How to Cancel Your Shopify Free Trial: 5 Simple Steps (2025 Guide)

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Tony Pham Jul 04 2024

Deciding to cancel your Shopify free trial is not the end of a promising project, but rather a smart strategic move if the platform doesn’t fully align with your current vision and business model. In this article, join Nextsky as we dive into a detailed guide on how to cancel your Shopify free trial to help you make the most of your experience.

What is the Shopify free trial?

The Shopify free trial lets you explore the leading e-commerce platform at no cost for a limited time. Currently, Shopify offers a 3-day free trial plus a special deal of $1/month for the first three months across all plans. Sometimes, sellers need to cancel their trial for various reasons. Understanding these reasons will help you determine if cancellation is truly the right decision.

What is Shopify Free Trial?

Customization limits: Shopify restricts backend code access, which can challenge developers needing extensive modifications.
Transaction fees: Users not using Shopify Payments face fees (0.6–2% per transaction), impacting profits.
Short trial period: A 3-day trial may feel too brief to fully test the platform.
Business fit: Shopify may not meet specific needs, like multi-account dropshipping or complex inventory management.
Cost concerns: Post-trial pricing ($39–$399/month) may exceed budgets for small businesses.

How to cancel your Shopify free trial in 5 simple steps

Canceling your Shopify free trial is a quick, user-friendly process. Follow these steps to deactivate your store hassle-free.

Step 1: Log into your Shopify account

Visit Shopify’s website, click Log In (top right corner), and enter your credentials (email/password) or use a linked Google, Facebook, or Apple account.

Step 2: Navigate to plan settings

In your Shopify admin dashboard, go to Settings → Plan to view your current plan details, trial status, and payment information.

Step 2: Navigate to plan settings

Step 3: Start the deactivation process

To begin cancellation, go to Plan → Deactivate trial. If you’re considering a paid plan, you can select Choose a plan to continue using Shopify instead.

Start the deactivation process

Step 4: Confirm cancellation

When the deactivation window appears, select Cancel subscription → Deactivate. Choose the most relevant reason from the menu (or select “Other”) and click Continue.

Step 5: Finalize deactivation

To complete the cancellation and end your trial, enter your password to confirm. After clicking Deactivate now, Shopify will send a confirmation email.

Step 5: How to cancel your Shopify free trial

Key things to know before canceling your Shopify free trial

Before deactivating your Shopify store, take these critical steps to ensure a smooth process and protect your data.

Back up your data: Shopify retains data for only two years post-cancellation. Export product, customer, and order data as CSV files via Settings → Export to stay in control. For large datasets, use Matrixify to bypass the 15MB limit.
Remove payment information: Go to Settings → Payments and delete all saved credit cards or bank accounts to avoid unexpected charges.
Cancel third-party apps: In Apps, review and remove recurring paid apps. Tools like email marketing or analytics won’t be auto-refunded, potentially causing unnecessary costs.
Transfer custom domains: If you purchased a domain through Shopify, transfer it to a registrar like GoDaddy before canceling to avoid lockout and ensure uninterrupted use.
Download theme backups: Go to Online Store → Themes → Actions → Download theme file to save a ZIP file of your theme, preserving all brand customizations for reuse on other platforms.
Settle outstanding obligations: Check and resolve pending payments, refunds, or unfulfilled orders. Shopify processes these post-cancellation, so settling beforehand maintains your reputation.

=>> You might be interested in: How to Cancel, Pause, or Delete a Shopify Store

Tips to maximize your Shopify free trial

Extend the trial if possible: Three days may feel too short to fully evaluate Shopify. Contact support to request an extension and access the $1/month deal for the first three months on any plan.
Test core features: During the trial, add products, organize inventory with collections, set up payments, and test the full checkout process. If you have a physical store, try Shopify POS to ensure seamless online-offline integration.
Explore the app store: Shopify’s thousands of apps support SEO, marketing, and operations. Experiment to find solutions, but remove unnecessary apps before canceling to avoid charges.
Assess long-term needs: Choose a plan aligned with your business goals. The Basic plan ($39/month) suits small businesses, while Advanced ($399/month) offers deep customization and advanced features.
Plan for migration: If switching platforms, use professional migration services to preserve critical data. Manual migrations risk errors that could disrupt your business.

What to Do After Cancelling Your Shopify Free Trial

Canceling your Shopify free trial is simple, but it’s worth exploring all features before deciding. If you’ve been asking can you cancel Shopify after free trial, rest assured the steps above will guide you through. Need more help with Shopify or eCommerce? Explore our other guides to boost your business today!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is Shopify Free Trial?

Shopify offers a free trial that allows you to explore its platform before committing to a paid plan. The trial typically lasts for 3 days, although Shopify sometimes runs promotions offering $1 for the first month (previously $1 for three months).

Important Note: During the free trial, your store will remain password-protected unless you upgrade to a paid plan.

This gives you the chance to test the platform’s features and decide if it’s the right fit for your business.

Can you cancel the Shopify free trial?

Yes, you can cancel your Shopify free trial. If you decide that Shopify isn't the right platform for your needs, you can cancel your trial before it ends to avoid being charged for a paid plan. After all, that is the purpose of the trial.

Is Shopify free for 3 months?

Since 2022, Shopify launched the special pricing plan, which is a 3-day free trial plus 90 days extended for $1. But in 2024, they replaced this offer with a 3-day free trial plus 30 days extended for $1.

Will Shopify charge me if I deactivate my account?

Deactivating your Shopify store does not cancel your Shopify plan.You will still be charged for your Shopify plan until you cancel it. This is an important thing to remember. If you're on a free trial and don't want to be charged when it ends.

What Happens After Your Shopify Free Trial Expires?

When you cancel, your store goes into deactivation, which means:

You lose access to your Shopify admin panel and all functionality.
Your storefront becomes inaccessible to customers.
Shopify keeps your store data for 30 days, allowing you to reactivate it by choosing a paid plan.
After 30 days, your data is kept for 2 years, but will be permanently deleted after that unless you request deletion sooner.

What to Do After Cancelling Your Shopify Free Trial

Deactivating is different from deleting in that it's like putting your store into hibernation for up to two years.

Consider pausing instead of canceling: If you're not sure about canceling completely, pausing your store will reduce your fees while preserving your data and settings until you're ready to return.
Restore your account: If you change your mind within 2 years, you can restore your account by upgrading to a paid plan, keeping all your data and settings intact.
Unpaid fees: Before canceling, pay any outstanding bills or fees from your trial to avoid charges after cancellation.
Check your confirmation Email: After canceling, look for an email from Shopify confirming the process is complete.
Explore alternatives: If Shopify isn't for you, try platforms like WooCommerce, BigCommerce, or Magento for more features.

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Tony Pham

Hello! I'm Tony Pham, a full-stack Shopify, Magento, and WordPress developer with over 12 years of experience in both front-end and back-end development.

Since 2016, I have been proudly working at Nextsky as the Tech Lead, where I continue to enhance my skills and contribute to exciting projects. One of my proudest works is the Agile theme, which passed Shopify's high standard and is currently available on Shopify Theme Store.

I am passionate about researching new technologies and staying updated with the latest trends in the industry. It not only makes my life more fulfilling and exciting but also allows me to bring better service to clients.