You customize a Shopify checkout in the checkout and accounts editor, not in your theme. Go to Settings → Checkout, click Edit in the Configurations section, and open the Settings sidebar with the gear icon. From there, every store on the Basic plan or higher can change the logo, colors, fonts and layout. The form fields and the checkout wording live one level up, on the Settings → Checkout page itself.
What you can't do on a standard plan is put new content or custom code inside the information, shipping and payment steps. That part is reserved for Shopify Plus. This guide covers both: what every store can change today, and what Plus adds on top.
The short version
- Branding (logo, colors, fonts, one-page or three-page layout): Settings → Checkout → Edit, then the gear icon. All plans.
- Fields (company name, address line 2, phone number, how customers are contacted): the Settings → Checkout page. All plans.
- Wording (button labels, error messages, notes): Settings → Checkout, then Edit checkout content in the Checkout language section. All plans.
- Extra content from apps: on the Thank you and Order status pages for all plans; inside the checkout steps only on Shopify Plus.
What you can customize on a Shopify checkout
Shopify runs the checkout itself, so it stays fast, secure and familiar to shoppers who have bought from other Shopify stores. You decorate it and add to it, but you don't rebuild it. The old way of editing the checkout's code, checkout.liquid, is gone: it's no longer supported for the checkout steps, and Shopify retired it for the Thank you and Order status pages on August 28, 2025.
| What you want to change | Basic and higher | Shopify Plus |
|---|---|---|
| Logo, colors, fonts, form field style | Yes | Yes |
| One-page or three-page layout | Yes | Yes |
| Required and optional fields | Yes | Yes |
| Checkout wording | Yes | Yes |
| App blocks on the Thank you and Order status pages | Yes | Yes |
| App blocks in the information, shipping and payment steps | No | Yes |
| Public App Store apps built on Shopify Functions (discounts, delivery and payment rules) | Yes, unless the app says otherwise | Yes |
| Your own custom app with Functions | No | Yes |
| Checkout Branding API | No | Yes |
How to customize the checkout page's look
All of the branding sits in one sidebar. This is where to find it and what each section does:
- From your Shopify admin, go to Settings → Checkout.
- In the Configurations section, click Edit. The checkout and accounts editor opens with a live preview.
- Click the gear icon to open the Settings sidebar.
- Logo. Click the Image field, then Select from library. Set the width in pixels and choose left, center or right alignment.
- Header. Set the Background and Accent colors for the top of the page.
- Accent and buttons. This color drives the Pay now button, links and selected options. Use your brand's main color, as long as white text on it stays easy to read.
- Typography. Pick a font from the Headings and Body drop-down menus.
- The same sidebar also controls the order summary background, whether form fields are solid or transparent, address autocompletion, the Buy again button and whether the discount code field shows on mobile.
- Click Save.
Choose a one-page or three-page checkout
New stores get the one-page checkout by default: contact, delivery and payment on a single screen. The three-page checkout splits them into information, shipping and payment steps. To switch, open the Settings sidebar in the editor, click the current layout in the Checkout layout section, then choose One-page checkout or Three-page checkout.
Your other customizations carry over either way. Two things to check afterwards: the header looks different in the one-page layout, which can upset an old background image, and the editor preview doesn't update in real time when you change layouts. Save, then look at the real checkout from your storefront.
Change which fields customers fill in
Back on the Settings → Checkout page, the form options decide how much typing a customer does. Every field you remove is one less reason to give up.
| Setting | Choices |
|---|---|
| Customer contact method | Phone number or email, or Email only |
| Full name | Only require last name, or Require first and last name |
| Company name | Don't include, Optional, Required |
| Address line 2 | Don't include, Optional, Required |
| Shipping address phone number | Don't include, Optional, Required |
A sensible default for most retail stores: first and last name, company name hidden, address line 2 optional, and the phone number optional unless your carrier needs it for delivery. The same page also holds the marketing opt-ins for email and SMS. Click Save when you're done.
Edit the checkout wording
To change what the checkout says, go to Settings → Checkout, find the Checkout language section and click Edit checkout content. You can reword labels and messages so they sound like the rest of your store: a friendlier error message, "Delivery" instead of "Shipping", or a clearer note on the payment step. Some Shop Pay wording can't be changed, because Shopify's trademark rules for Shop Pay apply there.
Keep edits small. Clever labels on a payment form slow people down.
Add content with apps
Anything beyond branding, such as a delivery note, a trust message, a gift option or a custom field, comes from an app that adds a block to the checkout. Where those blocks can go depends on your plan:
- Thank you and Order status pages: every plan from Basic up can use eligible apps here. It's a good spot for a survey, a reorder prompt, delivery details or a link to your returns policy.
