Status as of October 5, 2026: legacy customer accounts have been deprecated since February 26, 2026. Shopify hasn't announced the final sunset date yet. It has said the date will be announced later in 2026. We check the Shopify changelog and developer forum regularly and will update this guide when the date is published. The date will also appear on our Shopify deprecation tracker.
If your store still signs customers in with an email and password, it's on legacy customer accounts. They still work today, but they no longer get new features or support. The upgrade itself takes one click. Rebuilding what you customized takes planning, so this guide covers what changes, what won't carry over, and how to upgrade without surprises.
What Shopify has announced
- February 26, 2026: legacy customer accounts were deprecated. They're no longer available to new stores, or to existing stores that weren't using them. Shopify stopped feature updates and technical support for them.
- Later in 2026: a final sunset date will be announced. Shopify's customer accounts team has said the legacy Liquid templates will eventually be locked from editing and then removed.
- July 30, 2026: new themes and theme updates submitted to the Shopify Theme Store must include the
shopify-accountcomponent in the header, and themes no longer need the legacy customer account template files.
Watch out: a theme change can upgrade you automatically
Shopify's changelog says that a store on legacy customer accounts that switches to a theme without the legacy template files is automatically upgraded to the new customer accounts. Because Theme Store themes no longer have to include those files, a routine theme change or redesign can trigger the upgrade. Audit your account customizations before you change themes, not after.
What changes for your customers
- No passwords. Customers sign in with a one-time six-digit code sent to their email, so there are no password resets.
- No separate registration. Anyone can sign in straight away. A new email address creates a new customer in your admin.
- More sign-in options: Sign in with Shop, and Google or Facebook sign-in.
- More self-service: saved payment methods, self-serve returns, store credit, a Buy again button, and editing their own name and email.
- B2B and Markets support, which legacy accounts don't have.
- Separate from your theme. Account pages use your checkout branding, so theme updates don't break them.
What won't carry over
| Legacy setup | What happens after the upgrade |
|---|---|
Liquid changes in the customers/* templates | They don't transfer. Rebuild what you need with apps or customer account extensions. |
| A custom sign-in or registration form, for example in a modal | Legacy URLs such as /account/login redirect automatically, but custom forms elsewhere in the theme may need removing |
| Multipass | Not supported. Connect your own identity provider instead, which is Shopify Plus only. |
| Workflows or automations triggered by legacy accounts | Not supported and can't be migrated |
Customer segments using customer_account_status | Won't work as expected. That filter is legacy-only. |
| Different domains per market | Customer accounts use one domain across all markets |
| Custom code on the sign-in page | Not possible. You can set the logo, colors, fonts and a brand image in the checkout and accounts editor. |
How to upgrade, step by step
This follows Shopify's upgrade guide:
- Audit your customizations. In the theme editor, open the Legacy customer accounts templates: account, activate account, addresses, login, order, register and reset password. Check the
templates/customersfolder in the code editor as well. List what you still need. - Duplicate your checkout and accounts configuration under Settings > Checkout, so you can work on a copy.
- Replace each customization with an app block. Check whether your existing apps already support customer accounts, or filter the App Store by "Works with: Customer accounts".
- Check your brand settings. Checkout and customer accounts share them.
- Connect a subdomain such as
account.yourstore.com, instead of the default shopify.com address. - Check your sender email. Sign-in codes are sent from it.
- Publish the configuration. Your store still links to legacy accounts at this point.
- Test the new accounts using the URL under Settings > Customer accounts, with every sign-in option you offer.
- Upgrade from the banner under Settings > Customer accounts.
You can revert within 30 days if something goes wrong.
If you have custom development
- Theme: add the account component to the header, visible on mobile and desktop:
{% if shop.customer_accounts_enabled %}
<shopify-account menu="customer-account-main-menu"></shopify-account>
{% endif %}
- Apps: anything that relies on the legacy Liquid account pages won't work on the new accounts. Rebuild it as a customer account UI extension on the Order index, Order status or Profile pages, or as a full-page extension for things like wishlists or rewards.
- Headless storefronts: Shopify recommends the Customer Account API for customer data and signed-in actions. If you use the Storefront API's customer-scoped mutations, it recommends switching as soon as possible.
- Tracking on account pages: with the new customer accounts, custom pixels can track
page_viewedon customer account pages once you connect a custom subdomain. Our Thank you page tracking guide covers the pixel sandbox and its limits. - Single sign-on: Multipass doesn't work with the new accounts. On Shopify Plus you can connect your own OpenID Connect identity provider, and use Shopify's single sign-on flow so customers signed in on your site aren't asked to sign in again.
Checklist before you click Upgrade
- Every legacy customization listed, with a replacement or a decision to drop it
- Apps checked for customer account support
- Flow workflows and customer segments that depend on legacy accounts reviewed
- Multipass or custom sign-in replaced
- Subdomain and sender email set up
- New accounts tested with a real customer email
- Theme header uses the
shopify-accountcomponent - No theme switch planned before this is done
Need legacy account customizations rebuilt as apps or extensions? Tell us what your account pages do today and we'll scope the move. For the same kind of change on the checkout, read what you can customize in Shopify checkout in 2026. For theme, app and integration work beyond the accounts, see our Shopify development services.
Sources
- Shopify changelog: Legacy customer accounts are deprecated
- Shopify developer forum: Legacy customer accounts availability update
- Shopify changelog: shopify-account component is a Theme Store requirement
- Shopify Help Center: Upgrading from legacy customer accounts
- Shopify Help Center: Customer accounts vs legacy customer accounts
- Shopify: Account component
- Shopify: Building apps for customer accounts
- Shopify: Customer authentication
