Shopify has deprecated legacy customer accounts: new stores cannot enable them, existing stores get no further feature updates or support, and a final sunset date will be announced later in 2026. A store with minimal account customization can switch to new customer accounts in Settings and update its customer communications. Stores with custom Liquid account templates, Multipass or SSO, headless storefronts, custom registration fields, account-page pixels, or apps extending the classic portal need a migration plan, with 2–3 months of buffer for testing and rollout.
Shopify has officially announced that legacy customer accounts are deprecated. Legacy accounts are no longer available to new stores, will no longer receive feature updates or technical support, and a final sunset date will be announced later in 2026.
If your brand spent time customizing your "My Account" section on the classic system, don't wait for that sunset announcement. Start planning the migration now.
What's Happening
The deprecation means three things:
- New stores can no longer enable legacy customer accounts. They're on the new system by default.
- Existing stores still using legacy accounts will need to migrate before the final sunset date, which Shopify will announce later in 2026.
- No more updates. Legacy accounts will not receive feature improvements, bug fixes, or technical support going forward.
This isn't a surprise. After Shopify rebuilt checkout with checkout extensibility and locked down Liquid access there, the same treatment for customer accounts was inevitable. Shopify doesn't rebuild core infrastructure twice.
What You Gain by Migrating
New customer accounts bring passwordless one-time-code login, native store credit, self-serve returns, B2B support, upgrade-safe app blocks, and a sandboxed architecture that theme and app conflicts cannot break.
- Passwordless login with one-time codes: no more forgotten passwords or support tickets for password resets.
- Native store credit, self-serve returns, and B2B support built directly into the customer account experience.
- App blocks that are upgrade-safe and manageable from the visual theme editor. Apps can extend the portal without theme conflicts.
- A sandboxed architecture that won't break from theme conflicts or third-party app collisions.
What You Give Up
Liquid customizations, custom registration fields, and account-page pixel tracking do not transfer and must be rebuilt with Customer Account UI extensions; Multipass, SSO, and headless setups need a full migration plan.
- Liquid customizations won't transfer. If you built custom account pages with Liquid templates, that work needs to be rebuilt.
- Custom registration fields and pixel tracking on account pages need to be rebuilt using Customer Account UI extensions.
- Deep theme customizations, headless setups, or Multipass/SSO integrations require a real migration plan, not a quick toggle. This is where working with an experienced Shopify Plus development team makes a real difference.
For a deeper look at the full advantages and limitations, see our complete guide to Shopify's new customer accounts.
Need Help Migrating Your Customer Accounts?
We've handled the legacy-to-new customer account transition for dozens of Shopify Plus stores - before the deadline hits.
Who Needs to Worry
If you're running a straightforward Shopify store with minimal account customization, the migration is simple. Enable new customer accounts in Settings, update your customer-facing communications, and you're done.
If you fall into any of these categories, you need a migration plan:
- Custom Liquid account templates - anything beyond the default account/login pages
- Multipass or SSO integrations - these connect to the legacy auth system and need to be rearchitected
- Headless storefronts using the legacy customer account endpoints
- Custom registration fields collecting data beyond name and email
- Tracking pixels or analytics firing on account pages
- Third-party apps that extend the classic account portal (loyalty programs, subscription management, etc.)
What to Do Right Now
Audit every customization on your account pages, confirm app support, test new accounts on a development store, set a timeline with 2–3 months of buffer, and prepare customer emails about the one-time-code login.
- Audit your current account experience. Document every customization, app integration, and custom field on your legacy account pages.
- Check your app stack. Contact your app vendors to confirm they support the new customer accounts. Many major apps have already added support - but some haven't.
- Test in a development store. Enable new customer accounts on a dev store and walk through the full customer journey. Identify gaps early.
- Build a timeline. Don't wait for Shopify to announce the sunset date. Give yourself 2-3 months of buffer for testing and rollout.
- Plan your communication. Existing customers will need to use the new OTP login flow. Prepare email communications explaining the change.
Our Take
We've been steering clients toward new customer accounts since they launched. The direction was obvious after checkout extensibility - Shopify is systematically moving every customer-facing surface to a sandboxed, extension-based architecture.
Our B2B wholesale portal is built entirely on the new customer accounts. We made that call early because the migration was always a matter of when, not if.
Less flexibility in some areas? Yes. But a cleaner frontend, a cleaner backend, and a more stable foundation going forward. If you built a heavily customized account experience, this is the kind of change that requires real planning - but it's ultimately for the best.