How to Remove ‘Powered by Shopify’ from Your Store (Free Method)

Key Insights
• Removing the ‘Powered by Shopify’ line from your store footer is a free, five-minute change made through your theme’s editor or a small code edit, not something that requires a paid app.
• The exact method depends on your theme. Most modern Online Store 2.0 themes include a toggle for this in the theme editor. Older themes may need a small edit to the footer section’s code.
• This is a cosmetic branding change only. It does not affect your Shopify subscription, plan features, or store functionality in any way.
• This small fix is often the first of many small polish details: footer branding, favicon, checkout customization, that separate a store that looks intentional from one that looks like an unfinished default setup.

How to remove ‘ Powered by Shopify ‘ is one of the most common small polish questions new merchants search for, usually right after noticing the line sitting quietly in their store’s footer for the first time. The good news: removing it is free, takes about five minutes, and does not require a paid app in the vast majority of cases. This guide walks through the exact steps, why the method varies slightly by theme, and what to check before and after making the change to avoid any surprises.

This is a cosmetic change, not a functional one. Removing the line does not upgrade your plan, unlock hidden features, or affect your store’s performance. It simply removes a specific line of footer text that some merchants prefer not to display, most often to keep the storefront looking fully custom-branded rather than visibly tied to the platform it runs on.

This guide covers both the fast path, a built-in toggle most modern themes include, and the code-edit path for themes that do not have one, so whichever theme you are running, one of the two methods below applies directly to your situation.

Why Merchants Want This Removed

The most common reason is simple brand presentation. A store that looks entirely custom-branded, with no visible reference to the underlying platform, can feel more polished to some merchants, particularly those building a premium or boutique brand identity where every visible detail is considered deliberately, down to the smallest line of footer text.

There is no functional or SEO reason to remove it. This is purely a stylistic and branding preference, and merchants who are comfortable with the line staying visible lose nothing by leaving it in place. The choice is entirely about how the merchant wants their footer to look, not about anything technical underneath it or any hidden downside to keeping it.

How to Remove It: Step by Step

Open your Shopify admin and navigate to Online Store, then Themes. Click Customize on your active theme to open the theme editor. Scroll to the footer section of your theme, since this is where the line typically lives.

On most modern Online Store 2.0 themes, the footer section includes a toggle or checkbox specifically for this line, sometimes labeled as a branding or credit setting. If your theme includes this toggle, switch it off, save, and the line disappears immediately without touching any code. This is the path most merchants running a current theme should expect to use.

Duplicate your theme, then remove the footer branding line from the Liquid code if no built-in toggle exists.

Why the Method Varies by Theme

Use Online Store 2.0 themes to customize footer branding and other settings without editing code.

Older themes, or themes built before this architecture became standard, tend to hard-code more elements directly into the theme’s Liquid files rather than exposing them as editable settings. This is not a flaw in the older theme, just a difference in how much control was built into the customizer at the time it was designed. If your theme falls into this category, the code-edit path is the correct one, not a sign something is wrong with your setup or that you chose a bad theme.

Want your whole storefront polished, not just the footer? Get a Shopify Design Consult

What to Check Before and After

Before making any change, confirm which theme version you are running, since Online Store 2.0 themes and older themes handle this differently, and duplicate your theme so you have a safe copy to revert to if anything looks wrong. This takes thirty seconds and eliminates any risk from the edit itself, regardless of which method you end up using.

After making the change, preview the footer on both desktop and mobile before publishing, since footer layout occasionally shifts slightly once the line is removed, particularly on themes where the line was taking up its own row rather than sharing space with other footer content. A quick preview catches this before a real customer ever sees it.

Why This Small Fix Matters More Than It Seems

On its own, removing one line of footer text does not change much. Polish small details like the footer while also optimizing checkout, mobile responsiveness, page speed, and product photography for better conversions. The footer line is rarely the fix that moves revenue. It is often the first sign a merchant is paying attention to the details that eventually do move revenue.

Common Mistakes When Making This Change

• Editing theme code directly without duplicating the theme first as a safety backup, risking a broken footer with no easy way back
• Assuming every theme handles this the same way instead of checking for a built-in toggle first before touching any code
• Not previewing the footer on mobile after the change, where layout shifts are more noticeable than on desktop.
• Paying for an app to handle a change that a five-minute manual edit accomplishes for free without any ongoing cost
• Treating this as a meaningful conversion fix instead of the small cosmetic detail it actually is

Ready to Polish the Rest of Your Storefront? Removing the footer branding line is a quick, free fix. It is also usually the smallest item on a longer list of details that separate a store that looks intentional from one that looks like an unfinished default theme. Our Shopify design services handle the rest of that list: custom theme work, checkout polish, and the details that actually influence whether a visitor trusts the store enough to buy. Talk to our team about polishing your store.

Pro Tip 💡

While you are in the theme editor for this change, do a quick pass over the rest of your footer: check that your contact information, policy links, and social icons are current and actually clickable. Merchants often open the footer to fix one line and notice two or three other small things that have been quietly out of date for months, sitting unnoticed until someone actually looks.

FAQ

1. Does Removing Powered by Shopify Cost Anything?

No. This is a free change made through your theme editor or a small code edit, not a paid app or feature. Remove the footer text without upgrading your plan or purchasing additional apps, regardless of your theme’s method.

2. Will Removing This Line Affect My Store’s SEO?

No. This is a cosmetic footer change with no effect on search rankings, page speed, or site structure. It is a branding preference, not a technical or SEO decision that impacts how your store performs in search results.

3. Does Every Shopify Theme Handle This the Same Way?

No. Most modern Online Store 2.0 themes include a built-in toggle in the theme editor. Check your theme settings first, as most themes let you remove footer text without editing code.

4. Is It Safe to Edit My Theme’s Code for This?

Yes, if you duplicate your theme first as a backup before making changes. This lets you revert instantly if anything looks wrong, and the specific edit involved is small and low-risk when done carefully in a duplicated theme rather than directly on your live storefront.

5. Do I Need to Hire a Developer to Remove This?

No, for most themes this is a self-service change through the theme editor’s toggle, taking about five minutes total. A developer becomes useful only if your specific theme has no toggle and you are not comfortable editing Liquid code directly yourself.

6. Will This Change Affect My Shopify Plan or Features?

No. Changing the footer text only updates its appearance and does not affect your plan, features, or store functionality.