We have an existing store on shopify. The template is old(pre 2.0) and we want to update(completely new theme) it. We also want to keep the existing store live until we have the new one finished. We got a partner account and started working on it there. There are problems within shopify with regards to templates and such that dont function unless the theme is the “published” theme. We are using a paid theme and would like to purchase and publish it on the partner site to work on. Now here’s my question. Will i be able to transfer that paid theme back to my current store without having to purchase it again or contacting 9000 people at customer support to get it moved or will the transfer procedure also move the license for the paid theme when we transfer it. Is there a documented procedure for this somewhere?
I believe you can download the theme and then upload it to your new account, that should work.
thanks for guessing but that didnt answer my question
Hi, @Steve_Clark .
That’s a great question. Thanks for posting it to the forums!
The transferring of a paid theme is a bit of a process. This is due to the fact when a theme is purchased a digital license is thereby assigned to your store. When you then take that theme and export it to then upload it to your new store the license is then shown on two accounts which is against the Theme Store’s Terms of Service. This, however, doesn’t mean you can’t transfer the theme.
Since the theme is yours, and you paid for it, you can absolutely transfer it. However, your license agreement is only allowable on one store at a time. To ensure this isn’t taken advantage of the process for transferring is as follows:
- Download your theme to your computer. This is done in Online Store > Themes. Select Actions > Download from the theme you want to transfer. You will receive an email from which you can download the theme file.
- You will then delete the theme off of the original store.
- Next you will close the original store.
- You will upload the theme file to the new store.
- You will then purchase the theme in your new store. This is required for the license to transfer and updates to be provided.
- Next, reach out to our live advisors who will escalate the request to our billing team who will refund the original payment from the original store.
While not the ideal process, the second payment is required in order to validate the new license. I do see you want to keep the store open with the theme while you are working on a new store in your development account. Can you provide more context on what features, on which specific theme, you are needing that you are not able to use while the theme is in draft mode?
What if the price of the theme has risen? what amount will be reimbursed?
For instance I bought the Clean Themes - Symmetry theme for $180USD now I want to transfer the theme license to a new store and the cost of the theme is $320USD.
Will shopify refund the $180USD or can I request they refund the $320?
Hi, @Conrad_Lovett
Thanks for joining the conversation.
Unfortunately, although the price of the theme is now much higher, we are only able to refund the original purchase. If we were to refund the $320 purchase that would void the license that is automatically assigned at purchase.
The cost of paid themes has increased due to the developers upgrading the themes to Online Store 2.0 which was released in 2021.
There is, instead, a workaround I suggest. Since to be eligible to receive a refund when transferring themes, the store it was originally purchased on needs to be closed; you can instead continue using this store, only remove all previous products/information and transition it to your new business idea. The only piece that will remain from your old business is the .myshopify.com URL. However, this is only used for login purposes and your customers will not see it after you add a custom domain.
Hi, did Shopify implemented a better way to transfer the theme license.
The workaround described is not optimal…
Hi, @Matt_x
I definitely appreciate it is a tedious process. That being said, it is the only option at this time to transfer themes.
Each time when you speak with Shopify Support team they give different instructions for transfer, for someone who has paid for the theme (we should be able to easily transfer the licenses)
but Shopify like other things took entire financial accounting of theme licenses from theme developers/companies into their own hands to make more profit from this too)
Shopify as a platform started well with different vision, but now its like any other SaaS platform now its all a number game… and not really caring about retailers to assist them and making their process simplified rather than complicating things..
@Skye_1 what if we need to move the theme license from a store we are closing into our Partner account, so we can use the license to any other store as and when required?
I was given the below instructions from Shopify Support team but they DO NOT work also, can you not make an official help guide on this process?
THESE STEPS DO NOT WORK GIVEN BY SHOPIFY SUPPORT TEAM - TRANSFER OF THEME FROM SHOPIFY STORE TO A PARTNER ACCOUNT
To migrate your theme license from your Shopify store to your Partner account, follow these steps:
- Log in to your Shopify store’s admin panel.
- Go to Online Store > Themes.
- Find the paid theme you want to migrate and click on the Actions dropdown menu.
- Select Edit Code.
- In the left sidebar, locate the config folder and click on settings_data.json.
- Copy the entire content of the file.
- Log in to your Shopify Partner account.
- Go to Stores and click on the Development store where you want to use the theme.
- Navigate to Online Store > Themes.
- Click on Upload theme and select the same theme you want to migrate.
- Once the theme is uploaded, click on the Actions dropdown menu and select Edit Code.
- Locate the config folder and click on settings_data.json.
- Paste the content you copied earlier from your live store, replacing the existing content.
- Save the changes.
Now, your paid theme license should be migrated to your Partner account, and you can use it on any of your future development stores.
Please note that this process assumes that the theme developer allows for license migration. If you encounter any issues or need further assistance, it’s recommended to contact the theme developer or Shopify support.
THESE STEPS DO NOT WORK GIVEN BY SHOPIFY SUPPORT TEAM - TRANSFER OF THEME FROM SHOPIFY STORE TO ANOTHER SHOPIFY STORE
You can transfer your theme licenses to another Shopify store. To do this, follow these steps:
-
Uninstall the theme from the original store: Go to the Shopify Admin of the store where the theme is currently installed. Click on ‘Online Store’ > ‘Themes’, find the theme you want to transfer, click on the ‘Actions’ dropdown, and select ‘Remove’.