- Information, shipping and payment steps: app blocks here are available only on Shopify Plus.
Shopify has its own free app for this called Checkout Blocks. On Basic and higher you can use its static and dynamic content blocks on the Thank you and Order status pages; its other features, including custom fields and hiding or reordering delivery and payment methods, need Plus.
If you run the old "additional scripts" box for tracking on the Order status page, that's gone too. Shopify's deadline to upgrade the Thank you and Order status pages was August 26, 2026, and stores that hadn't upgraded were moved over automatically. Tracking now runs through pixels under Settings → Customer events, or through your analytics app. It's worth placing a test order to confirm your conversions are still being recorded.
Shopify Plus checkout customization
Plus is where checkout customization goes deeper. On top of everything above, a Plus store can:
- add app blocks anywhere in the information, shipping and payment steps (checkout UI extensions);
- run its own custom apps built on Shopify Functions, for discount logic, delivery and payment rules, and cart validation;
- use the Checkout Branding API for styling beyond what the editor offers;
- use all of Shopify's Checkout Blocks app, including custom fields and order value limits.
If you're on Plus and still used Shopify Scripts, note the dates: editing and publishing new scripts stopped on April 15, 2026, and scripts stopped running on June 30, 2026. Any discount or shipping logic that lived in a script now has to come from Shopify Functions, either through an App Store app or a custom one. The Shopify Scripts customizations report lists what you had.
Shopify built-in vs an app
| You want to… | Use |
|---|---|
| Match your brand colors, logo and fonts | Built in: the checkout editor |
| Remove or require fields | Built in: Settings → Checkout |
| Reword labels and messages | Built in: Edit checkout content |
| Show a message after purchase | An app block on the Thank you page (any plan) |
| Show a banner or notice inside checkout | An app block (Plus) |
| Change discount, delivery or payment rules | An App Store app built on Functions, or a custom app on Plus |
We build Checkout Blocks, a free app for adding text boxes, banners for important notices, and custom payment icons to your checkout without code. Because it places blocks in the checkout steps, it follows the same rule as every other checkout app: those blocks need a Shopify Plus store. If you're on Plus, you can install it from the Shopify App Store.
If your checkout changes don't show up
- You edited the theme, not the checkout. The theme editor doesn't style the checkout. Go through Settings → Checkout → Edit.
- You didn't save. The editor preview updates before anything is live. Click Save, then open your storefront, add a product to the cart and check out.
- You changed the layout. The preview doesn't redraw for one-page and three-page changes. Check the real checkout.
- An app block is missing. Installing a checkout app isn't enough; you add its block in the editor and save. If the block is meant for a checkout step and you're not on Plus, it won't appear.
- The logo looks tiny or blurry. Use a wide logo with little empty space around it, and adjust the width setting rather than uploading a bigger file.
- Colors look off. Header, accent and button colors are set separately. A dark header with a dark accent color makes the step links hard to see.
If shoppers get to checkout but don't finish, the problem is usually not the styling. Our guide to why customers leave at the payment step walks through the usual causes.
Common questions
Can you fully customize the Shopify checkout page?
No. Shopify hosts the checkout and keeps its structure the same for every store. You can brand it, choose the fields and wording, and add app blocks, but you can't rewrite its code. On Shopify Plus you can go further with app blocks inside the checkout steps, custom Functions and the Checkout Branding API.
Do I need Shopify Plus to customize my checkout?
Not for branding, fields, wording, layout or apps on the Thank you and Order status pages. Those work on the Basic plan and up. You need Plus to put app blocks in the information, shipping and payment steps, or to run your own custom apps with Functions.
Can I still edit checkout.liquid?
No. It's no longer supported for the checkout steps, and Shopify retired it for the Thank you and Order status pages on August 28, 2025. Everything it used to do now happens through the checkout editor, apps and pixels.
Why can't I add a background image to my checkout?
Since February 5, 2026, Shopify doesn't allow new background images in the checkout header or main content area. You can still use background colors, and an image in the order summary area.
Can I add a custom field, like a gift message or delivery date, to checkout?
On Plus, yes, with an app that adds a field block, including Shopify's Checkout Blocks. On other plans, collect it before checkout instead, with a field on the product page or in the cart. Our guide to product options beyond Shopify's built-in ones shows how.
Can customers ship one order to several addresses?
Not in Shopify's standard checkout. We cover the workarounds in shipping to multiple addresses in one Shopify checkout.
Next steps
Start with the free changes: set your logo, button color and fonts, trim the fields you don't need, and place a test order on your phone. If you want a second pair of eyes on your checkout, or you're on Plus and need Script logic moved to Functions, talk to us. We look after Shopify stores on monthly care plans.