Thinking about cancelling your Shopify subscription? Whether you’re switching platforms, closing your business temporarily, or testing another e-commerce solution, understanding your cancellation options helps you avoid unexpected charges and preserve your store data properly.
This guide walks you through every method to cancel your Shopify plan, from pausing your subscription to permanently closing your account. You’ll learn the exact steps, understand what happens to your data, and discover which option makes the most sense for your specific situation.
Summary
- Three cancellation methods: Pause and Build plan, deactivate store, or permanently close account
- Billing cycles matter: Understand when you’re charged and how to time your cancellation
- Data preservation: Learn what information you can export before canceling
- Plan-specific rules: Different Shopify plans have different cancellation policies
- Reactivation options: Discover how to restart your store if you change your mind
Understanding Your Shopify Cancellation Options
Before you cancel your Shopify account, you need to understand the three distinct paths available. Each serves a different purpose and impacts your store differently.
- The Pause and Build plan lets you keep your store active at a reduced rate while you work on development or take a temporary break. Your store remains accessible to you but not to customers.
- Deactivating your store stops all billing immediately while preserving your data for potential reactivation. This option works best when you’re unsure about your long-term plans.
- Permanently closing your account removes everything—your store, products, customer data, and order history. Shopify deletes all information after a brief retention period, making this choice irreversible.
| Cancellation Method | Monthly Cost | Store Access | Data Retention | Best For |
| Pause and Build | $9 | Admin only | Unlimited | Temporary pause |
| Deactivation | $0 | Admin only | 2 years | Testing alternatives |
| Permanent Closure | $0 | None | 30 days | Final shutdown |
Understanding your billing cycle helps you time your cancellation strategically. Shopify doesn’t offer prorated refunds, so cancelling on day 3 of a 30-day cycle means you’ve already paid for the full month. Learn more about Shopify billing cycles and payment schedules to optimize your cancellation timing.
How to Cancel a Shopify Subscription Using Pause and Build
The Pause and Build plan offers the most flexibility when you need a break but aren’t ready to fully cancel your Shopify subscription.
Step 1: Access Your Plan Settings
Log into your Shopify admin dashboard and click Settings in the bottom left corner. Select Plan from the settings menu to view your current subscription details.
Step 2: Select Pause and Build Option
Scroll down to find the Pause and Build section. Click the Pause Plan button to begin the transition process.
Step 3: Choose Your Pause Duration
Shopify allows you to pause indefinitely or set a specific reactivation date. Select your preferred timeline based on how long you expect to be away from active selling.
Step 4: Confirm the Transition
Review the $9 monthly charge and confirm that you understand your store will be password-protected from customers. Click Confirm to complete the process.
Your store remains fully accessible through the admin panel, letting you continue working on design, product uploads, and theme customization. However, customers cannot place orders or view your storefront during this period. This makes Pause and Build ideal for businesses undergoing major renovations or seasonal operations that don’t need year-round selling capabilities.
If you’re considering platform alternatives, check out our comparison of Shopify vs BigCommerce to evaluate which solution better fits your long-term needs.
How to Cancel Your Shopify Account Through Deactivation
Deactivating provides a middle ground between pausing and permanent closure when you want to cancel your Shopify plan completely but maintain the option to return.
Access Deactivation Settings
Navigate to Settings > Plan in your Shopify admin. Scroll to the bottom of the page where you’ll find the Deactivate store option in red text.
Complete the Deactivation Survey
Shopify asks why you’re leaving to improve their service. Select your primary reason from the dropdown menu. Your honest feedback helps, but you can skip optional comment fields.
Sell or Transfer Outstanding Inventory
If you have remaining inventory, decide whether to liquidate it, transfer it to another platform, or keep it for future use. Export your product data before deactivating to maintain records.
Export Critical Data
Download your customer list, order history, and product catalog before proceeding. Go to Settings > Data to access export tools for each category. Shopify retains this information, but having your own copies provides backup security.
Finalize Deactivation
Click the Deactivate Store button and confirm your decision in the popup window. Shopify immediately stops billing, and your store becomes inaccessible to customers.
Deactivated stores remain in Shopify’s system for approximately two years. During this window, you can reactivate by logging in and selecting a new plan. This option works perfectly for entrepreneurs testing different business models or taking extended breaks due to personal circumstances.
