How to Delete Shopify Account Permanently (2025)

Thinking about shutting down your Shopify store for good? Whether you’re pivoting to a new business, simplifying your commitments, or just ready to move on, deleting your Shopify account permanently is a serious step—and it needs to be done right.

It’s not as simple as clicking “delete.” If you skip a few important actions, you could still get billed, lose valuable data, or leave domains and apps hanging.

In this guide, I’ll walk you through 7 clear steps to delete Shopify account permanently, with practical tips, case examples, and key facts to make sure you don’t miss a thing. Let’s get into it.

Table of Contents

Before You Delete Shopify Account Permanently: Critical Things to Know

Before you jump into deleting your Shopify account, it’s important to understand what really happens when you shut things down—and what can go wrong if you don’t prepare.

1. Deleting your store means permanent data loss

Once you deactivate your Shopify store, you lose access to your admin dashboard, order history, customer data, themes, product listings—everything. Shopify doesn’t offer a way to restore your store once it’s gone. So if there’s anything you might need later (for taxes, future ventures, or record-keeping), back it up now.

2. You may still get billed if you skip a step

A common mistake? Deleting the store but forgetting to cancel third-party apps or custom subscriptions. Just because the store is gone doesn’t mean your billing stops.
Case in point: One merchant closed their store but forgot to remove a $29/month app connected via API—and was charged for three extra months before noticing.

To stop all charges, you’ll need to cancel every app, remove any active domains, and shut off auto-renew settings.

3. You’re still responsible for financial and legal compliance

Even after deleting your store, you may still need access to historical records for tax audits, chargebacks, or GDPR requests. Shopify retains some data internally to comply with laws, but you won’t have access to it after deletion. This is especially crucial if you’re in regions with strict data protection regulations.

4. You can’t reactivate the same store later

Shopify doesn’t allow you to recover a deleted store or reuse the same store name. So if there’s even a slight chance you might come back later, consider pausing your store instead (more on that later).

Absolutely! Here’s Part III: Step-by-Step Guide – How to Permanently Delete Your Shopify Account, starting with a brief lead-in and walking through each of the 7 steps. Each step is clear, lightly conversational, and includes practical insight, SEO relevance, and hard facts.

How to Delete Shopify Account Permanently?

Ready to move forward? Let’s walk through the 7 essential steps to permanently delete your Shopify store—no loose ends, no surprise bills.

Step 1: Backup Your Store Data

Before doing anything else, export everything important—especially if you might need it for taxes, customer service history, or future projects.

Here’s what to back up:

Customers list: Go to Customers > Export
Orders & sales reports: Found under Orders > Export
Product inventory: Navigate to Products > Export
Themes or code changes: Download your theme files under Online Store > Themes > Actions > Download theme file

You never know when you’ll need a record, even if the business is closing. Data recovery is not possible after deletion.

Step 2: Cancel Any Active Apps and Third-Party Subscriptions

Shopify apps aren’t automatically canceled when you close your store. Some of them can continue charging you if they’re linked to your payment method externally (via API or direct billing).

To avoid this:

Go to Apps from your admin panel
Click into each one and remove or uninstall
For external tools (like Klaviyo, Google Ads, or Zapier), log in separately and cancel those accounts too if they were connected to Shopify

Pro Tip: Double-check your billing history under Settings > Billing to make sure nothing is set to auto-renew.

Step 3: Remove Custom Domains

If you purchased a domain through Shopify, you’ll want to either:

Transfer it to another registrar, or
Remove it from your Shopify admin panel

Go to Settings > Domains, select the domain, and follow the transfer or remove instructions. If you skip this, your domain may stay locked in your account even after deletion.

If your domain was purchased through a third party (like GoDaddy), just update the DNS to disconnect it from Shopify.

Step 4: Close Any Open Orders or Refunds

It’s a best practice to handle all open orders and refunds before closing your store. Why?

Customers may still file chargebacks if they feel abandoned.
Refunds can’t be issued once the store is deactivated.

Make sure everything is either fulfilled or refunded, and that your return window is clearly communicated if you’re closing down.

Step 5: Turn Off Auto-Renewal for Shopify Billing

Even if you’re mid-billing cycle, Shopify may charge you again if your billing date rolls over before deletion is finalized.

Here’s what to do:

Head to Settings > Plan
Check your Next Billing Date
Make sure you delete the store before that date

If you have a custom domain subscription or third-party theme, be sure to disable their renewal settings as well.

Step 6: Deactivate Your Store

Now you’re ready to actually delete the account.

Here’s how:

Go to Settings > Plan
Scroll down and click Deactivate Store
Shopify will ask for a reason—pick one and continue
Enter your password to confirm

Note: Shopify may try to offer discounts or convince you to pause instead of delete. If you’re sure you want out, stick to the full deactivation process.

Step 7: Confirm Final Email and Billing Closure

After deactivation, Shopify will send a confirmation email. Keep this for your records—it’s proof that the store has been closed.

Important:

Your admin panel access will be gone immediately
Final charges (if any) may still appear—check your payment method for a few days

If you’re still being billed after deactivation, contact Shopify Support with your store ID and closure date.

Taking the time to do this thoroughly can save you hundreds in unexpected fees and ensure your brand exits the platform cleanly.

Certainly! Here’s Part IV: After Deletion – What to Expect, continuing in the same tone and format, without horizontal lines:

After Deletion: What to Expect

Once you’ve deactivated your Shopify store, the changes are immediate—but some behind-the-scenes processes are worth noting.

Your store goes offline right away. That means customers will no longer be able to access your storefront, and you’ll lose access to your Shopify admin dashboard.

Shopify may retain some data internally for legal compliance, but you won’t be able to retrieve anything after deletion. If you ever need order history or customer information down the line, you’ll be out of luck unless you exported it beforehand.

Also, while most billing stops immediately, some third-party services may issue one final charge—especially if they bill monthly and you were close to your renewal date. Keep an eye on your payment method for a few days to ensure everything is closed out cleanly.

Finally, your store name and domain (if registered through Shopify) may not be reusable once deleted. If there’s any chance you might want to come back or start over, consider pausing instead of deleting.

Final Thoughts

Closing your Shopify store might feel like the end of a chapter—and in many ways, it is. But doing it properly ensures you’re not leaving behind loose ends, unexpected costs, or lost opportunities.

To recap: back up your data, cancel every app and subscription, handle your domains, and take care of any billing or customer-related tasks before officially deactivating the store. These small but critical steps can save you time, money, and frustration later.

And remember, permanently deleting your Shopify account isn’t your only option. If you’re unsure about your next move, pausing or selling your store might be worth considering.