Shopify legacy customer accounts are deprecated. It’s time to upgrade customer accounts.

Shopify has officially announced the deprecation of legacy customer accounts (Feb 26, 2026). While this change may feel significant, it’s ultimately a step toward a more secure and feature-rich customer experience.

What this means:

1. Legacy customer accounts are no longer available for new stores
2. They will not receive future updates or technical support
3. A final sunset date will be announced later in 2026

How you can support your merchants

If you’re working with merchants still using legacy accounts, now is a great time to guide them through a smooth transition.

Here are a few helpful steps:

1. Review the official upgrade process and understand what changes to expect
2. Audit any existing customizations and plan replacements using modern tools (apps, UI extensions, native features)
3. Reassure merchants that they have a 30-day window to revert if needed after upgrading

About automatic upgrades

To make things easier, Shopify will begin rolling out automatic upgrades starting April 2026 for eligible stores.

These are typically stores with:

1. Minimal or no usage of legacy accounts
2. Little to no complex customizations

Key points to note:

1. Merchants will be notified on the day of upgrade
2. A 30-day rollback option will be available
3. Customer data, orders, and store functionality will remain unaffected

Looking ahead

For stores that aren’t eligible for automatic upgrades, Shopify is working on Sidekick-powered guidance to simplify the process.

Final thought

This transition is a great opportunity to help merchants move toward a more modern, secure, and flexible customer account experience with features like self-serve returns, store credit, and easier customization.

If you’re supporting Shopify merchants, now is the perfect time to start the conversation and plan ahead.