How to Close a Shopify Store (Pause or Cancel)

To close a Shopify store, the store owner goes to Settings > Plan, clicks Cancel plan (or Cancel trial), confirms that all apps will be uninstalled, picks a reason and enters their password. The store deactivates at the end of the current billing cycle, and Shopify keeps its data for two years so you can reopen it. To close only temporarily, switch to the Pause and Build plan instead: customers can browse but can't buy, and you pay a reduced monthly fee. If someone wants to buy your business, transfer the store rather than closing it.

The steps below follow Shopify's Help Center as checked on 26 October 2026. Some guides still say Deactivate store where Shopify's help page now says Cancel plan, so labels on your screen may differ slightly. This is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice.

Pause, downgrade, sell or deactivate: which do you need?

"Closing" a Shopify store can mean several different things, and each has a different effect on customers, billing and data.

Option	What shoppers get	Can they buy?	Your admin	Billing	Can you undo it?
Private mode (password page)	A password page	Not through the online store	Full access	Your plan continues as normal	Yes, turn it off
Pause and Build plan	Your storefront	No, checkout is off on every channel	Full access	Reduced monthly fee	Yes, pick a new plan
Downgrade to a cheaper plan	Your store as usual	Yes	Full access	Lower fee from the next cycle	Yes
Transfer to a new owner	The store, run by the buyer	Yes	Passes to the new owner	The new owner takes over	Not by you
Deactivate (cancel plan)	A closed store	No	Ends with the billing cycle	Final bill, then no plan fee	Yes, within 2 years
Erase store data	Nothing	No	None	None	No

Use these questions to choose:

Coming back within a few months? Pause the store. Products, theme, customers and settings stay as they are.
Only need to stop orders for a week or two? Turn on private mode and keep your plan, because a pause starts only at the end of the billing cycle.
Still selling, but the plan costs too much? Downgrade. Shopify's refund policy for plans says a mid-cycle downgrade takes effect at the end of the current billing cycle and gives account credits, not a refund. To see which plan costs least at your sales, try our free Shopify fees calculator.
Selling the business? Transfer ownership while the store is still active.
Done for good? Export everything, then deactivate. Request deletion only if you are sure you won't reopen.

How to pause a Shopify store (Pause and Build plan)

The Pause and Build plan keeps your store and admin alive at a reduced fee while selling is switched off. According to Shopify's pausing guide, you can pause only if:

you are the store owner,
the store is past its free trial and on a paid plan, and
the store isn't on Shopify Plus.

Shopify's page calls the price a reduced subscription fee without publishing an amount, so check it on the confirmation screen.

Steps to pause

Log in as the store owner and go to Settings > Plan.
Click Cancel plan and enter your password.
Click Cancel plan again to see your options.
Select Pause and build.
Review the details and click Switch to Pause and build.

In the Shopify mobile app, open the menu, tap Settings > Plan > Cancel plan and follow the same choices.

What still works while the store is paused?

Still works: the Shopify admin, product editing, basic reports, and your storefront, which customers can still view. You can send draft order invoices, but customers can't complete them.
Stops working: checkout on all sales channels, including Point of Sale, plus discounts, abandoned checkout recovery, gift cards and publishing products through third-party channels such as Facebook and Google.
Keeps billing: apps. Shopify says all apps stay active unless you cancel them, so uninstall any app with a recurring charge you don't need while paused.

How to close the store temporarily right away

A switch to Pause and Build takes effect at the end of your current billing cycle, and the store keeps accepting orders until then. To stop orders straight away, turn on private mode in Online Store > Preferences: in the Store access section, activate Private mode, set a password (not your admin password), add an optional message and click Save. Shopify's password page guide says private mode hides all store pages from visitors and search engines. A short announcement bar message before you switch also tells regular customers when you'll be back.

How do you unpause the store?

Go to Settings > Plan, click Pick a plan, click Choose plan on the plan you want, review the details and click Subscribe. Your old plan is no longer valid, so you pick one again, and you can remove the store password afterwards.

What should you do before closing the store?

Once a store deactivates, you lose access to the admin at the end of the billing cycle, and with it the export buttons. Shopify Support also can't deactivate the store for you, so the owner has to work through this checklist, ideally in this order.

1. Export products, customers and orders

Shopify's backup guide lists products, customers, orders, gift card codes, discount codes and financial data as information you can save as CSV files.

Products: on the Products page, click Export, choose All products and a file format, then click Export products. An all-products export arrives by email. The product export guide notes that product images aren't included in the CSV, so keep your original image files. If you might rebuild the catalog later, our product CSV checklist explains which columns a re-import depends on.
Customers: on the Customers page, click Export, choose All customers, tick Customer tags or Customer metafields if you need them, then click Export customers, as Shopify's customer export guide describes.
Orders: on the Orders page, click Export, choose the orders (for example Orders by date) and click Export orders. Run it a second time with Export transaction histories for payment records. Shopify's order export guide says large exports are emailed to you and the store owner.
Gift cards: export the gift card list so you can settle outstanding balances.
Theme: in Online Store, open the theme's menu (three dots) and click Download theme file. Shopify emails the .zip to the address linked to your staff login. A paid theme is licensed only to the store it was bought for. Shopify's theme licensing guide explains how to move it to another store you own. That route involves closing the original store, which can't be reopened afterwards.
Pages, blog posts and menus: these aren't in the CSV list above, so copy any text you want to keep.

