How to Pause Your Shopify Store? – Ultimate Guide

Many Shopify store owners like to take a break from time to time. How to pause your shopify store? How does it affect your orders and customers? How can we get back into our business once we’re ready again?

In business, things don’t always go as planned.

This comprehensive guide will walk you through the process, regardless of your goal for closing or pausing your Shopify store.

If you only need to close your doors for a short amount of time, we’ll show you how to put them back up until you’re ready to reopen.

It’s a significant decision, so let’s start by considering what you should consider before turning off the power.

Things You Need to Know Before You pause Your Shopify Store

Fortunately, closing and hibernating a Shopify store is simple. However, there are a few things to think about before doing so.

#1. You must close the store yourself.

The Shopify team can’t help you with this.

#2. Your account may be deleted if you close your store.

When you close a Shopify store, your Shopify account is also closed. You’ll lose access to your admin areas as well. If you’re still unsure, stopping your account for a while maybe a better option.

#3. You’ll lose your store name and URL.

You will not be able to return using the same name and URL if you change your mind.

#4. Before you can shut up, you’ll need to pay off any obligations.

Before you can terminate your Shopify account, you’ll need to pay off any outstanding money owed to the company.

#5. Any integrations or applications will need to be deleted.

Uninstalling and canceling third-party applications, especially those with recurring monthly charges, is often the most time-consuming aspect of shutting down a Shopify shop.

Uninstalling apps from your Shopify store will not automatically cancel your subscription; you must do so with the app itself. Because most applications charge monthly, keep in mind that you won’t be eligible for any refunds.

#6. You will not be refunded any subscription payments.

You won’t be refunded for any remaining subscriptions on Shopify. You will not be charged anything if you cancel a free trial.

#7. You’ll need to transfer a custom domain.

If the domain name you want to use already has a custom domain, you’ll have to change it. If you bought and linked the domain name through a third party, all you have to do now is delete the domain from your Shopify store and update your DNS settings with your registrar.

This is so you can keep using the domain even after your Shopify account is deleted. If you bought the domain through Shopify, you’ll need to transfer management of it to another hosting service or registrar.

#8. The security on Shopify’s transfers may affect your front end.

If your store is closed for more than 90 days, Shopify’s HTTP strict transfer security (HSTS) remains in force for 90 days. This shouldn’t be a problem if your new platform is https-enabled since HSTS lasts for 90 days after a store’s closure.

If your request is denied, visitors to your website will see a security warning that your store is untrustworthy, not secure and that your certificate isn’t valid.

How to Close (and Cancel) Your Shopify Store

#1. Steps to close your Shopify store

1. Login to your account and go to the Settings page > Account.
2. On the Account page, scroll all the way down to the bottom. Click Close Store beneath Account Status on the left-hand side of the screen.
3. After that, a pop-up window will appear prompting you for information on why you’re closing your store and how to contact the Shopify Support Team. Select a reason, type in your password when prompted, and then click Close Store.
4. You’ll be taken to a confirmation screen, at which point you’ll be able to confirm the cancellation. Your Shopify shop will now be officially closed.

If you wake up in the middle of the night with a chill and want to reactivate your account, there’s still time. For 30 days, your store data and setup will be kept.

Remember that you can’t set up a new store with the same name and URL, so if you change your mind, it’s best to deactivate your old one. Free Shopify trial accounts will be removed immediately.

If you’re using a Shopify theme, add the following code to your functions.php file: Add this code before the closing PHP tag to hide your product prices and remove the Add to cart buttons so that customers can’t try to purchase anything while your shop is paused.

If you don’t want to show your goods while your store is paused, you may use a password to secure your online business. Customers will not be shown your products while your store is closed.

You can make your password page more personal and add a message that will be displayed when your store is closed.

After you stop your business, all of your applications remain active. If you wish to pause one or more apps, each must be canceled individually.

#2.Cancel your subscription and close your Shopify store

You can terminate your Shopify store at any time if you don’t want to run it. You won’t have access to your Shopify admin after you close your shop. If you want to sign in, you’ll have to provide your payment card information and re-activate your store.

