How to Pause a Shopify Store

Key takeaways

Compared to brick-and-mortar shops, e-commerce stores are always open. But there may be times when, as an entrepreneur or small business owner, you want to take a vacation or need to replenish your inventory. In that case, you can pause your Shopify store.

• Pausing your Shopify store is a plan available for $9 per month [1].

• You can access the plan by logging in to the Shopify app as the store owner and navigating to Settings > Plan > Deactivate store > Pause and build.

• It's also a good idea to uninstall any third-party apps, if possible, to prevent charges while your Shopify store remains paused.

Discover the steps you need to take to pause your Shopify store. Afterward, if you’re ready to learn how to boost customer engagement in e-commerce, enroll in the Google Digital Marketing & E-commerce Professional Certificate. You’ll have the opportunity to learn how to attract customers through digital marketing channels like search and email. 

How to pause a Shopify store 

Shopify’s “Pause and Build” plan costs $9 per month [1]. Once activated, you can temporarily stop selling products without deactivating your Shopify account. Here's a quick summary of the steps you'll take to pause your Shopify store:

1. Log in. 

2. Go to Settings > Plan.

3. Go to Deactivate store > Pause and build. 

4. Review plan details. 

Let's take a closer look at each step: 

1. Log in to your store. 

Before you can pause your store, you'll want to make sure you're logged in as the store owner. You can do this through your internet browser or through the Shopify app. Just make sure you're not logged in as a staff member or organization user. 

2. Go to your settings. 

Once you're logged in, go to your administration panel and click on Settings. Under the Settings menu, click on Plan. 

3. Click on deactivate store.

Once you're under the Plan menu, click on Deactivate store. Under that menu, you will see a button that says Pause and build. Click on it. 

4. Review the details. 

Make sure you read all of the details before committing. Once you are ready to pause your Shopify store, choose Switch to Pause and build. 

Learn more: How to Close a Shopify Store

How to reactivate your Shopify store

When you're ready to unpause your Shopify store, make sure you're logged in as the owner, and go to the administration panel. Click on Settings > Plan > Pick a plan > Choose plan. After considering the plan you want, click Start plan.

Why pause your Shopify store?

Deciding to pause your store is a strategic move that preserves your SEO rankings and site data while temporarily halting transactions. Unlike closing a store entirely, pausing keeps your storefront active while preventing customers from reaching a checkout page you aren't ready to manage.

Some common reasons for pausing a Shopify store include:

• Seasonal fluctuations: If your business revolves around a specific holiday or season, pausing allows you to reduce overhead costs during the off-season while keeping your site ready for a quick relaunch.

• Inventory rebalancing: Rapid growth can sometimes outpace supply. Pausing gives you room to restock inventory or clear a backlog of existing orders without the pressure of new sales coming in.

• Brand evolution: Whether you are executing a full rebrand, updating your theme, or preparing a major product drop, pausing ensures customers don't see an unfinished version of your site.

• Personal sabbaticals: Life happens. Whether you are taking a well-deserved vacation or need to step away for personal reasons, pausing ensures your store remains an asset you can return to instantly.

Other things to consider when pausing your Shopify store

There are a few things you should keep in mind when pausing your Shopify store:

• You can't pause Shopify Plus stores. 

• You can only pause your store if you're on a paid plan. 

• Make sure you uninstall any third-party apps if possible; otherwise, they may continue billing you during your pause.

• Pausing your store may affect advances on your Shopify Capital if you have it.

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