Theme architecture versions

Caution

Vintage themes aren't available in the Theme Store. These themes don't have the features included in Shopify's Online Store 2.0 themes, and Shopify free Vintage themes don't receive updates beyond security fixes.

In July 2021, Shopify released a new theme architecture called Online Store 2.0. Themes that use the previous architecture are called vintage themes. Vintage themes aren't available in the Theme Store and are updated for only security fixes. Vintage themes have two types: sectioned and non-sectioned. Your theme architecture version determines the file types that make up your theme, the ways that you can customize your theme, and the ways that apps can integrate with your theme. Your theme architecture version might also give you access to new Shopify features.

Shopify offers several free Online Store 2.0 themes, each designed with a different look and feel. Learn more about OS2.0 themes, or browse the theme store to find themes that are compatible with Online Store 2.0.

Your theme architecture version also determines your access to new Shopify features, which are released only on Online Store 2.0 themes.

Online Store 2.0 features vs. vintage theme features

Compare theme features

Feature	Vintage	OS 2.0
Sections on the home page Customize the content on your online store's home page. Add, rearrange, or remove sections to create your page layout.	✓	✓
Sections on every page Customize the content on most of your online store's pages. Add, rearrange, or remove sections and blocks to create unique page layouts.	-	✓
Enhanced app support Install or change apps without touching any code. Add app functionality anywhere in your theme using app blocks.	-	✓
Richer content using dynamic sources Add dynamic, specialized information to any setting in your theme by connecting the setting to a dynamic source. A dynamic source can be a resource attribute or a metafield value.	-	✓
Collection filtering Allow customers to filter collections in your store by availability, price, and more.	-	✓

Note

The availability of specific features depends on which theme you use. While all OS 2.0 themes can make use of the new features, the feature must be included in your theme to use it.

Grow your business

Browse the Online Store 2.0 app collection to find apps that integrate seamlessly with your online store. You can add app functionality anywhere in your theme by using app blocks and app embeds.

Determine your theme architecture version

You might want to know which theme architecture version your theme is using in the following cases:

• you're trying to determine whether an app or app feature is compatible with your theme
• you want to use one of the features only available to Online Store 2.0 themes
• you want to know whether a certain customization tutorial applies to your theme

The theme architecture version is specific to each theme in your theme library. You might have both Online Store 2.0 themes and vintage themes in your theme library at the same time.

Steps:

Desktop

1. From your Shopify admin, go to Online Store > Themes.
2. Find the theme that you want to edit, and then click Customize.
3. Select Products > Default product. This opens the default product template.
4. Look in the sidebar, below the product template sections. If you have an Online Store 2.0 theme, then an Add section button appears below the section list.
5. If no Add section button appears, then you might have a vintage sectioned theme or a vintage non-sectioned theme. Follow the steps in Determine your vintage theme architecture version to learn which vintage architecture version your theme is using.

Note

In limited cases, some parts of your theme might support Online Store 2.0 features while others don't. For example, your Product page might support adding and removing sections, and your Collection page might not. This is because Online Store 2.0 features require JSON templates to function. You might not have JSON templates for all pages if you only partially migrated your theme to Online Store 2.0, or if you got your theme outside of the Shopify Theme Store and the theme developer didn't include JSON templates for all pages.

Determine your vintage theme architecture version

After you know you're using a vintage theme, you should also learn whether you're using a sectioned or a non-sectioned theme. This helps you understand which customizations are available for your theme, and which set of steps to follow within any theme customization tutorials.

A way to check in the theme editor is to check if you can drag and drop to arrange the layout of your home page. If you can drag and drop elements, then you have a sectioned theme.

To make sure which version you are using, check the Sections folder within your theme code.

Steps:

Desktop

1. From your Shopify admin, go to Online Store > Themes.
2. Find the theme you want to edit, click the … button to open the actions menu, and then click Edit code.
3. Check the folder structure in the sidebar:
   • If there are files in the Sections directory, then you're using a sectioned theme.
   • If there aren't any files in the Sections directory, then you're using a non-sectioned theme.

Theme versions

All themes have a version number, which can be seen in your Theme Library. To learn about the differences of theme versions, review the release notes of a theme update.