You’ve spent the past year customizing your Shopify store. Maybe you added extra code snippets, made styling tweaks, installed tracking codes, or had custom work done. Now there’s a theme update available, and you’re worried about losing all that work.
You should be worried. Theme updates can and often do wipe out custom code, and most advice online won’t actually help you if you’re not a developer.
Here’s the uncomfortable truth: if you’re a non-technical store owner with custom code in your theme files, there’s really only one reliable way to update safely, and it’s not what most guides will tell you.
Why most advice doesn’t work
Most articles about theme updates assume your customizations are simple theme settings like colors and fonts that you selected in the Shopify theme editor. These basic settings usually transfer fine during updates.
But if you have custom code snippets, tracking codes added to theme files, or styling tweaks made directly in CSS files, that’s a completely different situation. These modifications live in your theme’s code files, and theme updates often replace those files entirely.
The problem gets worse when you realize that as a non-technical store owner, you probably don’t even know where all your customizations are located or how to recreate them.
The reality about your options
Let’s be honest about what actually works and what doesn’t.
Automatic updates: These are the safest option, but you probably don’t qualify. Shopify can only automatically update themes if all the core theme files haven’t been modified. If you have custom code in your theme files, which you likely do based on your description, Shopify will tell you the theme needs to be manually updated instead.
Theme duplication and manual transfer: This is the most common advice online, but it doesn’t work for your situation. You can duplicate your theme and transfer your theme settings, but you can’t manually recreate custom code if you don’t know how to code. You also might not even know where all your customizations are located in the theme files.
DIY migration: Forget about it. If you’re not comfortable with code, you can’t safely move custom snippets, tracking codes, and styling tweaks from one theme version to another. You’ll likely break something or lose important functionality.
What actually works: hire a professional
For non-technical store owners with custom code work, hiring a Shopify expert is not just the best option – it’s realistically the only reliable option.
This isn’t what you want to hear because it costs money, but consider the alternative: losing a year of custom work, breaking your store’s functionality, or spending days trying to figure out what went wrong.
A Shopify expert can identify all your customizations, safely transfer them to the updated theme, and test everything to make sure it works properly. They know where to find custom code in theme files and how to properly migrate it without breaking anything.
How to prepare if you hire help
Before contacting a Shopify expert, document everything about your current store:
- Take screenshots of every page of your website, especially any unique functionality or styling that might be custom work.
- List all the apps you’re using and note any specific features or customizations within those apps.
- Download a backup of your current theme by going to Online Store > Themes > Actions > Download.
- Write down any custom functionality you remember adding or having added, even if you don’t understand the technical details.
- Make a list of any tracking codes you know about, like Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, or other marketing tools.
- This documentation helps the expert understand what needs to be preserved and ensures nothing gets overlooked.
Your other option: don’t update
Theme updates aren’t mandatory. If your current theme is working well and you’re not missing critical features from the update, you can choose to stay with your current version.
You can continue using your current theme as long as it meets your needs. The main risks are that older themes might eventually stop receiving security updates or become incompatible with new Shopify features, but this usually happens over years, not months.
The bottom line
Most guides about theme updates aren’t written for store owners in your situation. They assume either that you’re technical enough to handle code migrations yourself, or that your customizations are simple enough to recreate manually.
If you have custom code snippets, styling tweaks, and tracking codes added to your theme files, and you’re not a developer, then hiring a Shopify expert isn’t just the best option – it’s the only realistic option that won’t risk your customizations.
The alternative methods you’ll find in other guides simply don’t work for non-technical users with custom code. They’ll tell you to duplicate your theme and manually transfer everything, but you can’t manually transfer what you can’t identify or recreate.
Don’t feel bad about needing professional help. Theme updates with custom code are technical tasks that require technical skills. The money you spend on an expert will save you from potentially losing much more in custom work and broken functionality.
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