Summary

Our themes are updated regularly with new features, general improvements, and bug fixes. To confirm you are using the latest version, please refer to the changelogs.

New theme versions will update automatically unless the code has been edited. If the code has been edited, you can install updates manually or hire an expert for assistance.

FAQs

How do I check what theme version I’m using?

The theme version is listed in a few places in your Shopify dashboard. To find this go to Shopify then navigate to Online Store > Themes.

How important is it to update to the latest version?

Update your theme is not a requirement. If you see we’ve released new features you’d like to take advantage of then updating would be the best option. It is generally a good idea to update to the latest version at least once a year - this way you get new features, improved performance and bug fixes.

Update theme manually

This process does not copy over code changes. If you’ve made code changes those will have to manually be copied over to your new theme.

Install the latest version

1. Sign in to your Shopify account

2. Navigate to Paper on the Shopify theme store

3. Click “Add latest theme version”

Back up your themes

1. Before continuing further it’s a good idea to create a backup copy of your themes

   • Learn more about duplicating themes

Transfer theme settings

1. In one tab open your original theme in the Code editor

   • Go to Online store > Themes > Actions > Edit code

2. In a second tab open the new theme in the Code editor

3. In your original theme, open the file settings_data.json and copy the entire contents

4. In your new theme, open the file settings_data.json then delete the entire file contents and paste the content you just copied

Transfer sections and block settings

1. In one tab open your original theme in the Code editor

   • Go to Online store > Themes > Actions > Edit code

2. In a second tab open the new theme in the Code editor

3. In your original theme, open the templates directory and take note of each file with a blue circle icon

   • For each file with a blue icon:

     1. In your original theme, open the file with a blue icon, copy the contents

     2. In your new theme, overwrite the file’s content by pasting the content you copied from the original theme

Update theme using Git

This process does not copy over code changes. If you’ve made code changes those will have to manually be copied over to your new theme.

Requirements

1. Install Shopify CLI: If you haven't already installed Shopify CLI, you can do so by following the instructions provided by Shopify on their website. This tool will be used to interact with your Shopify store from the command line.

2. Create a GitHub Repository: Create a new repository on GitHub where you will store your theme files.

Commit the current version of your theme

1. Use shopify theme pull to pull in code from your current theme version

2. Commit to your repo now you have a base with your current theme version

Compare and merge an updated theme

1. Install the latest version of your theme by finding the theme on the Shopify theme store and clicking “Add latest theme version”

2. Use shopify theme pull to pull in code from the updated theme version

3. Using the GitHub app you can now discard any overwritten settings

   • Discard any changes to template .json files such as template/index.json

   • Discard any changes to section groups such as sections/header-group.json

   • Discard changes to settings_data.json