If I Shut Down My Store and Move the Domain, Can I Get My Store Back Later?

[alexgori]

Hi - and thanks in advance for your help with this!

I'd like to change my store's status from "paused" to "shut down", but am concerned about losing all the work I put into it - including the design, content, receipts, and sale items.

Does Shopify back up user stores for any length of time - or is there a way I can download a full backup in case I decide later to restore my account? I also plan to move the domain name, at least temporarily, to a new landing page on different hosting.

Thanks again!

- Alex

[Sophia]

Hi, @alexgori!

When you close a store, you should see a message stating that "The shop information will be stored for 2 years." I recommend exporting any data you may need as backup. You can export products, inventory, customer lists, orders, gift card codes, discount codes, financial data, and your store's theme:

• Using CSV files to back up store information
• Downloading themes

May I ask why you're wanting to close the store?

[alexgori]

Thank you, Sophia!

For the near term, I will not be using the store because I've decided to stick with selling products at my brick-and-mortar locations. However, I am hoping to have the opportunity to re-activate my Shopify store later on without having to recreate everything.

I will follow the directions that you have provided and will let you know if I have any further questions.

Thanks again!

Alex

[alexgori]

So, just to clarify, if I shut down the store, I have up to two years to reactivate it - without losing my site design, content, or data? Sorry if the question seems redundant, and thank you very much for your help!

[Sophia]

That's correct—your data will be stored for two years after closing the store.

One more thing to consider is where your recovery codes will be sent if you have two-step authentication enabled for account security. Sometimes we see store owners come back to reactivate their store, but they no longer have the email address or mobile device that the recovery codes are being sent to. We can help with this, but it takes time and could delay you getting back into your store. You might wish to deactivate two-step authentication before closing if you'll be away from the online store for an extended period. If you don't have two-step authentication enabled, make sure you have a strong password and have a record of it somewhere safe so you can login again when you're ready.

I hope everything goes well with the brick-and-mortar locations!

[alexgori]

Thanks again, Sophia! That's great to know.

[Sophia]

No problem! Happy to help.