I haven’t been able to load my theme editor for the past few hours. It was acting very slow and will not load at all now. My internet is fine. The admin page loads in a quick manner, but when I click on the customize button it never finishes loading the theme editor.
Topic summary
Users are experiencing issues with Shopify’s theme editor failing to load when clicking the customize button. The admin page loads normally, but the theme editor either loads extremely slowly or not at all.
Initial Troubleshooting Steps:
- Clear browser cache and use supported browsers
- Try Chrome Incognito mode or different devices
- Reset internet connection
- Test with other themes (like Debut) to isolate the issue
Identified Causes & Solutions:
- Shopify outage: A brief platform-wide interruption occurred on June 18, 2021, which was quickly resolved
- Third-party themes: Issues specific to certain themes (like Lorenza, WareHouse, Pipeline 2.0) may require contacting theme developers directly
- Custom code conflicts: Removing custom blocks from schema without first deleting them in the customizer causes loading failures. Solution: restore the code, remove blocks via editor, then delete code
- settings_data.json errors: Corrupted JSON files can prevent loading; editing and validating this file may resolve issues
- Browser extensions/antivirus: Disabling browser extensions or antivirus software has resolved the problem for some users
- Browser-specific: Some report it works in Microsoft Edge but not Chrome
Current Status:
The issue remains ongoing for multiple users across different years (2021-2023+), suggesting various root causes rather than a single platform-wide problem. Testing with default themes helps determine if the issue is theme-specific or system-wide.
Hi, @Forever-Curls !
This is Rae from Shopify. I’m happy to help out with this!
Which browser are you using currently? I recommend ensuring it’s one of our supported browsers, and then clearing the cache before trying to access the theme editor again.
If that doesn’t help resolve things though, please also give these steps a try when opening up your theme editor:
- Using another device - like a mobile device, or another computer.
- Using a Chrome Incognito window.
- Resetting your internet connection, or using a different internet connection altogether.
Can you also please confirm which theme you’re using? Does this same issue happen when you try to customize other themes in your admin? To test this out, just follow these steps:
- Log in to your Shopify admin
- Click on ‘Online store > Themes’
- Scroll down to ‘Theme library’ and click ‘Customize’ beside one of your themes listed here.
If you don’t have any other themes in your theme library, you can download a free theme to test this on. To try this out, head back into the ‘Online store > Themes’ section of your admin, click on ‘Explore free themes’, click on ‘Debut’, and then click ‘Add to theme library’. Once Debut has downloaded to your theme library, you can follow the steps above to try to open the theme editor on this theme.
Please keep me posted on how this all goes. I look forward to hearing back from you with an update!
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Hello, I am having the same issue. I have tried all of the solutions previously posted. It wont load on any of my themes, Ive tried chrome and safari, cleared the cache and also tried on the mobile app.
Thanks,
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same thing over here. must be a problem on the shopify side
I’m also having the exact same issue and again tried all of the above methods to get it to work and on safari & chrome across 3 devices…! Really hoping this is a momentary glitch as I don’t want to lose all my work.
i just refreshed again and its working now
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yeah same here!
Hi, everyone!
I appreciate you all joining this thread to discuss the troubles you were experiencing.
We did have a brief interruption on June 18, 2021 that impacted the theme editor, and how it loaded on Shopify’s end. However, this was quickly resolved, and you should all now be able to access the theme editor correctly.
If anyone is still running into issues with this though, please let me know and I’ll be happy to continue helping out.
Thanks,
Rae, I am having the same issue. the theme editor page is not loading.
Hi, @zacharytipton !
Thanks for letting me know.
Did you have a chance to try out some of the troubleshooting steps I previously shared in this thread? You can find these here:
- Using another device - like a mobile device, or another computer.> - Using a Chrome Incognito window.> - Resetting your internet connection, or using a different internet connection altogether.
Equally, does this same issue happen on all of the themes within your theme library, or just with one particular theme? You can follow these steps to test this out:
- Log in to your Shopify admin> 1. Click on ‘Online store > Themes’> 1. Scroll down to ‘Theme library’ and click ‘Customize’ beside one of your themes listed here.> > If you don’t have any other themes in your theme library, you can download a free theme to test this on. To try this out, head back into the ‘Online store > Themes’ section of your admin, click on ‘Explore free themes’, click on ‘Debut’, and then click ‘Add to theme library’. Once Debut has downloaded to your theme library, you can follow the steps above to try to open the theme editor on this theme.
Let me know if these steps help resolve things for you!
thanks for getting back to me
It happens only on the published theme (lorenza)
I can load debut.
Hi, @zacharytipton !
I appreciate these extra details.
Since this issue is only happening with the Lorenza theme, it’s possible that this problem may be tied to the theme specifically.
Lorenza is a third-party theme developed by Fluorescent Design Inc., so I recommend reaching out to them directly to confirm why this may be happening. You can contact these developers by viewing Lorenza in the Shopify Theme Store using this link, and then clicking ‘Support’ on the right hand side of the page.
Please keep me posted on how this goes!
Rae,
I have tried another device
I have used a different internet connection
I have used debut theme (works)
I have used incognito.
I still can not edit the lorenza theme.
this is what I get:
Please help me fix this.
Zack
Hi, @zacharytipton !
Thank you for trying out those troubleshooting steps.
Since the theme editor is loading correctly on Debut, and this issue is only occurring on the Lorenza theme, the best way to get this looked into further is to speak with your theme developers directly.
Did you have a chance to contact the Lorenza theme developers by following the steps I shared in my previous reply (linked here)? If not, please go ahead and follow those steps, as these developers are the best people to assist further with this.
Best,
Mine has been doing this for over a week now. I am in the middle of Rebranding my store and I can’t even edit my store theme because it won’t load the theme page. I’ve tried deleting the cache and all but it’s still not working. I can’t even load any of the themes.
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Hi, @LouLouNRooOwner !
Thanks for joining this thread and letting me know. I’m sorry you’re experiencing this issue during your re-brand, and I understand the importance of getting this resolved as soon as possible.
To confirm, is it the theme editor specifically that’s not loading? Or, are you unable to load the ‘Online store > Themes’ page in your Shopify admin?
Can you also please let me know the name of the theme you’re using?
I’m happy to help further once I have these details!
Facing same issue from yesterday, My site is live but theme editor is not working. I have verified entire code and there is no issue with that.
I am facing the same problem. I am using defaulted theme of Shopify and I cannot edit although my Internet is fine, my Chrome is up to date and I have cleared cache. Please support me with this issue, thank you!
I am having the same issue as well. Cannot get the Theme Editor to load. Have tried using incognito window and same result.
hi @Rae , I’m having the same issue. Last night and today.
Theme editor isn’t loading. Cleared cache. Multiple browsers and devices.
Won’t load from Shopify app so it must be Shopify.
Using Pipeline 2.0 theme. But nothing under the “Sales channels → Online store”. Will work. The menu will load, but all links give this error message:
Thanks,
Dustin
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