Quick Summary
- Know when to delete, rebrand, close, or switch platforms.
- Back up essentials–orders, customers, products, reports–to avoid losing business records.
- Prevent surprise charges by canceling paid apps, third-party tools, and clearing pending bills.
- Deactivate the store from Settings > Plan, then handle domain ownership and future access options carefully.
Sometimes, due to unforeseen circumstances, you may want to delete your Shopify store; maybe sales aren’t where you expected, or you want to migrate your eCommerce store because the current platform isn’t working well for you. However, store deletion isn’t just a quick toggle; it impacts your billing, domain settings, customer data access, and future restoration.
Deletion is a big step and should be handled carefully, ideally after you consult eCommerce experts before shutting down your storefront. If you handle it yourself, Shopify offers a straightforward process, as long as you plan ahead 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.
Key Considerations Before Permanently Deleting Your Shopify Store
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.
Save Your Store Data and Order History
Before deleting the store, take a complete backup of your orders, invoices, customer records, analytics, and reports to secure your eCommerce data offline. After deactivating the store, admin access to historical data will be restricted, which would otherwise force you to start from scratch.
Cancel Paid Apps & Third-party Services
Many Shopify apps and external subscriptions, including eCommerce marketing automation tools, shipping software, and accounting platforms, are billed separately from Shopify. Make sure to disconnect your Shopify integrations and cancel external subscriptions first to avoid ongoing charges even after your store is removed.
Clear Any Outstanding Bills
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 Customer & Product Data
Export product catalogs, customer lists, and key store settings you might reuse later. That way, you don’t lose valuable records if you decide to build a new Shopify store under a fresh brand or relaunch your catalog later.
Understand the Refund Policies & Domain Ownership
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 so you can change your domain URL in Shopify or transfer DNS ownership before closing the account.
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.
How to Delete the Shopify Store?
Canceling the subscription will deactivate your Shopify store, since Shopify plans are tied to an active store.
For Desktop
Step 1: Log in to 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. If your store is on a paid plan, click ‘Cancel plan’.
(If applicable, you can opt for the ‘Pause and build’ plan to maintain your Shopify store in the background at a reduced fee while disabling checkout.)
Step 4: Select a reason why you are canceling 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.
For Mobile
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. If your store is on a paid plan, click ‘Cancel plan’.
Step 5: Select a reason for why you are canceling 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.
For enterprise merchants who manage a Shopify Plus store, deactivation cannot be completed from the standard billing tab and requires contacting Shopify Plus support directly.
What Happens After You Delete Your Shopify Store?
When you cancel the Shopify subscription, your store is essentially “deactivated”, preserved for 2 years. Here’s what happens meanwhile.
- Your Store Goes Offline: Your storefront and checkout go offline immediately. Customers won’t be able to browse the products or place orders.
- Billing Stops: Your Shopify plan will be canceled, but you may still be billed for any outstanding fees (like usage-based charges).
- Limited Access to Your Admin: You won’t be able to fully access the Shopify admin like before. Shopify may allow limited access for a short period depending on your account status.
- Your Domain Needs Separate Handling: Whether you buy the domain from Shopify or another source, it remains yours. But you must manage the renewals and DNS settings.
After deactivation, your store isn’t deleted instantly; the data is preserved for two years so you can reactivate the store by choosing a new Shopify plan, or use that window to choose the right eCommerce platform if you plan to switch ecosystems.
Or if you do not wish to continue on Shopify, our team can analyze your business model and help you build an eCommerce store on an alternative platform that fits your long-term goals best.
Wrap It Up
While deleting a Shopify store is straightforward, you need to proceed carefully, or hire dedicated Shopify developers to export and back up your store data, unlink third-party apps, and transfer your domain cleanly.
To delete the store, you essentially cancel the Shopify subscription through the ‘Plan’ section of the Shopify admin portal. Whether you are shutting down temporarily or following an eCommerce replatforming checklist to move to a new platform, following due process ensures a clean exit and a seamless transition to your new store.
FAQs on Deleting a Shopify Store
1. What happens when you pause your Shopify 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.
2. How can Brainspate assist me with my Shopify store?
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.
3. What happens to my domain if I delete my Shopify store?
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.
4. Can I delete my store immediately without paying outstanding charges?
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.
