How to Cancel Shopify Subscription In Just A Few Clicks

Canceling your Shopify subscription might seem overwhelming at first, but it doesn’t have to be. You may be considering closing your Shopify store permanently or switching to a new online store platform. In each case, you should know the right steps to avoid unexpected charges or complications. This is why in this guide, we’ll walk you through the steps of how to cancel your Shopify subscription quickly and efficiently, so your store data remains safe and the cancellation process is hassle-free.

If you follow these simple steps, you will be able to close your Shopify account safely with confidence and move smoothly to the next platform.

1. How to Cancel Shopify Subscription: Step-by-Step Guide

Before you go through the subscription cancellation process, start with preparing your Shopify account:

 

How to Deactivate Your Store?

To cancel your subscription plan follow these steps:

Step 1: Log into your admin account and go to Settings. Select the Plan option from the left sidebar.

Step 2. From there, click Deactivate Store.

Once you click the button, you will see a modal window with three different options.

The most important ones are pausing and deactivating.

Switch to Pause and Build

This option will put your store into pause mode with a different subscription plan which is $9/month. The Pause and Build plan will make your store still accessible. You will be able to manage your content and change products, prices, images, and other elements. Users, on the other hand, will NOT be able to checkout and purchase products until you switch back to your usual plan.

Deactivate Store

With this option, your store will not be accessible for you or your users. Once you go through that process, you won’t be able to make any changes in the content or backend of your store.

Step 3. Choose Deactivate Store.

Now, when you click that button, you will notice a modal window with the following instructions:

Step 4: In regards to the first point, repeat these steps for any apps you have to uninstall:

Step 5: To export important CSV files, go to the admin and do the following:

Step 6: Once you’re done, click Continue.

Step 7. Shopify will ask you to specify a reason.

Select a reason you feel it’s fair and click Continue.

Step 8. The last step of the modal will open the following notification:

Fortunately, there’s the option to ask Shopify to store your payment details for easier store re-opening have you decide to do so later. To do so, simply select the checkbox and hit the final “ deactivate store”.

In most cases, the platform will require you to re-enter your password to confirm the deactivation process.

Shopify will then take you to a confirmation page stating that “ Your store is deactivated”. 

On the same page, you have the option to change your plan or reactivate your store in the next 2 years.

You can then check your live store to see if the changes have been applied successfully. This is what it will show you:

 

Pausing Your Store

As we mentioned earlier, you have the option to Pause and Build your store if you need a break from selling but still want to keep your store data and features intact. When you switch to this plan, your store goes offline, so customers can’t browse or buy anything.

With this plan, you still have full access to your Shopify admin dashboard, including your storefront where you can manage inventory, update product listings, access basic reports regarding the store’s performance, and make changes as needed.

Also, this plan comes at a reduced monthly fee of $9, making it a budget-friendly way to prepare for a relaunch.

 

2. Top Reasons To Cancel Shopify Account or Deactivate It

To start with, there are a few reasons why you might want to cancel your Shopify store or deactivate it. Perhaps your business is moving to a new platform, or the costs of maintaining a Shopify subscription no longer fit your budget, or you just want to open a new store somewhere else.

Drop in Sales

A significant drop in sales can make it difficult to continue using Shopify to sell products. If you’re not attracting enough customers, it may not be financially viable to keep your online shop open. In such cases, the best solution to avoid unnecessary expenses would be to cancel your Shopify account.

 

Changing the Platform

Switching to a new platform is another good reason to click deactivate store, especially if you find a solution with better features and performance. Note that this often comes with migration challenges. This requires you to export your data and adjust settings, which can be time-consuming.

 

Taking a Break

If you’re planning to step away from your business, it might be best to cancel subscription to avoid ongoing transaction fees.

 

Selling Your Store

For many online store owners, canceling their Shopify subscriptions often comes with a more practical solution: selling the store instead. The Shopify admin panel makes it easy to transfer any essential data so you gain from your hard.

 

High Transaction Costs

High transaction fees can be a dealbreaker for many. If your sales don’t justify the fees, it may be time to reconsider. These costs can cut into your profit margin, especially if your store operates on tight revenue so canceling your subscription can help you avoid these ongoing charges.

 

Limited Payment Options

Shopify offers several payment gateways, but for businesses needing more flexibility, the options may feel limited. If your customers are asking for alternative payment methods not supported by Shopify, you might find exploring more versatile platforms worth considering.

