In this guide
Before you start.
- Turn off domain auto-renew before you close the store, not after. Shopify states that your domain renewals are not cancelled when cancelling your store. Once the store is deactivated you cannot reach that setting without reopening the store, changing it and closing again.
- If you want to keep the name, transfer it out first. Shopify states you should transfer a Shopify-bought domain to a third-party domain provider before closing, and that on deactivation your custom domains become disconnected from your store.
- Expect a final invoice. Shopify states that all apps are automatically uninstalled and any pending charges on your account are charged, including outstanding app usage charges, transaction fees and shipping label charges, and that if no outstanding charges are found no final invoice is issued.
- Third-party app charges are not Shopify's to reverse. Shopify treats charges from apps as the responsibility of the app developers, even after an app has been uninstalled, and directs the dispute to the developer.
- There is no refund window. Shopify maintains a no-refund policy for subscriptions, so nothing is returned for the unused part of a period.
- Consider the Pause and build plan if you may come back. Shopify states this deactivates your checkout across all sales channels including Point of Sale, that customers can browse but cannot make purchases, that admin access is retained, and that it runs at a reduced cost. It states the plan is not available to stores and organizations on the Shopify Plus plan.
- Check for a second store on the same card. A forgotten trial or a second store billed to the same payment method is the most common reason a charge continues after a store is closed.
- Account credits expire. Shopify states that credits on a deactivated store remain available for 60 days and that unused credits expire afterwards.
- Warn customers with open commitments. Shopify states that customers with subscriptions, preorders or similar arrangements might have unresolved orders after store deactivation.
FOLLOW THE RIGHT BILLING ROUTE
Cancel Shopify, step by step.
Cancel your plan and deactivate the store
Shopify bills your store directly, so this is the route for everything except a Plus plan. It closes the store rather than reducing it to a free tier.
- Turn off auto-renew for any Shopify-registered domain first, or transfer the domain out, because this becomes hard to reach afterwards.
- Go to Settings, then Plan.
- Click Cancel trial or Cancel plan, depending on what the account shows.
- Review the downgrade and pause options you are offered.
- Select Cancel my plan and uninstall all apps, then click Continue.
- Select a deactivation reason and click Continue.
- Enter your password and click Cancel trial or Cancel plan to confirm.
Shopify states the store deactivates at the end of your current billing cycle rather than instantly, and that a confirmation email is sent on deactivation. It also states your store's information is guaranteed for 2 years, so the store can be reactivated within that time.
Switch to Pause and build instead
A cheaper holding state that keeps the store and its data while stopping sales. Shopify states it requires the store to be past the free trial and on a paid plan, and that you have to be the store owner.
- Go to Settings, then Plan.
- Click Cancel plan.
- Enter your password and click Cancel plan again.
- Select Pause and build.
- Click Switch to Pause and build to confirm.
Shopify states that your checkout is deactivated across all sales channels such as the Point of Sale channel, that customers cannot make purchases, and that your prior plan becomes invalid when you unpause. To reopen: Settings, Plan, Pick a plan, Choose plan, Subscribe.
Cancel a Shopify Plus plan
Plus is the one plan with no self-serve cancellation. Shopify routes it through its own team.
- Contact Shopify Plus Support: Shopify states that if your store is on the Shopify Plus plan you have to contact them rather than cancelling in the admin.
- Shopify describes this as contacting a Merchant Success Specialist to proceed with the cancellation.
- Ask for the effective date and for any outstanding charges to be itemised before you agree.
- Deal with domains and apps separately, since the same rules apply: domain renewals are not cancelled with the store.
- Note that Shopify states the Pause and build plan is not available to stores and organizations on the Shopify Plus plan.
What happens next?
- Shopify states the store deactivates at the end of your current billing cycle, not immediately, and sends a confirmation email.
- Shopify states that all apps are automatically uninstalled and any pending charges on your account are charged, including outstanding app usage charges, transaction fees and shipping label charges.
- Shopify states that your store's information is guaranteed for 2 years, so reactivation is possible within that period, and that after deletion it is impossible.