2. Download bills and keep tax records

Your Shopify bills are in Settings > Billing, under Past bills, and stay viewable after deactivation. Shopify's billing considerations page still recommends exporting billing history, plus payout and transaction history if you use Shopify Payments.

Tax records usually have to outlive the store. In the US, the IRS says to keep most records for at least three years, and longer in some cases. UK limited companies keep accounting records for six years from the end of the financial year they relate to. Check the rules where your business is registered.

3. Finish open orders, refunds and subscriptions

Fulfill or refund every unfulfilled order, including preorders and subscription orders; Shopify's deactivation guide asks you to resolve these before closing. If you are closing for good, refund rather than issue store credit, which customers can't spend once the store is gone, and settle the balances customers already hold. Shopify's finances report guide lists an Outstanding store credit balance report in Analytics > Reports that shows them. Keep your published refund policy in mind for returns that are still open.

4. Uninstall apps and cancel outside services

When you cancel your plan, Shopify uninstalls all apps and bills any pending charges. Apps that bill you directly, outside Shopify, can keep charging, so cancel those accounts with each provider. Do the same for email platforms, review tools and shipping software that hold their own copy of your customer data.

5. Decide what happens to your domain

Custom domains disconnect when the store deactivates, but domain renewals aren't cancelled with it.

Shopify domain you want to keep: go to Settings > Domains, click the domain, then Domain settings > Transfer to another provider and Confirm, and give the authorization code to your new provider. Shopify's domain transfer guide says .com, .net, .org and .us domains can't move for 60 days after purchase, a transfer in or a contact change, and that a transfer can take up to 7 days. Some extensions, such as .de, .eu and .uk, need Shopify Support to start the transfer.
Shopify domain you don't need: in Settings > Domains, click it and clear Auto-renew this domain every year. .de and .at domains need a form sent to Support instead, according to the renewal guide.
Domain from another registrar: remove it from the store, point its DNS elsewhere and manage renewal with that registrar.

6. Tell your customers

Contact customers with open orders, returns, gift card balances or store credit directly, and send any marketing-style farewell only to people who opted in. After deactivation, Shopify upgrades the Thank you and Order status pages so customers can still see past order details.

How to deactivate (cancel) your Shopify store

Only the store owner can do this, and you need to pass any two-step login check. Shopify Plus stores contact Shopify Plus Support instead.

In your Shopify admin, go to Settings > Plan.
Click Cancel plan (or Cancel trial during a free trial).
Review the alternatives Shopify offers, such as downgrading, the Pause and build plan or starting a new store.
Review your Shopify domains and pending charges, select Cancel my plan and uninstall all apps, then click Continue.
Select a reason, add a comment if you want, and click Continue.
Optional: select Save payment details to reopen your store faster.
Enter your password, then click Cancel plan (or Cancel trial).

Shopify emails a confirmation. The mobile app uses the same route under Settings > Plan, according to Shopify's deactivation guide.

Changed your mind before the billing cycle ends? Go to Settings > Plan and click Reactivate plan. Shopify's billing considerations page says you then aren't charged again until your next regular billing date.

What do you still pay after closing?

Deactivating stops the plan fee, but it doesn't wipe every charge. Shopify's billing considerations page lists what to expect:

A final bill for pending charges, such as app usage charges, transaction fees and shipping labels. If nothing is outstanding, there's no final invoice.
No refund for unused plan time. Shopify's plan refund policy says plans are generally non-refundable. Requests are reviewed case by case (within 30 days of the invoice date for annual plans, 7 days for monthly ones), with no guarantee.
Charges from apps billed outside Shopify, until you cancel them with the developer.
Domain renewals that fall due before you turn auto-renew off.
Chargebacks filed on earlier orders. To contest one, you must reactivate the store.
Invoices for other stores you own.

Pending Shopify Payments payouts are still sent to your bank, and account credits stay available for 60 days after deactivation, then expire. Access to Shopify Balance, Capital and Credit can be restricted while a store is paused or deactivated, so deal with those first.

Can you sell the store instead of closing it?

If a buyer wants the business, keep the store active and transfer it. Shopify's ownership transfer guide gives this route for a buyer outside your business:

Go to Settings > General.
In the Transfer store section, click Manage.
Select Transfer store to a new owner outside your business and click Continue.
Authenticate if asked, enter the new owner's email and click Transfer.

The buyer accepts by email. Before the transfer, empty your Shopify Balance account, update the Shopify Payments bank and tax details, and move any custom domain. A store can't be transferred while it uses Shopify Capital or Shopify Credit. Shopify doesn't run the sale itself: you find the buyer and agree the contract.