 

3. Things to Consider Before Cancelling Your Account

Before going through with canceling your Shopify account, there are a few important factors to keep in mind, such as outstanding charges, what happens to existing customers with unfulfilled orders, and more.

Does Deactivating Shopify Cancel Subscription? 👈

The most important thing you should know is that deactivating your store doesn’t automatically cancel your subscription. The process requires additional steps to make sure you won’t be charged later. This is why we’ll go through the full process of how to cancel your Shopify subscription to avoid transaction fees.

 

What is the Shopify’s Pause and Build Feature? 👈

Instead of choosing to cancel your Shopify account outright, you can always take advantage of the Pause and Build feature. This is an option that allows you to temporarily pause your store while still maintaining access to customer data and store functionality for a reduced fee. It’s a great way to keep your store on hold without fully shutting down.

 

What Does it Mean to Deactivate Your Account? 👈

When you click deactivate to close your Shopify store, your website will no longer be accessible, and you’ll lose access to your Shopify admin. Make sure to back up your store data and settle any pending orders before deactivation.

 

What Will Happen To Customers With Unfulfilled Orders? 👈

Another thing you need to do before canceling your subscription is to deal with any unfulfilled orders. If you sell beauty products, for example, export the relevant CSV file from your Shopify account. This file will contain all the details you need to process pending orders before closing. If your store offers options like preorders or subscriptions, be sure to settle any remaining orders and refunds. Keep in mind that even after deactivating your store, customers can still file chargebacks. Also, note that you won’t be able to provide further proof through the Shopify admin panel after your store is closed.

 

Will There Be Any Migration Difficulties? 👈

If you’re unfamiliar with data migration, shifting from Shopify to a different platform can be tricky. It requires exporting products, customer data, and order history. If you’re not prepared for the challenges of migration, this might be a reason to delay the switch until you’re fully ready.

 

4. Can You Cancel Shopify Anytime?

The good news is that you can cancel your Shopify subscription whenever you like, no matter if you’re in the middle of a busy sales season or just looking to take a break. However, don’t forget about dealing with outstanding orders, customer data retention, and potential charges. With this in mind, you can choose the best time for your business to make this transition.

 

5. How to Re-Activate Your Shopify Subscription?

If you decide it’s time to get back to selling products, resuming your subscription is simple.

Any previous store data, like products, customer details, and order history, will still be available, making it easy to jump back into business.

Take a moment to review your store settings, update any outdated products or pricing, and make sure your payment and shipping options are still aligned with your current business model.

Once everything is in place, look at the plan details and confirm your subscription choice to reactivate your store.

 

6. How to Transfer Your Shopify Store to a New Platform?

Each platform has its own set of tools and features, so some elements—such as themes, custom apps, or payment gateways—may not transfer directly. Be prepared to adapt your store design and functionality to fit the requirements of the new platform.

Let’s say you’re in the beauty business selling hair and make-up beauty products on Shopify. You decide to open a new store in BigCommerce for more scalability. Here’s what that migration process would look like:

✅ Export Product Data

Your first step would be exporting your product information from Shopify, including titles, descriptions, images, pricing, and inventory levels.

In BigCommerce, you can import this CSV file. The challenge here is to make sure that the format of your Shopify file aligns with BigCommerce’s import requirements. For example, Shopify can handle variant options (size, color) differently than BigCommerce, so you may need to adjust your CSV file to fit BigCommerce’s structure.

✅ Customer Information and Order History

Next, export your customer information from Shopify, including names, emails, shipping addresses, and order history. This means if you have 1,000 customers who’ve placed multiple orders, you’ll need all of that data to maintain consistency when moving to BigCommerce.

Same as with the product listings, the formatting may require adjustments. Shopify and BigCommerce treat customer groups and past order histories differently, so take care in mapping the correct data fields during migration.

✅ Themes and Design

Shopify and BigCommerce operate on different theme structures, so you won’t be able to directly migrate your store’s design. Let’s say you have a minimalist beauty store design in Shopify.

On BigCommerce, you’ll need to either find a theme that closely matches or hire a developer to recreate your Shopify store’s look and feel.

BigCommerce offers customizable themes, but custom design elements—like specific fonts or layout adjustments—might need to be recreated from scratch.

✅ Payment Gateways and Shipping Methods

If you’re using a specific payment method in Shopify, like Shopify Payments or PayPal, check if those options are available on BigCommerce.

