How theme updates work in Shopify, what gets preserved, and how to adopt new features added in updates.

How Shopify handles theme updates

Theme updates are managed entirely through your Shopify admin. The theme developer publishes a new version and you decide when to apply it.

When an update is available for a theme you purchased through the Shopify Theme Store, a banner appears in Online Store > Themes with an Add latest version option. Shopify adds the new version to your theme library as a new entry. Your current published theme is not modified or replaced automatically.

This means you can:

  • Test the new version before publishing it.
  • Roll back at any time by republishing your previous version.
  • Keep your current theme running in production while you migrate.

What gets preserved when you update

When you click Add latest version, Shopify creates a new theme based on the latest code, and attempts to carry over compatible settings and content. Specifically, Shopify preserves:

  • Theme settings (config/settings_data.json): all your color schemes, typography choices, spacing, social links, and any other settings you configured in Customize > Theme settings.
  • Section content and settings: every section you added to a page (including its blocks, content, and settings) is preserved in JSON templates.
  • Translations added through the Translate and Adapt app or other Shopify-native translation tools.
  • App embeds and app blocks: Shopify attempts to preserve app block placements when the section and block types still exist.

Shopify does NOT preserve:

  • Direct code edits you made in the previous version (changes to .liquid files, custom CSS, custom JavaScript).
  • Custom sections or snippets you added that do not exist in the new version.

What you should do before updating

  1. Duplicate your current theme before adding the new version. From Online Store > Themes, click the three-dot menu on your current theme and select Duplicate. This gives you a guaranteed rollback point.
  2. Document any code customizations. If you or a developer modified theme files directly (custom CSS, custom Liquid, modified sections), make a list. Those changes will not transfer.
  3. Check for app dependencies. Make a note of which apps you have embedded or which app blocks you have placed, so you can restore them if needed.
  4. Note your active color scheme and key settings. While these are preserved automatically, having a reference saves time if anything looks off after the update.

Update workflow

  1. From Online Store > Themes, locate your theme and click Add latest version.
  2. Wait for Shopify to copy the new version into your library. The new version appears in the Theme library as a separate entry, not as the published theme.
  3. Open the new version in Customize to verify everything looks correct:
    • Check the home page sections in order.
    • Open a product page, a collection page, the cart, the search page, and the article page.
    • Check the header, footer, and mobile navigation.
    • Confirm color schemes look as expected.
    • Test any app blocks you have placed.
  4. Once satisfied, click Publish on the new version. Your previous version remains in the library.

Adopting new sections and features

Theme updates may introduce new sections, new section settings, or new theme settings. These additions are not added to your existing pages automatically. To use them:

  • New sections: open Customize, navigate to the relevant template, click Add section, and select the new section from the list.
  • New section settings: open the section in Customize and look for the new setting in the right sidebar. Default values are applied automatically; you only need to change them if the default does not match your brand.
  • New theme settings: open Customize > Theme settings and look for the new option in the relevant category.

If a release adds new presets, they appear when you click Add section. Existing instances of a section keep their current settings; presets only apply when you add a new instance.

When sections or settings are removed

If a release removes a section, sections of that type already on your pages may stop rendering or be flagged as missing in the editor. You can either delete the obsolete section or replace it with a similar one from the new version.

If a release removes a setting, the value you had configured is silently ignored. The section continues to function with its remaining settings.

Editing locked theme files

The theme is configured to allow direct file editing in the code editor. Be aware that:

  • Direct edits do not survive future theme updates.
  • Custom CSS and JavaScript are best added through the dedicated Custom CSS and Custom JavaScript theme settings (when available) or through app blocks, neither of which are wiped on update.
  • If you must edit Liquid files directly, keep a separate record of your changes so you can reapply them after each update.

Things to know

  • Updates are opt-in. Shopify will not auto-apply theme updates. You decide when to update.
  • Your published theme keeps running during the update process. The new version sits in your theme library until you publish it. Customers see the current published theme throughout.
  • Settings preservation works at the field level. If a setting still exists in the new version with the same ID, your value is preserved. If the ID changes, the value is lost. Theme developers try to preserve setting IDs across versions to avoid this.
  • Test in the customizer, not on the live site. The customizer renders the new theme version without affecting customers. Use it to verify everything before publishing.
  • Translations are preserved through Shopify, not the theme. If you use the Translate and Adapt app or another Shopify-native translation tool, your translations stay attached to your shop, not to the specific theme version.
  • Custom code does not transfer. If you customized Liquid, CSS, or JS files directly, those changes do not move into the new version. Plan to reapply customizations after updating, or keep them in a separate documented location.
  • Roll back by republishing. If you discover an issue after publishing the new version, click Publish on your previous version (or your duplicated backup) to revert immediately. No data is lost.
  • Updates are tied to the theme purchase. Theme Store updates appear as Add latest version for themes you purchased through the Shopify Theme Store. If your theme was installed through a different method, update behavior may differ.