You won’t be able to start a new online store with the same store name or myshopify domain if you close your online business.

Shopify Support is unable to cancel your store for you, so you must close it yourself. If you have any questions about how to proceed, please contact Shopify Customer Service.

Before you close your store, consider the following:

• Check to see whether you have any outstanding charges on your account. If there are no outstanding charges on your account when it closes, you will not receive a bill. For further information about billing, see Understanding Your Shopify Bill.
• Export CSV files to save your store data. You may export your billing history if you wish to keep track of your expenses.
• If you use any third-party applications that store your payment information outside of Shopify, cancel those services as soon as possible.
• If you sell gift cards, you’ll have to deal with any remaining balances. You have the option of exporting your store’s gift card CSV file, which contains all of the data you need to resolve outstanding debts.
• You can move your custom domain to another provider if you bought it through Shopify.
• You can remove a custom domain from your Shopify store if you purchased it through a third party. If you don’t remove your Shopify store’s domain before closing it, you won’t be able to use it for another website.
• If you don’t renew your custom domain before it expires, you might be charged for an additional year. Make sure to turn off auto-renewal on your registrar’s website to avoid extra costs.
• If you’re shutting down your business and transferring your domain to a new platform, keep in mind that Shopify’s HTTP Strict Transfer Security (HSTS) policy lasts for 90 days after you close your store. This policy protects the security of your company’s and customers’ data by ensuring that no one can access it.

If you move your domain to another HTTPS-compliant platform, you don’t need to do anything else.

For the next 90 days, an error message will appear in a browser when anyone attempts to visit your domain if you move it to a platform that doesn’t utilize HTTPS.

The website may show an error stating that it is untrustworthy or that the certificate is no longer valid. Wait until the 90-day period has passed, or consider changing your domain to a platform that supports HTTPS.

Steps:

1. Go to your Shopify admin and select Settings > Plan.
2. You can either cancel or pause your subscription form here.
3. Review the alternatives for stopping your subscription, or closing your business.
4. If you still wish to cancel, click Cancel subscription and close the store.
5. Then click Continue.
6. Click Close Store.

You get an email to let you know that your store is closed. You can still access your previous invoices and see information about your business, and it will be kept for two years. You can also pause your plan before reopening your store.

#3. Sell your Shopify store on Exchange Marketplace

If you no longer wish to run your Shopify store but still want to sell your company, the Exchange Marketplace may be a good option.

Listing your firm on Exchange is a simple way to sell it online, and Escrow.com has joined forces with Exchange to ensure that the payment, listing, and transfer procedures are simple and safe.

To learn more about Exchange Marketplace selling a business, see Selling a Business on Exchange Marketplace.

How to Pause Your Shopify Store

The alternative to completely shutting down your Shopify store is to put it on hold.

This is a rather drastic measure that will eliminate the checkout function of your store, but this is necessary if you want to remove all traces of your shop from the web.

Pause your store for a few months and you’ll still save more money than Shopify’s Basic Plan. You’ll be moved to Shopify’s Dormant Plan, which costs around $14 per month.

You’ll also need to uninstall and cancel any recurring monthly charges for third-party apps since these can’t be paused. Before you can push pause, you’ll need to pay any Shopify outstanding charges.

There are two methods to stop your shopify store:

#1. Pause and Build plan

The Shopify Pause and Build plan enable you to stop working on your business for a lower fee while continuing to develop it.

You may use the Shopify admin to improve your store and modify your goods, but the checkout is disabled. Customers may go to your store and look at your items, but they can’t buy them.

If your store is seasonal or only opens for a limited amount of time, the Pause and Build strategy may be best for you.

If your store has been on a paid plan for at least 60 days after the end of your free trial, you can only pick the Pause and Build plan.

#2. Pause plan

With the Pause plan, you may shut down your store for three months without paying a subscription fee. You can put your business on hold while you focus on other things.

You can’t access your Shopify admin, work on your store, or sell to clients while you’re on the Pause plan, unlike with the Stop and Build a strategy.