BigCommerce supports a wide range of payment gateways, but some features may differ. You may also need to reconfigure your shipping methods and rates.

✅ Apps and Plugins

You’ll need to see if BigCommerce has equivalent or similar apps to the ones you used in your Shopify store. For example, Shopify has apps like AUTo DS for dropshipping or Klaviyo for email marketing.

You’ll need to find compatible tools on BigCommerce, like their built-in dropshipping options or integrations with third-party email marketing platforms, marketing tools, etc.

✅ SEO and URL Redirects

One often overlooked area is SEO. If you’ve spent time optimizing your Shopify store for search engines, you’ll want to keep your ranking game during the move. Shopify’s URLs differ from BigCommerce’s, so you’ll need to set up 301 redirects to ensure customers and search engines are pointed to the correct new pages.

For example, if a popular product on your Shopify store has a URL like www.mystore.com/products/best-makeup-brush, and BigCommerce assigns it a different URL, you’ll need to create a redirect so traffic to the old link goes to the right product page.

 

7. Which Platforms Are Good Alternatives to Shopify?

Platforms like BigCommerce, WooCommerce, and Squarespace offer different features, depending on what you need: more customization or lower costs.

🛍️ BigCommerce: a great option if your store is getting bigger and you need something flexible. It’s specifically built to handle large inventories and lots of traffic, and you can sell on multiple channels. In addition, the platform doesn’t charge transaction fees on top of plans or based on which payment processor you use.

🛍️ WooCommerce: a good pick for anyone who likes having full control over their store. Since it’s a WordPress plugin, you can customize it with different themes and add-ons. It’s perfect for those who don’t mind handling the hosting side of things and want more control to build a store that fits their exact needs.

🛍️ Squarespace: for smaller businesses focused on design. The platform is famous for its stylish templates and easy-to-use design tools. Its eCommerce tools aren’t as advanced, but it works well for selling a smaller selection of products.

🛍️ Webflow: the drag-and-drop website builder is perfect if you love creating unique, custom layouts. You don’t need coding skills, but you still get a lot of flexibility to build a site that looks exactly how you want while keeping eCommerce functionality intact.

If you decide to move from Shopify to another platform but don’t feel confident enough to perform the migration process yourself, and would like to learn more about what you have to do, open discussion with our Shopify experts. We’d love to help you with a consultation, directions, or work with you.

 

Final Words: Why not selling your store instead?

If your online store has a loyal customer base, established products, and a steady flow of traffic, there’s a good chance someone else would be interested in taking it over. Platforms like Exchange Marketplace allow you to list your Shopify store for sale, connecting you with potential buyers. This way you can recoup some of your investment and avoid simply closing down.

 

FAQs

How do I cancel my Shopify subscription?
Log in to your Shopify admin panel, go to “Settings,” then select “Plan,” and choose “Deactivate Store.” Follow the prompts to confirm cancellation.

Is there a fee to cancel my Shopify store?
No, Shopify doesn’t charge a fee to cancel your store. However, make sure you settle any outstanding transaction fees or charges for third-party apps in your account.

Will I lose my store data after canceling my Shopify subscription?
Your store’s information is guaranteed for 2 years, in case you decide to re-open your store. However, you can request that the personal information about your store’s customers be deleted before that timeframe.

Can I reopen my Shopify store after canceling my subscription?
Yes, you can reopen your store by logging back into your Shopify account and selecting a new pricing plan, as long as you haven’t permanently deleted your store.

What happens to my custom domain if I cancel my Shopify store?
If you bought a custom domain through Shopify, you can transfer it to another provider or keep it with Shopify, even after you cancel your subscription.

Can I pause my Shopify subscription instead of canceling it?
Yes, Shopify offers a “Pause and Build” plan, which allows you to keep your store running at a reduced cost while you take a break.

What happens to third-party apps when I cancel my Shopify subscription?
When you cancel your Shopify subscription, any third-party apps you’ve installed will stop functioning. Be sure to manage or cancel any app subscriptions to avoid additional charges.

Hey, before you go, don’t forget to check out our other awesome articles on UI/UX design! We’ve got loads of tips and inspiration to help you create stunning designs that will blow your mind.

• Shopify Website Design Service – The Pocket Go-to Guide
• 12 Best Converting Shopify Themes That Boost Sales
• Best Shopify Fonts and Font Pairings [With Website Examples]