Cancelling your Shopify account ends your store immediately, but the process depends on whether you have unpaid charges or active subscriptions
When you cancel a Shopify account, your store goes offline right away. You lose access to your dashboard, your products disappear from the web, and customers can no longer place orders. However, Shopify may hold your account open for up to 90 days if you have unpaid invoices or outstanding charges — you cannot fully close it until those are settled. If you have a monthly subscription, cancelling stops future billing but does not refund charges you have already paid.
The cancellation itself takes minutes to complete through your account settings. The harder part is usually what comes before: backing up your data, notifying customers, and handling any orders or refunds that are in progress. Shopify does not automatically export your customer list, product catalog, or order history, so you need to do that yourself if you want to keep the information.
Key Takeaways
- Your store goes offline immediately when you cancel, but Shopify may keep your account active for 90 days if you owe money.
- You must export your own data — products, customers, and orders — before cancelling, because Shopify does not save this information after closure.
- Unpaid invoices or subscription charges must be settled before your account can be fully closed.
- Cancelling stops future charges but does not refund money you have already paid for the current billing period.
- If you have a Shopify Payments account, your payouts stop and any pending balance is held according to Shopify's payout schedule.
Back up your data before you cancel
Shopify does not keep your store data after you close your account. If you want to preserve your product listings, customer information, or order history, you must export it yourself. The easiest way is to use Shopify's built-in export tools in your admin dashboard.
Go to Settings, then Data and Privacy, and select Download your data. Shopify will prepare a CSV file containing your customers, products, and orders. This can take anywhere from a few minutes to several hours depending on how much data you have. You will receive an email with a download link when the file is ready. Save this file to your computer before you proceed with cancellation.
If you use a third-party app to manage inventory or customer relationships, check whether that app stores data separately. Some apps keep their own copies of information, but others rely entirely on Shopify's database. Contact the app developer if you are unsure.
Settle any unpaid charges or invoices
Before Shopify will let you close your account, you must pay any outstanding balance. This includes unpaid subscription fees, app charges, or transaction fees. Check your Billing section in your admin dashboard to see whether you have any invoices marked as unpaid or overdue.
If you have a Shopify Payments account, any pending payouts will be held. Shopify normally pays out your sales revenue every few days, but if you cancel with a pending payout, that money is released according to the standard payout schedule — usually within 2 to 5 business days after the payout date. You do not lose the money, but you may have to wait for it to arrive in your bank account after your store closes.
If you dispute a charge or believe an invoice is incorrect, contact Shopify Support before cancelling. Disputing a charge after you close your account is much harder because you no longer have access to your dashboard or order details.
Cancel your account through your admin settings
Once your data is backed up and your invoices are paid, you can cancel. Log into your Shopify admin, go to Settings, then scroll to the bottom and select Close store. Shopify will ask you to confirm and may offer you a discount to stay — you can ignore this if you are certain you want to leave.
You will be asked to provide a reason for cancellation. This is optional, but Shopify uses the feedback to improve their service. Common reasons include switching to a different platform, closing the business, or managing costs.
After you confirm, your store goes offline immediately. Your domain will no longer point to your Shopify store, and any customer links to your products will return a 404 error. If you own your domain through Shopify, it remains registered to you, but you will need to update the DNS settings if you want to use it elsewhere.
What happens to your domain after cancellation
If you purchased your domain through Shopify, you still own it after you cancel your store. Shopify will not delete it or let it expire automatically. However, your domain will no longer be connected to your store, so it will not resolve to any website unless you point it somewhere else.
You can transfer your domain to another registrar or use it with a different platform. To transfer, you will need your domain authorization code, which you can request from Shopify Support. The transfer process typically takes 5 to 7 days and may cost a renewal fee at your new registrar.
If you do not want to keep your domain, you can let it expire. Shopify will send you renewal notices, but if you ignore them, the domain will eventually become available for anyone to register. There is no penalty for letting it expire — you simply stop paying the annual renewal fee.
Handle refunds and customer communication
If you have orders in progress when you cancel, those orders do not automatically refund. You are responsible for notifying customers and processing refunds manually. Check your Orders section before you cancel to see if any orders are pending fulfillment or payment.
Send an email to customers with active orders explaining that your store is closing and what will happen to their order. If you are refunding them, let them know when they can expect the money — refunds typically take 3 to 5 business days to appear in a customer's bank account or credit card, depending on their bank.
If you used Shopify Payments, refunds are processed through the same system. Log into your dashboard and go to the order, then select Refund. The refund will be credited back to the customer's original payment method. After you close your account, you cannot process refunds through Shopify, so handle all refunds before cancellation.
Reactivate your account if you change your mind
If you cancel and then decide you want your store back, you can reactivate your account within 90 days. After 90 days, Shopify deletes your store data permanently and you cannot recover it. This is why backing up your data before cancellation is so important.
To reactivate, log back into your Shopify account and select Reactivate store. Your products, customers, and settings will be restored. You will start being charged again on your next billing date. If you reactivate within the same billing cycle, you are not charged twice — Shopify adjusts your billing based on how long your store was closed.
After 90 days, your account is permanently deleted. Shopify will not restore it, and you cannot recover your data. If you think you might want to reactivate later, keep your login credentials safe and do not delete the backup files you exported.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I get a refund when I cancel Shopify?
No. Cancelling stops future charges, but Shopify does not refund fees you have already paid for the current billing period. If you cancel mid-month, you lose the remainder of that month's subscription cost. Some plans offer prorated refunds, but this is rare — check your plan details or contact Shopify Support to confirm.
What happens to my Shopify Payments account when I cancel?
Your Shopify Payments account closes along with your store. Any pending payouts are released according to the normal payout schedule, usually within 2 to 5 business days. You cannot process new transactions, but money that was already earned before cancellation will still be paid out to your bank account.
Can I cancel if I have unpaid invoices?
You can initiate cancellation, but Shopify will not fully close your account until you pay any outstanding balance. Your store will go offline, but your account remains active for up to 90 days while you settle the debt. Once paid, your account is permanently closed.
How do I transfer my Shopify store to someone else instead of closing it?
Shopify does not have a built-in transfer feature. You would need to export your data, create a new Shopify account under the other person's name, and manually import the products and settings. Alternatively, you can change the account owner by updating the email and billing information in your Settings, though this keeps the same account active.
Will my store URL be available for someone else to use after I cancel?
Yes. If you used a free Shopify subdomain (like yourstore.myshopify.com), that URL becomes available for someone else to register after your account is deleted. If you owned a custom domain, it remains registered to you unless you let it expire or transfer it to someone else.