When your store is closed, visitors are informed that it is temporarily shut. You may keep visitor email addresses for future notifications and other communication.

You may change your plan at any moment during the three-month trial period by signing in and selecting a new option. If you do not choose a new plan within three months of closing your store, you will be moved to the Pause and Build plan with a lower subscription cost.

When you’ve finished with the upgrade, your storefront is still inaccessible to your consumers, but you may log in to your Shopify admin and work on your store to get it ready so that you can sell again.

You must be on a paid plan for at least 60 days after the end of your free trial to choose the Pause plan.

Steps to pause your shopify store

1. In your account, log in and work your way through the admin panel’s Settings > Account page to change things.
2. Click the Pause Store button in the Store Status panel at the bottom of your account page.
3. A notification will show up on the screen, informing you that your payment information has been verified. After that, click Pause Store.
4. When you’re ready to resume, go to Settings > Account > Compare Plans. Before your store’s checkout function is re-enabled, Shopify requires you to select a new plan and confirm your payment information again.

You may consider implementing password protection in your store and locking it for a while to prevent visitors from visiting.

Customers will be unable to access your items or place orders if they don’t know the password. You may provide a personal message to explain why your business is closed for a while.

You can’t use online store checkout, POS, specials, abandoned checkouts, gift cards, or third-party integrations like Facebook and Google to sell your items while your store is paused.

You may send draft invoices, but the customer won’t be able to finish the checkout procedure, and drafts can’t be converted to live orders.

Your account will be paused for a lower subscription fee while your store is open. You may restart your store at any time by selecting a new plan if you wish to resume selling items.

Your Options: Close, Or Pause Your shopify store

Shopify makes it simple to close your store and quit your account if you decide it’s time to quit selling.

If you need a little rest, you can also press pause.

If you’re wondering whether or not to close your business, consider why you want to do it and if it’s a simple (or not-so-simple) question of whether or not you can keep up. Look at ways to automate the activities that are causing you the most worry.

Pause Your Shopify Store FAQs

How do I remove my Shopify store and start over?

You will lose your store name and URL if you cancel your Shopify shop and account. If you have the same company, this may cause issues when you try again.

To close your Shopify store and cancel your account, go to Settings > Account in the admin panel. Select Store Status from the drop-down menu and then Close Store.

How do I permanently delete my Shopify account?

You will lose your store’s name and URL after you close and cancel your Shopify account.

You can restart from scratch, but you’ll lose everything forever. Go to Settings > Account > Store Status and Close the Store.

Will I be charged if I close my Shopify store?

If you owe Shopify any money, you must pay it before you can cancel your account. You will not be charged for canceling, however, you will not receive any refunds for subscriptions paid in advance.

Can I reset my Shopify store?

No, you can’t. You may suspend your business if you don’t want to shut it yet or lock it in the public so that you may work on it. To shut down your store, go to Settings > Account in your Shopify admin and change the Store Status option to Paused. You’ll be asked to confirm your payment information.

To unpause your store, go to Settings > Account > Compare Plans and select “Unpause my store.” Before you can finish your transaction, Shopify will need you to choose a new plan.

Can you pause your Shopify store?

Yes, you can. Customers will be unable to submit orders while you’re offline, but you won’t lose access to your account, store name, or URL. To put your store on hold, go to Settings > Account > Store Status > Pause Store.

What happens when you pause your Shopify store?

There are two methods to suspend your business: Pause & Build, or Pause. You may continue working on your store while orders are delayed on the first strategy. The second option allows you to take three months off from your business without losing it. Regardless, there is a time limit, so you’ll need to decide whether to unpause or shut down your store after the timer runs out.

How do I put my Shopify store under maintenance?

While you’re working on your store, adding password protection allows you to limit public access. You may also add a notification informing consumers what’s going on and when you’ll be available again. To set a password, go to Online Store > Preferences > Password. Enable a password and enter a password in the boxes provided.

Why cant I close my Shopify store?

You might be required to pay Shopify a sum of money. You won’t be able to shut your store until you’ve paid whatever you owe Shopify, so verify this first.