After you select a theme for your store, you can customize it to build brand identity. While many
customizations like editing colors and fonts can be done through the Shopify theme editor,
you might find yourself looking for extra customizations.
Subscribe now to learn about the support options available to you, when customizing your theme.
Hey everyone, I’m Aly. When you’re customizing your theme,
the type of support available to you, depends on the theme you have.
There are two types of themes: free themes which are supported by Shopify
and third party themes which you pay for and are created by other companies.
Today, I’ll show you how to find support for each type of theme.
But first, how do you know if you have a Shopify theme or a third party theme?
Start in the Shopify admin and click Online store,
then click Customize on the theme you want to edit.
On the new page, click Theme Actions. Here you can see the theme’s name, the version number,
and the designer’s name. In this example, the AlyAthletics store is using a free Shopify theme
named Supply - the help article for Supply is listed here as well.
If you’re not using a Shopify theme, then you see the name of the third
party theme designer with any links to their documentation and support.
If you’re using a free Shopify theme and you need some assistance using the features
in the theme editor, then Shopify’s support team might be able to guide
you. You can also find help articles about the theme editor listed below.
But, if you want to customize your theme beyond what the theme editor is capable of,
then you should consider the following options.
First, if you’re using a free Shopify theme, then you might be eligible
for complimentary Shopify design support. If you're on the Shopify Basic plan or higher,
then you can receive up to 60 minutes of design support for Shopify supported tutorials.
To see if your store qualifies for design time, or to make a design request,
contact us directly at help.shopify.com/questions.
If you’re a more advanced Shopify user, and you’re comfortable editing the code of your online store,
then you can find theme customization tutorials at shopify.dev/tutorials. When you’re on the page,
scroll down to the theme section. Here you see a list of more custom tutorials so you
can make changes that are outside of the theme editor’s capabilities.
I’m going to open the tutorial Hide sold out variants.
Here you see a note telling you that Shopify might be able help you with these customizations,
if you’re eligible for design time.
Some tutorials are not supported by Shopify, which means that Shopify can’t support or assist
you with the customizations. When a tutorial is not supported, you see a caution note,
like in this example. This means that the tutorial does not qualify for design time,
and Shopify is not able to support any changes you make.
To see a list of unsupported changes that are commonly requested, read the Design Policy
linked below. The list includes examples of customizations that Shopify cannot assist with.
You can also learn more about basic and advanced theme customizations by
visiting community.Shopify.com. Community has many helpful links and forums to learn
from other Shopify merchants, just like yourself.
Next, if you don’t have access to design time and you’re not comfortable editing code,
you might want to consider hiring a Shopify Expert.
Experts are trusted, third party agencies and freelancers who can
help you modify your store to suit your needs. The costs of hiring an expert
varies. So visit experts.shopify.com and look for Store Setup Experts.
You can browse through a variety of services,
including Theme Customization. Look through the available providers and contact them for a quote.
Now, if your theme was not made by Shopify, then it was made by a third party theme developer.
You can find your theme’s support contact information using the theme editor shown earlier.
You can also visit themes.shopify.com, search for your theme name in the search bar, and open it.
Here you can find the theme developer’s support contact details and available documentation.
It’s important to note that, generally, third party theme developers are not
able to help with customizations. If your theme developer can’t help you,
consider hiring a Shopify Expert to edit and build out your theme to serve your business best.
And no matter what theme you’re using or customization you’re planning,
it's best practice to duplicate your theme before making any changes.
Duplicating your theme acts as a backup in case you ever need to start over again.
Now you know where to find support for your theme. Don’t forget to subscribe to keep up with
the latest tutorials from the Shopify Help Center. And for more information, visit help.shopify.com.