To cancel your Shopify subscription, go to Settings, then Plan, and choose Cancel plan. Review any pending charges and domain renewals, pick a cancellation reason, and confirm with your password. Billing stops at the end of the current cycle, there are no partial refunds under Shopify's policy, and your store data stays recoverable for two years if you return.
That is the whole mechanical answer. The money mistakes happen around it, so here is the five-minute checklist that prevents them.
Before you hit cancel
Time it to the cycle: with no partial refunds, cancelling the day after renewal donates a month. Export your orders, customers, and products as CSV while the admin is open, a local copy removes every deadline. Third-party app subscriptions billed outside Shopify keep charging until you cancel them at their source; Shopify apps uninstall automatically. And if you own a domain through Shopify, decide now whether to transfer it out or let it lapse, because renewal fees can still fire before closure. Only the store owner can cancel, and Shopify Plus stores go through support. The official flow is documented on Shopify's deactivation page.
Cancel, pause, or fix: the honest fork
Cancelling fits a business that is done. Pausing fits a seasonal one: Shopify's Pause and Build plan keeps the admin alive at a reduced fee while the storefront stops selling, and reactivation is instant. The third case is the one worth a hard look before either button: a store being cancelled because it never sold. Traffic without orders is usually a store problem, not a business problem, slow pages, weak product pages, a checkout that leaks trust, and those are fixable for less than the revenue they cost. Our guide to deleting a store entirely covers the permanent route and the two-year data window, and our Shopify development roundup lists who can diagnose a fixable one.
Pause or deactivate a Shopify store: what each option changes
The Settings, then Plan screen offers more than one exit, and the words matter. To pause or deactivate a Shopify store means choosing between two different states, and Shopify's help center page on deactivating and reactivating a store spells out both. Deactivation is the full cancellation: billing stops when the current cycle ends, the storefront goes offline, every app is uninstalled automatically with any outstanding app usage charges billed at cancellation, and the store's data is guaranteed for two years. Your myshopify.com address stays tied to that store, so a fresh store later gets a new one. The Pause and Build plan is the halfway house: a reduced monthly fee keeps the admin open for editing while the checkout stops taking orders, and you pick a new plan when you resume. Reactivation inside the two-year window restores the store without rebuilding it. A data deletion request is the one irreversible step; after it, nothing comes back.
| Option | What happens |
|---|---|
| Pause and Build | Reduced monthly fee; admin stays open, checkout closed; choose a new plan to resume |
| Deactivate (Cancel plan) | Billing ends with the cycle; storefront offline; apps uninstalled; data kept 2 years |
| Reactivate | Log in within 2 years, choose a plan, and the store returns without a rebuild |
| Delete data | Permanent; the store cannot be reactivated afterwards |
Two details trip people up. Deactivating requires completing two-step authentication at login, so sort out an old authenticator before you start. And the no-refund rule is written into Shopify's terms of service, so neither option refunds the current cycle; the only lever you control is timing. If the doubt is about the platform rather than this store, our guide to whether Shopify works in India settles the plan, gateway, and cash on delivery questions before you decide.
Frequently asked questions
How do I cancel my Shopify subscription?
Settings, then Plan, then Cancel plan. Review pending charges and domains, choose a reason, and confirm with your password. The cancellation takes effect at the end of your billing cycle with no partial refund, apps uninstall automatically, and externally billed tools must be cancelled separately at their source.
Does cancelling Shopify delete my store?
No. Cancelling stops billing and takes the storefront offline, but Shopify retains your store data for two years, so reactivating with a new plan restores everything. Permanent deletion is a separate request, and after it, recovery is impossible. Export your data as CSV before cancelling regardless; local copies cost nothing.
Can I pause Shopify instead of cancelling?
Yes. The Pause and Build plan keeps your admin and data live at a reduced monthly fee while the storefront stops accepting orders, which suits seasonal businesses and long breaks better than cancellation. You can build, edit, and prepare during the pause, then reactivate the full plan whenever selling resumes.
How do I cancel Shopify?
Log in as the store owner, open Settings, then Plan, and click Cancel plan (Cancel trial if you are still on the free trial). Review the pending charges and domain notices, choose a reason, and confirm with your password. Billing stops at the end of the current cycle, apps uninstall automatically, and the store data stays recoverable for two years.
What is the difference between pausing and deactivating a Shopify store?
Pausing puts the store on the Pause and Build plan: a reduced monthly fee, the admin open for editing, and the checkout closed until you pick a new plan. Deactivating cancels the plan entirely: billing stops at the end of the cycle, the storefront goes offline, and apps are uninstalled, with the data held for two years in case you reactivate.
Cancelling Because It Never Sold?
Send the URL before you close the tab for good. One call and we will tell you if it is fixable, and what fixing it would honestly cost.