Understanding how Shopify’s transaction fees work can help you evaluate whether another platform might reduce your operating costs when you’re ready to restart.
How to Permanently Close and Delete Your Shopify Store
Permanent closure represents the final option to cancel a Shopify subscription when you’ve definitively decided to end your relationship with the platform.
Backup Everything First
Before initiating permanent closure, export all store data including products, customers, orders, and financial records. Once Shopify deletes your account, this information cannot be recovered.
Go to Settings > Data and systematically export each data category. Store these CSV files securely on your local system or cloud storage.
Settle Outstanding Balances
Pay any remaining bills, chargebacks, or negative account balances. Shopify won’t process closure requests until your account shows zero liability.
Cancel Third-Party App Subscriptions
Review your installed apps under Settings > Apps and sales channels. Cancel subscriptions directly with each app provider, as Shopify won’t automatically terminate these when you close your store.
Navigate to Account Closure
Go to Settings > Plan and scroll to the bottom. Click Close store or Sell or close store depending on your Shopify plan level.
Complete Exit Survey and Confirm
Answer Shopify’s exit questions and type your store name exactly as shown to confirm deletion. Click the final Close Store button to submit your request.
| Timeline Stage | What Happens | Reversibility |
| Day 1-7 | Store locked, data accessible | Fully reversible |
| Day 8-30 | Data preserved, no access | Contact support |
| After 30 days | Complete deletion | Permanent |
Shopify typically processes permanent closures within 24-48 hours. Your store becomes immediately inaccessible, but Shopify retains data for roughly 30 days in case you change your mind. After this grace period, all information permanently disappears from Shopify’s servers.
For businesses transitioning to custom solutions, explore our guide on Shopify to Magento migration to understand the technical requirements of platform switches.
What Happens After You Cancel Your Shopify Plan
Understanding post-cancellation implications helps you prepare for the transition and avoid surprises.
Billing and Refunds
Shopify charges your account through the end of your current billing cycle regardless of when you cancel. No prorated refunds apply, so timing your cancellation near the cycle end minimizes wasted payment.
Automatic billing stops immediately after cancellation. Ensure you’ve also canceled any third-party apps that bill separately through their own systems.
Domain and Email Changes
Custom domains remain yours but disconnect from your Shopify store. Update DNS settings to point elsewhere or let the domain expire if you no longer need it.
Shopify-provided email forwarding stops working after cancellation. Set up forwarding through your domain registrar or migrate to a dedicated email service before closing your store.
Customer Data and GDPR Compliance
Shopify maintains deleted data for a limited time to comply with data retention regulations and support potential legal requirements. However, they eventually purge all information completely.
If customers request data removal under GDPR or similar privacy laws, Shopify handles these requests for active stores. After closure, you become solely responsible for any customer data you exported and retained.
Reactivation Process
Reactivating a paused or deactivated store takes minutes. Log into your Shopify account, select a new plan, and enter payment information. Your store data instantly becomes available again.
Permanently closed stores cannot be recovered after the 30-day window. You would need to create an entirely new Shopify account and manually rebuild everything from scratch.
Common Reasons to Cancel a Shopify Subscription
Understanding why merchants leave helps you evaluate whether cancellation truly serves your best interests or if alternative solutions might work better.
- Platform limitations frustrate merchants who outgrow Shopify’s native features. Businesses requiring complex B2B functionality, advanced inventory management, or highly customized checkout flows often migrate to enterprise platforms. Our Shopify Plus vs Magento Enterprise comparison details when upgrading makes more sense than canceling.
- Cost concerns drive cancellations when transaction fees, app subscriptions, and monthly plans accumulate faster than revenue. Merchants paying for underutilized features or struggling with cash flow often pause or cancel to reduce overhead.
- Business pivots force entrepreneurs to cancel when shifting focus entirely away from e-commerce or consolidating multiple stores into one platform.
- Temporary closures happen during personal circumstances, seasonal operations, or major business restructuring that doesn’t require active selling capabilities.
The key question: Does canceling solve your core problem, or would adjusting your current setup work better?
Alternatives to Canceling Your Shopify Account
Before you cancel my Shopify subscription, consider these options that might address your concerns without losing your established store.
Downgrade to a Lower Plan
Shopify offers multiple pricing tiers. Switching from Advanced Shopify to Basic Shopify cuts your monthly cost significantly while maintaining core functionality. Review which features you actively use and whether a cheaper plan still supports them.
