Does closing Shopify store delete it?

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Quick Answer

No, closing a Shopify store does not immediately delete it. When you close your Shopify store, it is deactivated but the data is retained for at least 30 days. After this grace period, Shopify will permanently delete the store data if it is not reactivated. So closing a store puts it in a deactivated state – it can be reactivated within 30 days to restore the store with all its data intact. Permanent deletion only happens if no action is taken during the grace period after closing the store.

Does closing a Shopify store delete everything?

No, closing a Shopify store does not instantly and permanently delete all the store data. Here is what happens when you close your Shopify store:

The store is deactivated and no longer accepts orders or allows you to edit products/settings.

For the first 15 days after closing, the store remains in a soft-deleted state. It can be instantly reactivated with no data loss.
For another 15 days (days 16-30 after closing), the store is hard-deleted but the data is still recoverable if you contact Shopify support.
After 30 days, the closed store and all its data are permanently deleted by Shopify if no action was taken to reactivate it.

So in summary, closing a Shopify store puts it in a deactivated state for at least 30 days before permanent deletion happens. Within those 30 days, the store can be instantly recovered along with all its data and settings.

Why doesn’t Shopify immediately delete closed stores?

Shopify does not immediately delete stores when they are closed for a few important reasons:

Grace period: Shopify provides a grace period before permanent deletion so that store owners can reactivate their store if they change their mind or closed it accidentally.

Avoid data loss: Immediate deletion could cause irrevocable data and revenue loss for store owners who may intend to reopen their store soon.
Legal obligations: Shopify needs to retain closed store data to meet certain legal and accounting regulations.
Recoverable state: Within 30 days, a closed store can be easily recovered along with all its information and settings.

The 30-day soft-delete period gives Shopify owners adequate time to restore their deactivated store and ensures they do not lose their store permanently due to an accidental or rushed store closure.

What can you do with a closed Shopify store?

Although a closed Shopify store is deactivated, it remains recoverable for a period of 30 days. During this time, store owners have the following options:

Reactivate the store: The store can be instantly reactivated from the Shopify admin, restoring full functionality along with all store data and settings.

Transfer store ownership: Ownership of the closed store can be transferred to another user, who can then reactivate it under their account.
Download store data: Data like products, customers, orders etc. can be downloaded for records before permanent deletion.
Contact Shopify support: Even after 15 days, Shopify support can help recover closed store data before 30 days are up.

So in most cases, a closed Shopify store retains complete recoverability for a month after it was deactivated. Store owners have options to either reactivate it themselves or involve Shopify support for data recovery and restoration.

What happens to a Shopify store after 30 days of closure?

If a Shopify store remains closed or deactivated for 30 days after it was initially shut down, the following happens:

On the 31st day, the closed Shopify store is permanently and irreversibly deleted.

All the store data including products, orders, customers, themes and customizations are erased.
The store URL becomes available for anyone else to claim if they want.
There is no way to recover the closed store unless you had downloaded store data prior to deletion.

Shopify removes all traces of the closed store from its servers and databases.
The store owner cannot be held liable for any legal obligations related to the deleted store.

In summary, after the 30 day grace period ends, the closed store is gone for good along with all its data and cannot be recovered. Shopify thoroughly removes all information related to the store from its systems. Only store owners who proactively downloaded their data can recover after permanent deletion.

What happens if you delete a closed Shopify store?

Deleting a closed Shopify store achieves the same outcome as keeping it closed for 30 days – permanent and irrevocable deletion.

When you manually delete a closed Shopify store either from within Shopify or by contacting Shopify support, here is what happens:

The store is immediately and permanently removed from Shopify’s servers.

All the store data including products, customers, sales history, themes etc. is erased.
The store URL becomes available to be purchased by another user.
There is absolutely no way to recover the deleted store or its data in any scenario.

Shopify cannot help retrieve or reinstate a deliberately deleted closed store.

So manually deleting a closed Shopify store instantly achieves permanent store removal versus waiting for the 30-day period to lapse. All store data is irretrievably lost in this case unless the owner had downloaded it earlier.

Can you reopen a closed Shopify store?

Yes, a Shopify store closed within the last 30 days can easily be reopened with no data loss. Here is how to reopen a closed Shopify store:

Log in to your Shopify admin using your store URL, email and password. Your closed store will be in deactivated mode.
From the account settings, find and click the “Reactivate store” button.
Confirm that you want to reactivate your closed Shopify store.

Pay any outstanding balance or Shopify subscription fees to complete the reactivation.
Your store will be live again with all its original data and functionality intact.

Reactivating a soft-deleted Shopify store takes just minutes and seamlessly restores the store to its pre-closed state. However, this is only possible within the 30-day window after initially closing the store. Beyond 30 days, a closed Shopify store cannot be reopened.

Tips for reopening a closed Shopify store

If you plan to reopen a closed Shopify store, keep these tips in mind for smooth recovery:

Reactivate ASAP: Reactivate the store within 15 days to avoid contacting Shopify support for data recovery.
Update software: Install pending app and theme updates for optimal performance.

Review settings: Double check store settings, shipping profiles, payment methods etc.
Notify customers: Let customers know if email/domain changed during closure.
Monitor closely: Watch for issues for first few weeks in case fixes are required.

Reopening a recently closed Shopify store is straightforward. The key is to reactivate within the 15-30 day window, update any outdated apps/themes, and monitor the revived store closely for a smooth transition back to active selling.

Can you recover a Shopify store after deletion?

Unfortunately, recovering a Shopify store after permanent deletion is virtually impossible in most cases. Once the 30-day soft-delete period expires, here are the reasons it’s difficult or impossible to recover a deleted Shopify store:

All store data like products, customers, orders, themes etc. are erased from Shopify’s servers.

The store’s URL and domain name become available for any other Shopify user to purchase.
Shopify cannot retrieve the store or its data even if the original owner requests so.
You would have to rebuild the entire store again from scratch if you want to relaunch.

The only possibility is if you had downloaded a full store backup prior to deletion.

So if you failed to reactivate or download store data within 30 days of closure, any deleted Shopify store is gone for good and cannot be salvaged. This is why it’s critical to either reopen a closed store in time or at least backup all store data before the deadline is up.

How to properly close your Shopify store

To avoid permanent data loss when closing your Shopify store, follow this shutdown process:

Download a complete backup of your store data and settings from Shopify.
Notify customers and update store policies to prepare for closure.
Change store password and update admin email if concerned about security.

Remove any sensitive customer data that you are not legally required to keep.
Set store to maintenance mode to avoid new orders.
Use app like Google Takeout to export analytics data.

Confirm there are no pending disputes, charges or legal obligations.
Finally, close the store via Shopify admin. Store will remain recoverable for 30 days.

Carefully following this closing process will minimize the chances of losing store data permanently. You will have backups ready in case the store needs to be reopened after temporary closure.

Conclusion

Closing a Shopify store thankfully does not instantly or permanently delete all of the store’s information and data. When a store is closed, it enters a deactivated state but remains recoverable for a period of 30 days. Within this grace period, the store can easily be reopened with its data intact. If no action is taken within 30 days, Shopify will permanently erase the closed store and its data. The only way to recover after this deletion is if the store owner had previously downloaded a complete data backup. So in summary, be sure to reopen or backup your closed Shopify store within 30 days, or the store will be gone forever when Shopify deletes it.