How do I separate the versions of a product?

Short answer: Check the separation option on the collection concerned. Careful: the versions then count as one product each, instead of one for all of them together.

Steps

On the “Shops” page, open a draft of the shop.
On the collection concerned, check “Separate multi-version products”.
Check the collection counter: it has just gone up.
Reorder the products if needed, then save.

The setting is per collection: one collection can present the versions separately while another keeps them together.

The limit of 9 suddenly gets close

Kept together, all the versions of a product count as 1. Separated, they count 1 each.

A product in three versions therefore goes from 1 to 3. Three separated multi-version products make 9 — the collection is full. See I can no longer add a product to my collection.

When it is worth it

Two multi-version products, yes. A t-shirt and a hoodie, separated, give 6 thumbnails that line up in two clean rows — one row of t-shirts, one row of hoodies. That reads better than two multiple-choice tiles.

Three products or more, no. From three multi-version products in the same collection, better to leave them together: the layout stays compact and you keep room to spare.

If you really want to separate audiences, the most readable solution is not separation but dedicated collections: one for Men, one for Women, one for Children. See How do I organize my products into collections.

Going further

What is a multi-version product — what separation undoes.

You'll know it worked when: Each version has its own tile in the collection, and the collection counter stays under 9.