Shopify themes

How to delete your current theme on Shopify: a step-by-step guide

Do you need to know how to delete your current theme on Shopify because the current one just isn’t doing it? Or do you just want to organize your Shopify dashboard for a cleaner look? Whatever it may be, Shopify themes are not all created equal.

Posted 9 months ago by Jonathan Kennedy

It’s trial and error, trying to find the perfect existing theme that will fit your store’s unique needs. From checkout to branding, a seamless user experience is the best way to retain shoppers. And let’s be honest – first impressions do matter. Shoppers are overwhelmingly in favor of stores they like the look of.

Whatever your reasons, sooner or later you might want to delete your Shopify theme. In this article, we’ll give you a step-by-step so that you can do so without any confusion or hassle.

How to delete a theme on Shopify

Step 1: Log in

First, go to your browser and log in to your Shopify account.

Once you have logged in, you’ll find yourself on the Shopify dashboard where all your usual Shopify merchant activity happens.

To the left of the dashboard will be a sidebar menu.
Toward the middle will be a Sales Channels section.
Under the Sales Channels will be an Online Stores section.
Below this section will be the Themes section, which you will need to select.

This will bring up a new part of the dashboard with theme information to the right.

If you want to keep your Shopify theme but are deleting it because of a technical issue, first try and reset your Shopify theme or update your Shopify theme. This can resolve issues by changing your theme back to the default setting. See if the above options resolve any of the current issues.

If the issues are not resolved, carry on with the deletion.

Step 2: Unpublish your current Shopify theme

The Shopify theme you want to delete cannot be currently published. This theme is still actively running on your store and cannot be removed. You will first need to change your Shopify theme to a different one before removing it.

Only once the Shopify theme has been unpublished can you remove the theme. If you don’t already have another theme to change to, pay attention to the next step.

Step 3: Choose a new theme

If you don’t already have another theme to move to, download a Shopify theme to publish to your store. If you don’t want to commit to a paid theme, there are free themes available as well.

After this, in your themes library, you should be seeing your published theme to the right of the dashboard.

Scroll down from here to the themes library until the option to upload a Shopify theme is available. To the right of this option will be a list of all your downloaded but currently unpublished themes. Each will have an Action and Customize dropdown option for every theme.

Step 4: Remove theme

Scroll down and go to the theme you want to delete and click on the Action option.

This will lower a dropdown menu with different options including publishing your theme, renaming your theme, and downloading the Shopify theme file as and exporting the theme file as a backup.

On the dropdown menu, the last option on the dropdown menu will be Remove. Click on the Remove option and a small popup will appear.

Make sure the theme you are deleting is the right one. Unless you made a copy of Shopify theme settings for a backup, all the data associated with that theme will be lost and cannot be restored. While you can re-download that specific theme, it will have its default settings, and you will have lost any customization.

If you are sure about deleting your theme and still want to continue to remove the Shopify theme, confirm Remove on the prompt.

If you have changed your mind and no longer want to remove the Shopify theme, don’t stress. Simply click on the Cancel option on the prompt and you will be back at your themes library with everything still intact.

All done! You have removed your theme and now know how to delete a Shopify theme. With our three simple steps, removing a Shopify theme is a breeze.

Conclusion

In three simple steps, you can remove a Shopify theme. Log in, access the themes library, publish a different theme, and remove the theme with the Action dropdown menu. No muss, no fuss.

Whether you have decided to clean out your theme inventory to open up space or just want to keep your dashboard organized, deleting a Shopify theme is easy.
And If you find yourself with a theme you like that is lacking in design or needs specific tweaks and custom functions, hire a developer or designer. This way you can save yourself a lot of time and effort looking for a theme that fits perfectly, and instead, build on an existing theme you like.

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Jonathan Kennedy

Jonathan is the founder at HeyCarson. He loves building communities, working on digital products and helping others reach new heights in their businesses and careers.

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