-
Locate the theme license key: Check your email inbox for the theme purchase confirmation email, which should contain the theme license key. If you can’t find it, you can contact the theme developer for assistance.
-
Install the theme on the new store: Go to the Shopify Admin of the store where you want to transfer the theme. Click on ‘Online Store’ > ‘Themes’, then click on ‘Visit Theme Store’. Search for the theme you want to install, click on it, and select ‘Add theme’.
-
Enter the theme license key: During the installation process, you’ll be prompted to enter the theme license key. Input the key you found in step 2 and complete the installation.
-
Customize the theme: After the theme is installed, you can customize it according to your preferences.
Remember to repeat these steps for each theme license you want to transfer.
Hi, @netgains_org
I definitely appreciate how frustrating this situation is.
Regarding the information you provided above, was this an official Shopify Advisor that provided you this information? Upon looking at all internal documentation I am unable to find anything you referenced above. As such, please provide the ticket numbers for these interactions as we want to make sure the advisor you spoke to is provided factual information.
As mentioned in my original response, theme licenses do not transfer. As such, you need to purchase the theme on each store you intend to use it on, and delete the theme and close the store you originally purchased it on. You would then receive a refund for the theme on the original invoice.
In regards to development stores, each development store is transferred directly to the merchant. As such, the theme would stay on the applicable store it was purchased on (the development store). Each time you want to use the theme on the development store you would need to repurchase, or the merchant would purchase upon transfer.
I am helping Skye out with this thread. I understand that you have some feedback on the process of transferring theme file licenses.
I fully recognize that receiving incorrect information about this process from our support team is not ideal and not something we want to happen. We strive to provide world class service with every support experience. While I am not able to review tickets myself, I am happy to flag a ticket for a review and possible coaching for the support advisor who originally assisted you. I can confirm that the information Skye shared is absolutely the correct information in this case.
In regards to the theme licensing and purchasing themes from the Shopify theme store, the themes and their licenses are owned by the theme developers and not by Shopify. All theme purchases are paid directly to the theme developers and they maintain their own license terms of service. We just provide an authenticated marketplace so that merchants can trust they are buying a high quality and reliable theme for their online store. We act as an intermediary when it comes to buying themes, but the transferring of theme licenses and the costs of a theme are set by the theme developers themselves.
One theme purchase means that theme can be active on one online store, not multiple. Each active store needs to purchase that theme for their own use. One license is not a blanket license for the theme. If a merchant does not have a valid theme license then they run the risk of receiving a DMCA takedown notice from the theme developers, forcing them to delist their active theme or making a purchase of that theme license on the spot.
If you have additional questions or feedback about this process, I am happy to help. Please don’t hesitate to reply back here or reach out to our authenticated support channels for additional support.
Hi @Skye_1
Yes the details instructions were provided by an official Shopify Advisor
As requested here is the ticket number redacted
Thanks for the information, but the question is how to make process simplified here and just not about licensing process, When someone pays $ for a theme, the theme transfers should be possible similar to other products where licensing is activated or revoked under any purchaser account, this should be something inbuilt into marketplace theme licenses with Shopify.
Of course we are not asking here about one license should be applicable on multiple themes but for example, If someone had a store with licensed theme, and they want to close that store post 2 years (simply because business was not good), and want to open another store with Shopify (different business) the retailer should be able to move my license from Store A to Store B (where retailer is the legal owner of both the stores with same email id) , That single license needs to be transferable between stores
Also, there seems to be no proper official documentation on https://help.shopify.com/ for theme transfers or licensing, this is one the most important points and I think Shopify while managing the marketplace should put together a proper document / instructions (including centralizing process though the theme development companies) to work on such important aspects. Topics like “Shopify OS2 Theme License Transfers” , “Shopify Old Theme License”, “Shopify License Transfers”, “Shopify Theme Liability” needs to be addressed instead of open forums like this.
Hi, @netgains_org
While I appreciate how tedious the process is, currently, there is no other option to transfer the theme.
Please note, you absolutely can transfer your theme from a store you closed two years ago. Albeit, via the process outlined above.
I have passed along your feedback to our developers to consider for future platform changes.
Best of luck!
hey, i have had an horrible experience with a developer and i have decided de delete the store and to create a new one. Right now what is the process to re-install the paid theme (launch theme from pixelunion) . How can i get the zip file?
thank you
Hi, @mai38
Thanks for commenting!
The process to move a paid theme to another store is the same as above:
- Download your theme to your computer. This is done in Online Store > Themes. Select Actions > Download from the theme you want to transfer. You will receive an email from which you can download the theme file.
- You will then delete the theme off of the original store.
- Next you will close the original store.
- You will upload the theme file to the new store.
- You will then purchase the theme in your new store. This is required for the license to transfer and updates to be provided.
- Next, reach out to our live advisors who will escalate the request to our billing team who will refund the original payment from the original store.
Hi miss,
I have hired a shopify store developer from fiverr to work on my Shopify store .he imported the theme from someone’s else store. He didn’t passed me any license for theme so in future can he revoke me using the theme?
I’m no more in contact with the seller.
Hi, @Buypetstore
Thanks for joining the conversation.
If the theme the developer uploaded to your store is a paid theme in the Shopify Theme Store, but the theme was not purchased on your Shopify account, this puts your store at risk. In order to ensure your store is not the subject of IP infringement you will need to purchase the theme.
Thank you very much for replying.
It really helped 