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Pausing your store

If you want to take a pause from selling on Shopify temporarily, but continue working on your store, then you can use the Pause and Build plan.

After you switch to the Pause and Build plan, your checkout is deactivated across all sales channels, such as the Point of Sale channel.

On this page

Considerations for pausing your store

Review the following considerations before pausing your store:

  • The Pause and Build plan isn't available to stores and organizations on the Shopify Plus plan.
  • Your store must meet the following requirements to select the Pause and Build plan:
    • You must be the store owner.
    • Your store needs to be past the free trial period.
    • Your store needs to be on a paid plan.
  • Consider uninstalling any third-party apps that have recurring charges so that you're not billed for those apps after you pause your store.
  • When you decide to unpause, you'll need to select a new plan as your old plan is no longer valid.
  • For more information, refer to Understanding billing implications before pausing or deactivating your Shopify store.
  • If you're considering the Pause and Build plan due to payment difficulties, then refer to options if you can't pay your bill on the due date.
  • After you switch to the Pause and Build plan, the following features are deactivated:
    • Your checkout is deactivated across all sales channels, such as the Point of Sale channel.
      • You can send draft order invoices, but the order can't be completed through the checkout or your Shopify admin.
      • If you haven't already upgraded your Thank you and Order status pages, then they're automatically upgraded to the new versions. Learn more about upgrading and replacing your Thank you and Order status pages.
    • You can't use online store checkout, POS, discounts, abandoned checkout recovery, gift cards, or third-party integrations such as Facebook and Google to publish your products.

Pause your store and continue to work on it

When you use the Pause and Build plan, your store continues to run at a reduced cost. You can access your Shopify admin and edit your products when you need to, but your checkout is deactivated. This means that customers can view your products, but they can't make purchases through any sales channels.

The Pause and Build plan might be the right choice for you if, for example, your store is seasonal, or if it's only open for a specific period of time.

On the Pause and Build plan, you can perform the following actions:

  • Access your Shopify admin.
  • Access basic reports about your site's performance.
  • View your online storefront.

Steps:

Desktop
  1. Log in to your store as the store owner.
  2. From your Shopify admin, go to Settings > Plan.
  3. Click Cancel plan.
  4. Enter your password when prompted.
  5. Click Cancel plan again to view all available options.
  6. Select the Pause and build plan.
  7. Carefully review the plan details, and then click Switch to Pause and build.
Mobile
  1. Log in to the Shopify app as the store owner.
  2. Tap … or ⋮, and then tap Settings.
  3. Tap Plan.
  4. Tap Cancel plan.
  5. Enter your password when prompted.
  6. Tap Cancel plan again to view all available options.
  7. Select Pause and build.
  8. Tap Switch to Pause and build.

Your store will be paused and running at a reduced subscription fee. If you want to start selling products again, then you can reopen your store at any time by choosing a new plan.

Work on your store on the Pause and Build plan

On the Pause and Build plan, customers can still review your products, but they can't buy them. To improve your customer experience, you can customize your theme's product page template to hide some of your product information so that customers don't try to buy anything when your store is paused.

If you don't want to display your products when your store is paused, then you can use a password to protect your online store. This way, customers can't access your products when your store is paused. You can customize your password page and write a message that is displayed to your customers when your store is paused.

All your apps remain active after you pause your store. If you want to pause your apps, then you need to cancel them individually.

Reopen your store after you pause and build

Selecting the Pause and Build plan means that when you decide to unpause, you'll need to select a new plan as your old plan is no longer valid. When you're ready to reopen your store, log in, and then select a new plan that's best suited for you.

Steps:

  1. Log in to your store as the store owner.
  2. From your Shopify admin, go to Settings > Plan.
  3. Click Pick a plan, and then click Choose plan for the plan that you want.
  4. Carefully review the plan details, and then click Start plan.

After you select a plan, you can start selling again.

If you set up a password for your store when it was paused, then you can remove your online store password.

Troubleshooting the Pause and Build plan

Troubleshoot Pause and Build plan change scheduled for a future date

When you switch to the Pause and Build plan, the change is scheduled to take effect at the end of your current billing cycle. The Shopify admin might display a future effective date, and your store continues to operate normally (including accepting orders) until that date.

To stop customers from placing orders before the Pause and Build plan takes effect, use password protection on your online store. Password protection prevents customers from accessing your storefront or completing orders. After the plan change takes effect, you can remove the password.

Troubleshoot Pause and Build option not displaying

If the Pause and Build plan option isn't displayed when you click Cancel plan, then check the following requirements:

  • Confirm that you're logged in as the store owner
  • Verify that your free trial has ended and that your store is on a paid plan
  • Confirm that your store isn't on the Shopify Plus plan, which isn't eligible for Pause and Build

If your store meets all requirements but the option still isn't displayed, then contact Shopify Support.

Troubleshoot app charges after pausing your store

If you were charged for an app subscription after pausing your store, then the app's billing cycle might have renewed before you uninstalled it. All apps remain active when you pause your store. If you want to stop app charges, then uninstall your apps before or immediately after pausing. Learn more about billing considerations when pausing or deactivating your store.

Before you contact Shopify Support about the Pause and Build plan

Before reaching out to Shopify Support about the Pause and Build plan, gather the following information to help resolve your issue faster:

  • Your store URL and the email address associated with your account
  • The date you switched to the Pause and Build plan and whether the change has taken effect
  • Any error messages that are displayed when attempting to pause or reopen your store
  • Whether you have any outstanding invoices or unpaid bills
  • The name of any apps you're still being charged for after pausing
  • Steps you've already tried from the troubleshooting section on this page

Having this information ready helps Shopify Support assist you more efficiently.