('[name="update_cart"]').trigger('click');
            });
        });
        </script>
        <?php
    }
}

Enable AJAX in WooCommerce Settings

Go to:
WooCommerce → Settings → Products

Enable:

• “Enable AJAX add to cart buttons on archives”

Disable Cache on Cart Page

If you use caching plugins:

• Exclude /cart and /checkout
• Disable minification temporarily for debugging

How to Debug JavaScript Conflicts

Open browser console:

• Look for Uncaught TypeError
• Disable plugins one by one
• Switch temporarily to Storefront theme

Conclusion

This issue is frontend-based, not WooCommerce core related. The above fix solves 90% of real-world cases and significantly improves checkout UX.