How to Cancel Your Shopify Subscription (Updated) (2025)

Thinking about canceling your Shopify subscription?

Whether you’re moving to a different platform, taking a break from selling online, or closing your business entirely, canceling your subscription is the same as deactivating your store.

This guide will provide a comprehensive walkthrough of how to cancel your Shopify subscription, including crucial steps to take before canceling and some potential alternatives.

As shutting down even the smallest online store is a significant event, careful preparation is essential.

Things to Do Before Canceling

Before you cancel your Shopify subscription, it’s crucial to take care of a few things to ensure a smooth transition and avoid any unexpected issues:

Customer and Order Management

Fulfill any outstanding orders: Make sure all existing orders are processed and shipped to customers.
Inform your customers: Let your customers know about your store closure, especially if you’re not migrating to a new platform. You can do this through email, social media, or any other communication channels you use.
Issue refunds: If necessary, process any pending refunds or returns.

Financial and Billing Actions

Review Shopify’s Billing Cycle: Shopify does not offer refunds for unused time. If you’re mid-way through your billing period, consider canceling closer to the end of the cycle to make the most of your subscription.
Pay outstanding charges: Settle all outstanding invoices and payments to Shopify, including any app fees, transaction fees, or shipping costs.
Export your billing and payout history: Download your billing history for your records. If you’re using Shopify Payments, export your payout history and transaction data as well.
Deactivate payment gateways: Disable any payment gateways connected to your store to prevent further transactions from being processed.

App and Domain Management

Cancel third-party apps and subscriptions: Uninstall or cancel any paid apps or third-party services linked to your Shopify store to avoid continued billing. Some apps may still charge you even after you close your store, so it’s essential to uninstall them.
Address domain settings: If you have a custom domain, decide whether to transfer it to another provider, keep it for future use, or let it expire. If you purchased the domain through Shopify, you’ll need to transfer it to a third-party domain provider. Make sure to turn off auto-renewal to avoid unexpected charges. You can not use the same .myshopify.com domain to create a new online store. You can create a new store with the same name, but each .myshopify.com domain is unique.

Data Backup and Security

Download important data: Export your customer data, order history, product details, and financial information for your records. You can save your store information by saving CSV files and download a backup of your theme.
Remove custom code: If you’ve added any custom code or scripts to your store, remove them to prevent potential security issues after closure.
Download financial reports: Download all necessary financial reports, including sales reports, tax summaries, and other relevant data.

How to Cancel Your Shopify Subscription

Once you’ve completed the preparatory steps, you can proceed with canceling your Shopify subscription, which is the same as deactivating your store. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

Log in to your Shopify admin: Go to shopify.com and log in to your account using your store owner credentials.
Go to Settings: In your Shopify account dashboard, click on “Settings” at the bottom left corner of the screen.
Click on “Plan”: In the Settings menu, click on “Plan” or “Billing.” This section displays your current subscription plan, billing details, and payment cycle.
Deactivate your store: Click on “Deactivate store” to permanently close your store and cancel your subscription.
Provide a reason for cancellation: Shopify will ask why you’re closing your store. Select the most relevant reason from the dropdown menu. This feedback is optional but helps Shopify improve its platform.
Confirm cancellation: After selecting a reason, click on “Continue” or “Deactivate Store.” You might be asked to enter your password to confirm.
Wait for confirmation: Once your store is deactivated, you’ll receive a confirmation email from Shopify. Keep this email for your records.

Troubleshooting and Support

If you encounter any issues during the cancellation process or have questions, Shopify’s customer support team can provide assistance. You can access support through the Shopify Help Center.

You may also want to view your Billing section and check to see if you have any active subscriptions on your account.

However, keep in mind that for security reasons, Shopify Support cannot deactivate your store for you. You must complete the cancellation process yourself.

Canceling a Subscription as a Customer

Customers can also cancel their subscriptions from their customer accounts.

They can access their accounts by logging in from your store’s menu (if customer accounts are activated), clicking “Manage your subscription” in automated subscription email notifications, or using a customer accounts URL if provided on your online store.

Once logged in, customers can view and manage their subscriptions, including canceling them, from the “Subscriptions” tab.

Note that canceling a subscription ends billing and delivery immediately and cannot be undone.

If a customer wants to temporarily stop receiving orders, they can pause their subscription instead.

What Happens After You Cancel?

Loss of access: You’ll lose access to your Shopify admin and your online store will no longer be accessible to customers.
Data retention: Shopify retains your store data for two years, allowing you to reactivate your store and regain access if needed. You can also reopen your store within that timeframe and pick up where you left off. If you’re set on permanently closing your store and removing your data, you can create a support ticket to request data deletion.
Potential SEO impact: Deactivating your store can negatively affect your search engine rankings.
Continued third-party billing: While Shopify will stop billing you, remember that any active third-party subscriptions might still incur charges.
Impact on customer service and returns: Once you deactivate your store, you lose access to product listings, inventory data, and order histories, making it difficult to process returns and handle customer service inquiries.
Potential for unexpected charges: While canceling your subscription should stop Shopify from billing you, some users have reported continued charges even after cancellation. It’s crucial to monitor your account after canceling to ensure no further charges occur.

Alternatives to Canceling

If you’re not entirely sure about canceling your Shopify subscription, consider these alternatives:

Pause your store: Shopify’s “Pause and Build” plan allows you to temporarily pause your store at a reduced cost while retaining access to your Shopify admin. Keep in mind that pausing your store doesn’t mean pausing your payments entirely. Your store will still run at a reduced price, but there will be charges. This option is ideal if you plan to reopen your store later.
Downgrade to a cheaper plan: If cost is a concern, explore Shopify’s lower-tier plans with fewer features. This allows you to maintain your store’s online presence without paying for unnecessary tools.

Tips for Managing Subscription Payments

To avoid potential issues with unwanted charges or difficulty canceling subscriptions, consider using a service like Privacy.com.

Privacy.com allows you to create virtual cards for online purchases, giving you more control over your subscriptions.

You can pause or close your virtual card linked to your Shopify subscription, effectively blocking any further charges. You can also set spending limits to prevent accidental overcharges or unexpected price increases.

Conclusion

Canceling your Shopify subscription is a straightforward process, but it’s essential to prepare beforehand and understand the implications.