Updating Dawn theme without losing code edits

Store Design
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1

Hi! I want to update my Shopify Dawn theme to the 8.0 version but since I have made edits to the code I have to manually update it. I tried copying the settings.json code into the new updated copy but it didn’t work. Is there another way I can update the theme without losing my customizations or having to start over? Thank you!

2

Yes, you can update your Shopify Dawn theme without losing your customizations. Here are the steps to do it:

  1. Make a backup of your current theme by duplicating it. This is important in case something goes wrong during the update process.

  2. Download the latest version of the Dawn theme from the Shopify Theme Store.

  3. Unzip the downloaded file and open the theme folder.

  4. Locate the “assets” folder and copy its contents to the “assets” folder in your current theme.

  5. Open the “config” folder in the new theme and copy the “settings_data.json” file to the “config” folder in your current theme. This will preserve your theme settings.

  6. Open the “layout” folder in the new theme and copy the “theme.liquid” file to the “layout” folder in your current theme. This is the main layout file for your theme.

  7. Open the “sections” folder in the new theme and copy any sections that you have customized to the “sections” folder in your current theme. This will preserve your customizations.

  8. Test your website thoroughly to make sure everything is working correctly.

Note: If you have made extensive changes to your theme’s code, it is recommended to consult with a Shopify Expert to ensure that the update process goes smoothly and all your customizations are preserved.

3

Hi @mics thank you for responding! I am stuck on steps 3 and 4. I exported the updated theme and emailed it myself, downloaded to my computer and found assets folder. the How do I copy the contents in assets from the updated theme to the current theme?

4

To copy the contents in the assets folder from the updated theme to the current theme, you can follow these steps:

  1. In your current theme, open the assets folder.

  2. Select all the files in the assets folder, right-click, and choose “Copy”.

  3. Open the assets folder in the updated theme.

  4. Right-click and choose “Paste” to copy the files from your current theme into the updated theme.

  5. When prompted to overwrite any files, choose “Yes” or “Replace”.

  6. Once all the files have been copied over, save and upload the updated theme.

This should replace the assets in your current theme with those from the updated theme without losing your customizations.

5

Hey Sunsandstarfish! :waving_hand:

The Theme Updater Shopify App now supports updating the Shopify Dawn theme without losing your custom settings or code customizations! It’s fully automated, so you just click a button and the app will transfer everything over for you.

We made the app to save merchants time – especially since Shopify releases a new version of Dawn roughly every 2 months!

Let me know if you have any questions! :slightly_smiling_face:

6

With all the dev tooling Shopify has been introducing I’m surprised they still haven’t addressed this. Definitely one of my most common pain points as a Shopify partner and developer. I’d urge the Shopify team to prioritize a more seamless custom code migration as a future feature.