Quick Summary
Sometimes, due to some unforeseen circumstances, you may want to delete your Shopify store. Maybe the sales aren’t as well as you expected, or the current platform isn’t working well for you. But store deletion isn’t just a quick toggle–it impacts the billing, domain settings, customer data access, and later restoration.
Deletion is a big step and should be managed as such; preferably with the help of eCommerce experts. But if you are trying to DIY, Shopify offers a straightforward procedure. However, you need to plan carefully before closing your online store.
This blog covers in detail how to delete a Shopify store and cancel the Shopify subscription. But before that, let’s look at what to do before the deletion.
Deleting a store is more than just disabling a button. The process has some essential factors that you need to take care of; otherwise, there will be data loss or business disruption. Let’s look at the considerations.
Before deleting the store, the first thing you need to do is take a complete backup of orders, invoices, customer data, analytics, and reports. After deleting the store, accessing the historical data will be restricted. So you’ll be forced to start the new store from scratch.
Many Shopify apps and external tools (email marketing, automation, shipping, accounting, etc.) bill separately from Shopify. Cancel them first to avoid ongoing charges even after your store is removed.
Shopify won’t let you fully close your store if there are unpaid fees. Review the billing section and settle the pending invoices. Make sure there are no active subscriptions or usage-based charges to prevent payment issues.
Export product catalogs, customer lists, and key store settings you might reuse later. That way, you don’t lose valuable data, especially if you plan to migrate to another platform or relaunch under a new brand.
Shopify plans and many apps typically don’t offer refunds for unused time, so check policy terms before deleting. Also, confirm whether your domain is Shopify-managed or third-party–domain ownership must be handled separately to avoid losing control of it.
Make sure to follow these considerations before moving any further. That will ensure you don’t face any issues when you try to start your store again.
Cancelling the subscription will deactivate your Shopify store, since Shopify plans are tied to an active store.
Step 1: Log into your Shopify admin and open the “Settings” at the bottom of the screen.
Step 2: Within Settings, go to ‘Plan’. It will open the active plans and subscriptions.
Step 3: Click ‘Cancel trial’ if you are running a free trial period. And if your store is on a paid plan, click ‘Cancel plan’.
(If applicable, you may be able to opt for ‘Pause and build plan’.)
Step 4: Select a reason for why you are cancelling the Shopify plan. (If possible, leave a comment explaining the reason further.)
Step 5: Click ‘Continue’.
Step 6: Enter your password and select either ‘Cancel trial’ or ‘Cancel plan’ based on your plan.
Step 1: Log into your Shopify app as the business owner.
Step 2: Click … or ⋮ and go to ‘Settings’.
Step 3: Tap ‘Plan’.
Step 4: Then, click ‘Cancel trial’ if you are running a free trial period. And if your store is on a paid plan, click ‘Cancel plan’.
Step 5: Select a reason for why you are cancelling the Shopify plan. (If possible, leave a comment explaining the reason further.)
Step 6: Click ‘Save’.
Step 7: Enter your password and click ‘Save’.
After this procedure, you will receive a notification confirming the deactivation. While dormant, your store will still be available for access for 2 years. If you pay for the subscription within 2 years, the store will be reactivated.
As for the Shopify Plus users, deactivation requires contacting the Shopify Plus support.
When you cancel the Shopify subscription, your store is essentially “deactivated”, preserved for 2 years. Here’s what happens meanwhile.
After the deactivation, your store isn’t deleted instantly; the data is preserved for two years. So you can re-activate the store within 2 years by choosing a new Shopify plan.
Or if you do not wish to continue on Shopify, get our eCommerce website migration services. We will analyze your store and come up with the best platform alternative.
While deleting a Shopify store is a straightforward method, you need to proceed carefully. Make sure to export and backup important data, cancel paid apps, clear outstanding bills, and manage the domain.
To delete the store, you essentially cancel the Shopify subscription. It can be done through the ‘Plan’ section of the Shopify admin portal. Whether you are shutting down temporarily or moving to a new platform, make sure to follow the due process. That way, you can have a clean exit and a seamless transition to the new store.
When you pause your Shopify store, the storefront becomes inactive and customers can’t place orders. You still have limited access to the admin to manage the products and settings. You can regain the store by paying for the subscription within 2 years of deactivation.
BrainSpate can help you set up, customize, optimize, and manage your Shopify store. That covers theme improvements, app integrations, performance optimization, troubleshooting, and ongoing support. We can help improve the conversions and customer experience.
Shopify domain transfers can be made to any other domain provider from the platform, while other platforms will accept a Shopify domain. If the domain were purchased from any other third party, it is yours to take back and connect to any other platform of your liking.
You will need to take care of all the outstanding charges before deleting your store on Shopify. Settle all further payment to avoid delaying the closing of your account.