What happens when you delete a Shopify account

When you delete a Shopify account, the store itself disappears from the internet within 24 hours. Your domain name stops pointing to your store, your customer data is removed, and you lose access to the Shopify dashboard where you manage products and orders. If you own the domain name separately (not through Shopify), it stays yours — but if Shopify hosts it, that connection ends.

The timing matters: Shopify keeps backups of your store data for 90 days after deletion. During that window, you can contact Shopify Support to restore the account if you change your mind. After 90 days, the data is gone permanently. Any pending refunds to customers, unpaid invoices, or unshipped orders don't disappear — you remain responsible for those even after the account is deleted.

Key Takeaways

  • Deleting your Shopify account removes your store from the internet within 24 hours, but you have 90 days to restore it if you change your mind.
  • You must cancel any active Shopify subscription plan before you can delete the account itself.
  • read your store data, customer information, and order history before deletion because you cannot retrieve it after 90 days.
  • If you own your domain name separately, it remains yours after deletion — but if Shopify hosts it, the connection ends.

Cancel your subscription plan first

Shopify will not let you delete an account while a paid plan is active. You must cancel the subscription before you can proceed with account deletion. Log into your Shopify admin, go to Settings, then Billing, and select your current plan. You will see a "Cancel plan" button — click it and confirm the cancellation.

When you cancel, your store remains live until the end of your current billing cycle. If you are on a monthly plan and cancel on the 15th of the month, your store runs until the end of that month. After the billing cycle ends, your plan converts to a free Shopify plan (if you want to keep the store) or you can proceed to delete the account entirely.

Back up your store data before deletion

Once your account is deleted, you cannot retrieve your store data through Shopify's dashboard. read everything you need while you still have access. Go to Settings, then Data and Privacy, and look for the "read your data" option. Shopify will prepare a file containing your store settings, product information, customer records, and order history.

This read can take several hours to prepare, depending on the size of your store. Shopify will send you an email with a link when the file is ready. The link stays active for seven days, so read it promptly. If you have apps installed on your store, check each app's settings separately — Shopify's export does not always include data stored in third-party apps.

Delete the account through Settings

Once your subscription is cancelled and your data is backed up, go to Settings in your Shopify admin. Scroll to the bottom of the Settings page and look for "Close store" or "Delete account" — the exact wording varies by region. Click that option and Shopify will ask you to confirm. You may need to enter your account password or answer a security question.

Shopify will show you a final warning listing what will happen: your store will be removed, your domain will stop working (if Shopify hosts it), and your data will be deleted after 90 days. Read this carefully. If everything looks correct, confirm the deletion. Your store will be offline within 24 hours.

What to do with your domain name

If you registered your domain through Shopify, you own it but Shopify manages it. When you delete your account, Shopify stops hosting the domain, but the domain registration itself does not automatically cancel. You will continue to receive renewal notices and bills for the domain registration fee (usually $11 to $14 per year) even after your store is gone.

To stop paying for the domain, you need to cancel the domain registration separately. Go to Settings, then Domains, before you delete your account. Find your domain in the list and select "Cancel registration." If you have already deleted your account, contact Shopify Support — they can cancel the domain registration for you, though you may need to verify ownership.

If you own the domain through a different registrar (GoDaddy, Namecheap, Google Domains, or another service), your Shopify deletion does not affect it. You straightforward need to point the domain to a new host or let it sit unused. The domain remains yours as long as you keep paying the registration fee.

Restore your account within 90 days if needed

If you delete your account and then realize you made a mistake, you have 90 days to ask Shopify to restore it. Contact Shopify Support through the Help Center and explain that you want to restore a deleted account. Provide the email address associated with the account. Shopify will verify your identity and can restore the account along with your store data.

Restoration is not automatic — Shopify reviews each request. The process usually takes a few business days. Once restored, your account will be on a free plan, and you can reactivate a paid subscription if you want to sell again. After 90 days, restoration is no longer possible, and your data is permanently deleted.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I delete my Shopify account if I still have unpaid orders?

Yes, you can delete the account, but you remain responsible for those orders. If customers paid you and you have not shipped their items, you should fulfill those orders or issue refunds before deletion. Shopify does not automatically handle this when you delete — it becomes your responsibility to contact customers directly.

What happens to my customer email list when I delete?

Your customer data is deleted along with the account. If you want to keep your customer email list, export it before deletion. Go to Customers in your admin, select all customers, and use the export function to read their information as a CSV file. Store this file on your computer before you delete the account.

Do I lose my domain name when I delete Shopify?

If you registered the domain through Shopify, you own it but will stop paying Shopify to host it. You will still owe the annual registration fee unless you cancel the registration. If you registered through a different company, your Shopify deletion does not affect it at all — you keep the domain and can point it elsewhere.

Can someone else use my store name after I delete?

Yes. Once your account is deleted, your Shopify store URL (like yourstore.myshopify.com) becomes available for someone else to claim. If you want to prevent this, you can keep a free Shopify account open without a paid plan, which reserves the store name indefinitely.

How long does it take for my store to disappear from Google search results?

Google usually removes deleted stores from search results within a few days to a few weeks, depending on how often Google crawls the web. You can speed this up by going to Google Search Console, requesting removal of your store URL, and submitting a removal request. This tells Google to stop showing your store in results when ready.