- Shopify states that your custom domains become disconnected from your store, and that reconnecting later means Settings, Domains, Connect existing domain.
- Shopify states that your Thank you and Order status pages automatically upgrade so past customers can still access their order details.
- Shopify states that account credits on a deactivated store remain available for 60 days and that unused credits expire afterwards.
- Shopify maintains a no-refund policy for subscriptions, so there is no money back for the remainder of a period.
Pausing or freezing Shopify.
What is Pause and build?
A reduced-cost holding plan. Shopify states it deactivates your checkout across all sales channels including Point of Sale so customers can browse but not buy, that you keep admin access, and that it is not available to stores and organizations on the Shopify Plus plan. It requires the store to be past the free trial and on a paid plan.
WHEN IT DOES NOT WORK
If you get stuck.
My domain kept renewing after I closed the store
Shopify states plainly that domain renewals are not cancelled when cancelling your store. If auto-renew was left on, the domain continues to renew and incurs an annual registration fee. The painful part is the remedy: reaching that setting means reopening the store, logging into the admin, changing the setting and closing the store down again. Turning auto-renew off, or transferring the domain to another registrar, belongs before the closure rather than after it.
I closed my store and I cannot log in to check the billing
This is a recurring complaint: a closed store can leave you unable to sign in to see what is still charging, with the login prompting you to pick a plan instead. Work from the receipts and the card statement rather than the admin. If the charge is for a different store, which is the most common answer, the login you need is that store's. Shopify support can check whether any secondary stores are attached to your payment method.
An app is still charging me after I uninstalled it
Shopify's position is that charges from apps are the responsibility of the app developers, even after uninstalling, where a charge was accepted by the merchant. It routes the dispute to the developer rather than reversing it. Note also that deactivating the store triggers the opposite problem: Shopify states outstanding app usage charges are charged at deactivation, so a final app bill is expected rather than a fault.
I cancelled and the store came back, or I cannot deactivate without paying first
Merchants report stores reactivating and deactivation being blocked behind an outstanding balance. Shopify states pending charges are charged at deactivation, so an unpaid balance is settled as part of closing. Since Shopify maintains a no-refund policy, the money already taken is not returned. Confirm from the deactivation confirmation email rather than from the admin, and check for a second store on the same card if charges continue.
My trial ended and charged me although I thought I had cancelled
Check that the cancellation completed all the way through: the flow ends with entering your password and confirming, and stopping short of that leaves the plan running. Then check whether the charge belongs to a different store: a trial started for a second storefront bills separately and is the usual explanation when the store you remember closing is definitely closed.
Still not cancelled?Common reasons a subscription will not cancel
GOOD TO KNOW
Questions, answered.
How do I cancel my Shopify subscription?
Go to Settings, then Plan, and click Cancel plan or Cancel trial. Review the options, select Cancel my plan and uninstall all apps, click Continue, choose a reason, click Continue, then enter your password and confirm. Shopify states the store deactivates at the end of the current billing cycle.
Does cancelling Shopify cancel my domain?
No. Shopify states that domain renewals are not cancelled when cancelling your store, so a Shopify-registered domain keeps renewing and keeps charging. Turn auto-renew off, or transfer the domain to another registrar, before you close the store, because reaching the setting afterwards means reopening the store.
Will Shopify refund my last payment?
No. Shopify maintains a no-refund policy for subscriptions. It also states that pending charges are charged on deactivation, including outstanding app usage charges, transaction fees and shipping label charges, so the final bill tends to go the other way.
Can I get my Shopify store back after closing it?
Within two years. Shopify states that your store's information is guaranteed for 2 years and that reactivation is possible in that window, but that once the store is deleted it is impossible. Custom domains are disconnected at deactivation and have to be reconnected under Settings, Domains.
Provider resources
- Shopify: deactivate a store
- Shopify: Pause and build plan
- Shopify: billing considerations before pausing or deactivating a store
- Shopify Community: cancel a domain renewal for a deactivated store
- Shopify Community: charged for an uninstalled app
Instructions reviewed .
Subex is independent of Shopify. Availability and cancellation terms can vary by plan, billing provider and country.