What happens to your store and customer data?

After deactivation, Shopify keeps your store's information for two years, so you can reopen without rebuilding. That stored data includes your customers' personal data, which matters if you sell to people in the EU or UK.

Handle any open access or deletion requests from customers before you close, because you won't be able to look up their records in the admin afterwards. Our guide to Shopify GDPR compliance explains which privacy duties stay with you as the merchant, and your privacy policy should already say how long you keep customer data.

Can you delete a Shopify store permanently?

Deactivating doesn't delete the store. Deletion is a separate step:

A closed store's data: the store owner contacts Shopify Support to request deletion. Shopify's Erase your data page says customer data is erased within 14 days after the request is completed, the request covers only that store, and you can stop it by contacting Support before the 14 days pass. After that, the store can't be reopened.
Your own merchant account: once every store and account linked to your email is deactivated, use the Shopify Privacy controls and click Erase my data. Shopify says this can take up to 30 days.

What happens to data held by apps?

Shopify's privacy compliance docs say it sends an app a shop/redact request 48 hours after a store owner uninstalls it, asking the developer to erase that store's data. Services you signed up for separately may not receive that request, so ask each one to delete your data.

How to reopen a closed Shopify store

You can reactivate within two years of deactivating, as long as the data hasn't been erased.

Log in as the store owner.
Click Re-open followed by your store's .myshopify.com address.
Review the plans and select one.
Enter your payment details in Review and Subscribe.
Click Subscribe.

Then reconnect custom domains in Settings > Domains > Connect existing domain. Forgot the store address? Shopify's deactivation guide links to a Forgot your store? recovery tool. A frozen or paused store needs its billing or payment issues resolved before it can reopen.

What does "cancel Shopify subscription" mean?

The phrase can point to three different things:

Your Shopify plan: this is the deactivation flow in Settings > Plan described above.
A paid app: uninstall the app from your admin. If the app bills you directly rather than on your Shopify bill, cancel that account with the developer too.
The Shopify Subscriptions app: Shopify Subscriptions is Shopify's app for selling products on a recurring schedule, such as weekly or monthly deliveries. It has nothing to do with your own Shopify plan. Shoppers cancel those product subscriptions from their customer account on the store they bought from, and merchants can cancel contracts inside the app.

What can go wrong when closing a store?

Problem	Likely cause	What to do
No Cancel plan button	You aren't the store owner, or the store is on Shopify Plus	Ask the owner, or contact Shopify Plus Support
Can't log in because of two-step login	Lost phone or authenticator	Use a backup method or recovery code, or follow Shopify's steps to turn off two-step login
Charged after closing	Final bill, a domain renewal, an outside app or a chargeback	Check Past bills, turn off auto-renew, cancel outside apps
Need a domain from a closed store	The admin is locked	Log in, replace `/access_account` in the address with `/access_account/domains`, then start the transfer

Frequently asked questions

Can I reuse my store name after closing?

Shopify says you can reuse the store name on a new store, but not the old .myshopify.com address.

Do I have to cancel if I'm still on the free trial?

If you end a free trial without having picked a paid plan, Shopify says no further action is needed. If you picked a paid plan during the trial, cancel it yourself in Settings > Plan, or you will be billed.

Sources

Deactivating and reactivating your Shopify store — Shopify Help Center, accessed 26 October 2026.
Pausing your store — Shopify Help Center, accessed 26 October 2026.
Billing considerations before pausing or deactivating your store — Shopify Help Center, accessed 26 October 2026.
Understanding Shopify's refund policy for plans — Shopify Help Center, accessed 26 October 2026.
Upcoming and past Shopify bills — Shopify Help Center, accessed 26 October 2026.
Finances reports — Shopify Help Center, accessed 26 October 2026.
Change or transfer ownership — Shopify Help Center, accessed 26 October 2026.
Backups and duplication — Shopify Help Center, accessed 26 October 2026.
Exporting products — Shopify Help Center, accessed 26 October 2026.
Importing and exporting customer lists — Shopify Help Center, accessed 26 October 2026.
Exporting orders — Shopify Help Center, accessed 26 October 2026.
Downloading themes — Shopify Help Center, accessed 26 October 2026.
Understanding licensing and transferring themes on Shopify — Shopify Help Center, accessed 26 October 2026.
Restrict access to your online store — Shopify Help Center, accessed 26 October 2026.
Transferring Shopify-managed domains — Shopify Help Center, accessed 26 October 2026.
Renewing Shopify-managed domains — Shopify Help Center, accessed 26 October 2026.
Erase your data — Shopify Help Center, accessed 26 October 2026.
Shopify Subscriptions — Shopify Help Center, accessed 26 October 2026.
Privacy law compliance — Shopify developer documentation, accessed 26 October 2026.
How long should I keep records? — Internal Revenue Service, accessed 26 October 2026.
Company and accounting records — GOV.UK, accessed 26 October 2026.