Managing your domain in Shopify

This page was printed on Oct 21, 2020. For the current version, visit https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/online-store/os/domains/managing-domains?utm_source=community&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=internationaldomains&utm_content=en.

You manage all your domain settings on the Domains page in your Shopify admin.

Set your primary domain

In Shopify, a primary domain is the domain name that customers see in the address bar while they browse your online store. You can use your root domain or a subdomain as your primary domain, but you can have only one primary domain.

By default, your primary domain, known as your .myshopify.com URL, looks like your-store-name.myshopify.com. Your .myshopify.com URL is used to log into your store and identify your account when you contact support.

When you sign up for Shopify, you choose a .myshopify.com URL. Before you select your .myshopify.com URL, verify that you have spelled it correctly. You can't change your .myshopify.com URL, but you can buy a custom domain name through Shopify or from any third-party domain registrar, which you can then make your primary domain.

You assign your primary domain from the Domains page of your Shopify admin.

Before setting a primary domain, make sure that you:

Steps:

  1. From your Shopify admin, go to Online Store > Domains.
  1. From the Shopify app, tap Store.
  2. In the Sales channels section, tap Online Store.
  3. Tap Domains.
  1. From the Shopify app, tap Store.
  2. In the Sales channels section, tap Online Store.
  3. Tap Domains.

  1. In the Primary domain section, click the Change primary domain.

  2. Select the domain that you want to set as your primary domain.

  3. Click Save.

The primary domain that you set appears on your storefront.

Remove a third-party domain

  1. From your Shopify admin, go to Online Store > Domains.
  2. In the Third-party domains section, select the domain that you want to remove.
  3. Depending on which plan your account is on, do either of the following:
    1. If your account is on the Basic Shopify plan, then click Remove.
    2. If your account is on the Shopify Plan or higher, then click Manage > Remove.
  4. Click Remove to confirm that you want to remove and disconnect this domain.

If you decide to use that domain name for your Shopify store again, then you can add it in your Shopify admin.

If you plan to close your store and move your domain to a new platform, then be aware that Shopify's HTTP Strict Transfer Security (HSTS) will remain in effect on your domain for 90 days after you close your store to help ensure the safety of your and your customers' information.

Remove a Shopify-managed domain

If you no longer want a Shopify-managed domain associated with your Shopify store, then you need to contact support to have it removed. After you remove or disconnect a Shopify-managed domain, you can't manage its settings using the Shopify admin.

Your .myshopify.com URL is not included as a Shopify-managed domain. These URLs can't be removed or changed.

Redirecting a domain

If your account is on the Shopify plan or higher and you have multiple custom domains for your store, then those domains should either redirect to your primary domain or be used to target a dedicated country or region using international domains. If you don't redirect your domain, then search engines might index your site as duplicate content, which can affect your discoverability and SEO.

If your account is on the Basic Shopify plan, then you can't use international domains but you should still verify that all custom domains associated with your store redirect to the primary domain.

Redirect a domain for the Shopify plan or higher

  1. From your Shopify admin, go to Online store > Domains.
  2. Click Manage next to the domain that you want to redirect.
  3. Select Redirect to Primary domain.

Redirect a domain for the Basic Shopify plan

  1. From your Shopify admin, go to Online store > Domains.
  2. In the Primary domain section, click Enable redirections.
  3. Click Enable redirections again.

Ready to start selling with Shopify?

Try it free