Pause and Build Instead of Full Cancellation
The $9 monthly Pause and Build plan costs less than most app subscriptions while keeping your store intact. This works exceptionally well for seasonal businesses or stores undergoing major updates.
Optimize Your Current Setup
Audit your installed apps and cancel those providing minimal value. Many merchants pay for 10-15 apps but actively use only three or four. Cutting unused subscriptions can save $100-300 monthly without changing your core plan.
Review your theme and custom code for performance bottlenecks. Slow load times hurt conversion regardless of platform, so optimization might solve problems you attributed to Shopify’s infrastructure.
Migrate Specific Functions
Instead of changing platforms entirely, move problematic functions to external systems. Use a separate inventory management system, third-party checkout solution, or custom CRM while keeping Shopify as your storefront.
These hybrid approaches often cost less than full platform migration while solving specific pain points.
Key Takeaways
- Choose the right cancellation method based on whether you need a temporary pause, flexible exit, or permanent closure
- Export all critical data before deactivating or closing your store to prevent permanent loss
- Time your cancellation strategically near the billing cycle end to maximize value from your final payment
- Explore alternatives first, including plan downgrades, optimization, or Pause and Build, before full cancellation
- Understand reactivation limits, especially the 30-day window for permanently closed stores
Conclusion
Knowing how to cancel a Shopify plan gives you control over your e-commerce operations and monthly expenses. Whether you’re pausing temporarily, testing alternatives, or shutting down permanently, following the correct process protects your data and prevents unexpected charges.
The right cancellation method depends entirely on your specific situation. Temporary breaks benefit from Pause and Build, platform testing works best with deactivation, and permanent business closure requires complete account deletion.
Ready to explore enterprise e-commerce solutions beyond Shopify? Talk to our Shopify experts to discuss migration strategies, platform optimization, or custom development that scales with your business needs.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Cancel My Shopify Subscription Without Losing Data?
Use the deactivate option instead of permanent closure. Navigate to Settings > Plan > Deactivate Store to stop billing while preserving your products, customers, and order history. Export critical data before deactivating as an additional backup. Shopify retains deactivated store information for approximately two years, giving you flexibility to reactivate anytime during this period.
Can I Get a Refund When I Cancel Shopify Account?
No, Shopify doesn’t offer prorated refunds regardless of when you cancel during your billing cycle. Your subscription remains active until the end of your current paid period, then billing stops automatically. To minimize lost payment, time your cancellation as close to your renewal date as possible. Check your billing date under Settings > Plan before initiating cancellation.
What Happens to My Custom Domain After I Cancel?
Your custom domain remains yours but disconnects from your Shopify store immediately. Update DNS settings at your domain registrar to point elsewhere or let it expire if no longer needed. Shopify-managed domains require transfer to another registrar before cancellation, otherwise they revert to Shopify’s control. Email forwarding through Shopify also stops working after cancellation.
How Long Does It Take to Cancel Shopify Subscription?
Shopify processes cancellations immediately for Pause and Build or deactivation requests. Your store becomes inaccessible to customers within minutes, though you retain admin access for deactivated stores. Permanent closures take 24-48 hours to fully process, with a 30-day grace period before complete data deletion. Third-party app subscriptions require separate cancellation directly with each provider.
Can I Reactivate My Store After Cancelling?
Yes, for paused or deactivated stores. Simply log into your Shopify account, select a plan, and enter payment information to restore full access. All your data instantly becomes available again. Permanently closed stores cannot be recovered after the 30-day deletion window expires. You would need to create a new account and manually rebuild everything from scratch.
Does Canceling Shopify Affect My Payment Processor?
Shopify Payments becomes unavailable immediately upon cancellation, but accounts remain with Stripe or your payment provider. Outstanding payouts are processed normally according to your payout schedule. Chargebacks and disputes continue through your payment processor even after store closure. Settle all payment issues before final cancellation to avoid collection attempts or account holds affecting future e-commerce ventures.
What’s the Difference Between Pause and Deactivate on Shopify?
Pause and Build costs $9 monthly and keeps your store accessible for development work while hiding it from customers. Deactivation costs nothing and completely stops billing while preserving your data for potential reactivation. Choose Pause and Build when actively working on your store, or deactivate when you need a complete break without paying fees.
