How to cancel Shopify
Pause or deactivate your Shopify store to stop the monthly fee. Below: the gotcha to know first (email is the universal one), what to back up before pulling the plug, and the exact six clicks to get it done.
Read this first
If you're actively selling, Shopify also holds your orders, customers, inventory, and (for many users) Shop Pay. Before deactivating, decide whether you actually want to leave commerce, or just want a better front page on WhatIMade pointing at your existing Shopify store. Both are valid — make sure it's the choice you intend.
If you have email like you@yourdomain.com through this provider, cancelling will switch it off. Set up replacement email first — Google Workspace ($6/user/mo), Fastmail ($3/user/mo), or Zoho Mail (free for one user) all work with your domain.
Shopify offers a 'Pause and Build' plan at $9/mo that keeps your store data and admin access. If you might come back, pausing is safer than deactivating (which deletes everything 30 days after cancellation).
Before you cancel
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Export your orders
Admin → Orders → Export. Choose "All orders" and "Plain CSV" so you have your sales history forever.
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Export your customer list
Admin → Customers → Export. Same idea — your customer emails and order history end up as a CSV you keep.
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Export your products
Admin → Products → Export. Useful if you ever want to set up Square, WooCommerce, or any other commerce platform later.
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Confirm your last Shopify Payments payout has landed
Shopify holds payouts for a few days. Make sure the last one has hit your bank before deactivating, or you'll have to file a support ticket to retrieve it.
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Check where your domain is registered
Your domain (the name like yourbakery.com) may be registered with this provider or with a separate registrar. If it's here, decide whether to transfer it out to a cheaper registrar (Porkbun, Cloudflare Registrar) or leave it where it is — both options work with your new site.
Cancellation walkthrough
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Sign in to your Shopify admin
accounts.shopify.com/store-login, then pick your store.
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Go to Settings → Plan
Settings is in the bottom-left. Then click "Plan" in the settings sidebar.
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Choose "Deactivate store" (or "Pause and build")
Pause keeps your data and admin access for $9/mo; Deactivate is a full stop and data deletes after 30 days.
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Enter your password
Shopify confirms the cancellation by asking for your password.
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Pick a reason (or skip)
They'll ask why. You can skip.
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Done
You get an email confirming. Your store goes offline immediately; the data is recoverable for 30 days if you change your mind, then permanently deleted.
About refunds: Shopify does not refund unused months. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current cycle. Annual plans are not refunded.
About your domain
Shopify domains can be transferred out at any time. Settings → Domains → click the domain → Transfer to another registrar. You'll get the auth code by email; the transfer to Porkbun or Cloudflare takes 5–7 days.