Quick answer: Shopify now marks legacy customer accounts as deprecated and recommends upgrading to the current customer accounts experience. The biggest technical change is authentication: the new accounts use a one-time 6-digit email verification code rather than the legacy email/password login. Before upgrading, inventory every customization tied to /account, test customer-account apps, connect an account subdomain if you want branded URLs, verify your sender email, and test returns, store credit, order history and B2B access with real test customers. Shopify currently allows reverting within 30 days after upgrade.
Legacy accounts vs current customer accounts
Legacy Shopify customer accounts use an email address and password. The current customer accounts experience uses a one-time 6-digit code sent to the customer’s email address. Shopify also supports additional sign-in options such as Shop and, where configured, social sign-in.
This has practical consequences:
- customers no longer manage a Shopify store password in the same way;
- password-reset UX disappears from the normal flow;
- the sign-in page is hosted through the customer-account architecture;
- old theme customizations cannot simply be copied into the new account pages;
- features such as built-in store credit and self-serve returns become available in the current account experience.
Step 1: find everything that depends on legacy accounts
Before clicking Upgrade, search your theme, apps and workflows for:
/account/login;/account/register;/account/reset;- custom customer templates;
- Liquid conditions based on customer login;
- loyalty widgets embedded on legacy account pages;
- subscription-management links;
- download links for digital products;
- warranty or product-registration tools;
- wholesale/B2B gating;
- Shopify Flow logic tied specifically to legacy account state.
Do not assume an app is compatible because it appears elsewhere in the store. Check whether it supports Customer Account Extensions or another supported integration method.
What happens to hard-coded legacy account URLs?
Shopify’s upgrade documentation says legacy customer account URLs such as /account/login are redirected to the new customer accounts after upgrade, including hard-coded links in the theme.
That reduces broken-link risk, but it is still worth cleaning up old links. A redirect is not a reason to keep obsolete architecture forever.
After migration, test account entry points in the header, mobile menu, footer, order emails, abandoned-cart or CRM emails, support macros, loyalty emails and any printed instructions or QR codes you use.
Use a branded account subdomain
Shopify lets stores connect a custom subdomain for customer accounts, such as account.example.com. The exact DNS setup depends on whether the domain is managed by Shopify or a third party. A branded account host makes the transition clearer for customers and keeps the sign-in experience visually tied to the store.
Step 2: verify sender email before passwordless login goes live
The new default login relies on verification codes sent by email. Shopify explicitly tells merchants to confirm that their sender email address is current and accessible before upgrading.
Test delivery to Gmail, Outlook and iCloud; spam placement; domain authentication appropriate to your setup; how quickly the code arrives; what happens when a customer requests more than one code; and support instructions for customers who mistype their address.
A customer who cannot receive the one-time code cannot sign into the account. Email deliverability is therefore part of account availability.
Step 3: rebuild custom account features using supported extensions
Legacy accounts could be modified through theme/Liquid techniques that do not map directly onto the current account pages. Shopify recommends replacing legacy customizations with apps designed for customer accounts.
| Legacy function | New-account replacement |
|---|---|
| Loyalty balance | Customer-account-compatible loyalty app/extension |
| Downloads | App supporting customer-account pages or a secure order link |
| Warranty registration | Customer Account Extension or external authenticated flow |
| Custom profile fields | Compatible app/metafield architecture |
| Returns portal | Shopify self-serve returns or compatible returns app |
Do not migrate features nobody uses. Account migration is a good time to remove old scripts and widgets instead of rebuilding technical debt one-for-one.
Store credit and self-serve returns are strong reasons to migrate
Shopify’s current customer accounts can support built-in self-serve return requests and store credit. Shopify notes that store credit is not available through legacy customer accounts.
Before turning these features on, define which orders are eligible, which products are excluded, whether the customer receives a refund or store credit, what staff approval is required, and how shipping labels and return logistics are handled.
A feature being available does not mean it should be enabled without an operational policy.
B2B: customer accounts are part of the architecture
Shopify documentation states that B2B customers cannot use legacy customer accounts. B2B sign-in uses the current account system with one-time PIN authentication.
If you run a blended B2B/D2C store, test both customer types. Do not assume a D2C test account proves that company-location permissions, catalogs and B2B checkout work correctly.
A migration test plan
- Duplicate the current checkout/accounts configuration as Shopify recommends.
- Rebuild required account customizations.
- Set branding and, if desired, the account subdomain.
- Verify sender email.
- Publish the new configuration without completing the final account switch.
- Open the new customer-account URL directly and test it.
- Test a customer with existing order history.
- Test a new customer.
- Test every supported sign-in option.
- Test order history, addresses, returns and store credit.
- Test B2B separately if applicable.
- Complete the upgrade.
- Repeat the same tests from the storefront’s normal account links.
Use the rollback window as insurance, not as the test environment
Shopify currently states that merchants can revert to legacy customer accounts within 30 days after upgrading. That is useful insurance, but the best strategy is still to test the new configuration before final cutover.
Document the date of migration and the end of the rollback window. If a critical app is incompatible, you want to discover it in the first hours — not on day 31.
FAQ
Do customers keep their old passwords?
The new customer accounts use one-time verification codes rather than the legacy password login, so customers do not need the old store password for the normal new-account flow.
Will /account/login become a 404?
Shopify says legacy account URLs are redirected to the new customer accounts after upgrade, including hard-coded theme links. You should still update old references when practical.
Can I customize the new account pages with normal theme Liquid?
Not in the same way as legacy customer account templates. Shopify directs merchants toward customer-account customizations and compatible apps/extensions.
Can B2B customers stay on legacy accounts?
No. Shopify’s B2B documentation requires customer accounts for B2B customers.
Sources
- Shopify Help Center: Upgrading from legacy customer accounts
- Shopify: Customer accounts vs legacy accounts
- Shopify: Connect a customer-account subdomain
- Shopify: B2B sign-in and customer accounts
More Shopify troubleshooting and migration guides: SmallDeskApps Shopify Support.
