Over time I have uninstalled apps. I have found with in my coding they have left aa great deal of code that is now not used. Is there an app that can remove this code? I’m not sure how or which files to remove it from.
Thank you in advance.
Topic summary
Topic: Removing leftover code from uninstalled Shopify apps that may slow page speed.
Current guidance and status:
- There is no app that automatically removes residual app code. The primary recommendation is to contact each app’s developer to locate and remove their injected code.
Options discussed:
- Install a fresh copy of the theme or update to a newer version if not heavily customized.
- Roll back individual theme files to a date before the app was installed (may undo later customizations in the same file).
- Hire a Shopify Expert via the Experts Marketplace for cleanup.
- Manually audit theme files for app-related code, especially: sections, templates, snippets, and theme.liquid (the main layout file for all pages).
Merchant constraints and impact:
- The store is too far along to start from scratch, and extensive changes make rolling back impractical. A site audit reports page-speed impact from unused code.
Outcome:
- No automated solution identified; the path forward is manual cleanup, developer assistance, or hiring an expert. Discussion remains open.
Hey @Tiger2017 ,
Great question!
Unfortunately, there is no app that does the work of clearing out residual code. The best way to go about finding and removing any lingering code from a third-party app is to reach out to the app developer directly. They’ll be able to locate it for you and remove it. Do you remember which apps you had installed at one time?
Otherwise, I have three other suggestions for you to remedy this:
The first option is to download a fresh version of your theme and re-customize it. This option would be viable if you aren’t too far along in your store setup yet. Or, if your theme is an older version, and you’d like to update your theme, which would often fix any bug issues and contain new features. Which theme are you using?
If you would prefer to not start fresh, then the second suggestion I have for you will help if you remember the approximate date when you installed the app. If you do, you can roll back your theme code in the file you’ve located it in, to before that time. This would apply the file as it was before installing the app, which means it would not contain any of the app coding. The steps to do this are found in the Help Doc Rollback to an older version of your theme. Of course, the one thing to consider with doing this is if you’ve made other customizations to the same theme file after installing the app; rolling back the code would remove those additional customizations as well.
The third option is to hire a Shopify Expert to assist with this. You can find an Expert in the Experts Marketplace, and you can contact them to discuss what you need to do and the pricing of the job before moving forward with it. More info about this option can be found in the Help Doc Hiring help.
I hope this helps. Let me know what you decide to do!
1 Like
Hi Moira,
Thanks for taking the time for your detailed reply.
I am too far along to start again, and I have made too many changes to restore to an earlier point. I have done as shopify suggest, as to try different apps, so I have probably unistalled about 6 of them since. I removed the gempages code, they were easy, but a site audit says thay my page speed is slowed down by unused coding. That’s ok, I just thought there would be an app, or an easier method than combing through the coding looking for culprits.
Thanks again.
I agree, an app would be much more efficient! It’s best to look at your theme’s files and folders. Pay close attention to sections such as sections, templates, snippets, and the main theme.liquid file. Look for any files or code related to the uninstalled apps.