Cancelling a Shopify account removes your store from the internet and stops billing, but the process depends on whether you have unpaid charges or active orders
To cancel a Shopify account, you log into your admin panel, go to Settings > Plan and permissions, and select the option to cancel your subscription. Shopify will ask you why you're leaving and may offer a discount to stay. If you proceed, your store goes offline when ready, but your account data remains in Shopify's system for 90 days. After that, the data is deleted. You are responsible for downloading any information you need — customer records, order history, product details — before you cancel, because Shopify does not send this to you automatically.
The timing matters. If you have unpaid invoices, Shopify will not let you cancel until you settle them. If you have active orders in progress, cancelling your store will prevent customers from completing purchases, so you should wait until orders are fulfilled or contact those customers first. Shopify charges through the end of your current billing cycle, so if you cancel mid-month, you still pay for the full month.
Key Takeaways
- Cancellation happens in your admin panel under Settings > Plan and permissions, and your store goes offline when ready once you confirm.
- You must read your own data — customer information, order history, product listings — before cancelling, because Shopify deletes it after 90 days.
- Unpaid invoices will block cancellation, and you pay through the end of your current billing cycle regardless of when you cancel.
- Active orders should be completed or customers notified before you cancel, because a cancelled store cannot process new purchases.
What data you need to save before cancelling
Shopify stores hold three categories of information that you may need later: customer data (names, email addresses, phone numbers, purchase history), order records (what was sold, when, to whom, shipping addresses), and product information (descriptions, images, pricing, inventory counts). You can export all of this from your admin panel, but you have to do it yourself.
To export customer data, go to Customers in your admin, select all customers, and use the export function to read a CSV file. For orders, go to Orders, select the orders you want, and export them the same way. For products, go to Products, select all, and export. These files read to your computer as spreadsheets that you can open in Excel or Google Sheets. If you have a large store with thousands of customers or orders, the export may take a few minutes to process, and Shopify will email you a read link when it's ready.
If you use Shopify apps that store data outside of Shopify — like email marketing tools, accounting software, or inventory management systems — those apps keep their own copies of your information. You do not need to export from Shopify to keep that data, but you should check each app to confirm what information it holds and whether you need to read anything before you disconnect it.
How to actually cancel your subscription
Log into your Shopify admin panel and click Settings in the bottom left corner. Select Plan and permissions. On the Plan section, you will see your current plan name and billing information. Click the button that says "Cancel subscription" or "Change plan" — the exact wording varies by account type. Shopify will show you a page asking why you want to cancel and may offer you a discount or a pause option instead of full cancellation.
If you want to cancel anyway, select the reason that best matches your situation (you can choose from options like "I'm closing my business," "I'm switching to another platform," or "Other"), then click the button to proceed. Shopify will ask you to confirm that you understand your store will go offline and your subscription will end. Once you confirm, the cancellation is when ready. Your store disappears from the internet right away, and customers who try to visit your domain will see an error or a blank page.
You will receive a confirmation email from Shopify with the cancellation date and your final invoice. If you were on a monthly plan, you pay through the end of that month. If you were on an annual plan, you do not receive a refund for unused time — Shopify's terms do not include prorated refunds for early cancellation.
What happens to your domain name after cancellation
If you registered your domain through Shopify, cancelling your store does not automatically cancel your domain registration. Your domain will continue to renew each year, and Shopify will continue to charge you for it. You can see your domain in Settings > Domains. If you want to keep the domain but use it elsewhere, you can point it to a different host. If you want to stop paying for it, you need to cancel the domain registration separately from cancelling your store.
To cancel a Shopify-registered domain, go to Settings > Domains, find the domain you want to cancel, and select the option to cancel the registration. Shopify will charge you a cancellation fee (the amount varies by domain extension, like .com or .net), and the domain will stop renewing after your current registration period ends. If you registered your domain elsewhere before connecting it to Shopify, cancelling your store does not affect that registration — you manage it through the original registrar.
Handling unpaid invoices and billing holds
If your Shopify account has unpaid invoices, you cannot cancel your subscription until you pay them. Shopify will show you the unpaid amount in your Settings > Billing section. You can pay by credit card, debit card, or bank account transfer, depending on your location and payment method on file. Once payment clears, you can proceed with cancellation.
If your account is on a billing hold — usually because a payment failed — you need to update your payment method and let the failed payment process before you can cancel. Go to Settings > Billing, update your payment information, and Shopify will attempt to charge the card again. Once that charge succeeds, the hold lifts and you can cancel.
What to do with active orders before you cancel
If you have orders that have not yet shipped, you should complete them before cancelling your store. Once your store is offline, customers cannot track their orders through your Shopify store, and you cannot process refunds or issue store credit through Shopify. You can still fulfill orders manually — print the order details, pack and ship the items, and email the customer a tracking number — but you lose the automated tools Shopify provides.
If you have orders that are still in progress and you want to cancel your store anyway, contact those customers directly with their order status and let them know your store is closing. Provide them with a timeline for when their order will ship and how they can track it. If a customer requests a refund, you can process it through your payment processor or bank, but you will not have Shopify's refund interface to do it.
Reactivating your account if you change your mind
If you cancel your store and then change your mind within 90 days, you can reactivate it. Log into your Shopify account (your login still works even though your store is offline), go to Settings > Plan and permissions, and select the option to reactivate. Your store will come back online with all of your products, customers, and orders intact. You will start paying your subscription fee again from the date you reactivate.
After 90 days, your account data is permanently deleted and cannot be recovered. If you want to restart a store after that point, you would need to rebuild it from scratch — re-add your products, recreate your customer list, and reconfigure your settings. This is why downloading your data before you cancel is important, even if you think you might come back.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I get a refund when I cancel my Shopify account?
No. Shopify does not issue refunds for unused time on monthly or annual plans. If you cancel mid-month, you still pay for the full month. If you cancel an annual plan early, you do not receive a refund for the remaining months. You pay through the end of your current billing cycle and then the subscription ends.
What happens to my customer data after I cancel?
Shopify keeps your customer data for 90 days after cancellation. After that, it is permanently deleted. You must read your customer information, order history, and product details before you cancel if you want to keep them. Shopify does not send this data to you automatically.
Can I cancel my Shopify account if I have unpaid invoices?
No. You must pay any unpaid invoices before you can cancel. Go to Settings > Billing, pay the outstanding amount, and then proceed with cancellation. If a payment failed and your account is on hold, update your payment method and let the charge process first.
Will my domain name disappear if I cancel my store?
If you registered your domain through Shopify, it will not disappear, but it will continue to renew and you will continue to be charged for it. You must cancel the domain registration separately in Settings > Domains if you want to stop paying. If you registered your domain elsewhere, cancelling your store does not affect it.
Can I reactivate my store after I cancel it?
Yes, but only within 90 days. After 90 days, your data is permanently deleted. To reactivate, log into your account, go to Settings > Plan and permissions, and select reactivate. Your store will come back online with all of your previous information intact, and you will resume paying your subscription fee.