Shopify's admin has no “log in as this customer” button. Customer accounts don't use passwords any more: a customer types their email and Shopify sends a one-time 6-digit code to that inbox. So nobody but the customer can sign in to their account, and that includes you and your staff. What you can do covers almost every support case: sign in to your own test account to see exactly what customers see, look up the customer's details in the admin, and act on their behalf from there.
This guide explains how customer login works on Shopify, how to set it up, how to see your store the way a signed-in customer does, and how to help a specific customer without their inbox.
The short version
- How customers log in: email, then a 6-digit code (or Sign in with Shop, or Google or Facebook if you turn those on). No password.
- Where they log in: the sign-in link in your store header. Switch it on in Settings → Customer accounts → Show sign-in links.
- To see what a customer sees: sign in with your own email address, or a test address, on your storefront.
- To help a specific customer: open them in Customers in your admin, where you can see their orders and edit their details, or build a draft order and send them a checkout link.
- Looking for your own Shopify login? That's admin.shopify.com, which is covered at the end.
How customer login works on Shopify
Shopify's current customer accounts, sometimes called “new customer accounts”, are passwordless. A customer enters their email, receives a one-time 6-digit verification code, and enters it to sign in. If that email isn't linked to a customer profile yet, Shopify creates one automatically, so there's no separate “create an account” step.
Other ways to sign in:
- Sign in with Shop: customers who use Shop can sign in with their Shop credentials and saved passkeys.
- Google and Facebook: social sign-in you can turn on in your customer account settings. Only the customer's email address syncs to Shopify. We wrote about social sign-in for customer accounts when it launched.
- Your own identity provider: Shopify Plus stores can connect one, for example to share a login with another system.
Once signed in, customers can view their orders and order status pages, edit their name and email, manage shipping addresses, and use features such as self-serve returns or reordering if you offer them. Sessions can last up to 365 days, so returning customers usually don't need to sign in again.
How to set up customer login
- From your Shopify admin, go to Settings → Customer accounts.
- In Sign-in links, turn on Show sign-in links, then click Save.
- Check your storefront. Where the link appears depends on your theme. It's usually in the header, as a person icon, the customer's first initial, or a text label such as “Sign in” or “Account”.
- Optional: on the same settings page, connect Google or Facebook for social sign-in, set up Sign in with Shop, or give accounts their own subdomain, such as
account.yourstore.com.
If your theme doesn't show a link after you switch it on, Shopify's help centre has instructions for adding a login link to your theme.
How to see your store as a customer
Most “I need to log in as the customer” requests are really “I need to see what they see”. A test account does that without touching anyone's data.
- Open your storefront in a private browser window, so your admin session doesn't change what you see.
- Click the sign-in link and enter an email address you control. Many email providers let you add a tag, such as
you+test@yourdomain.com, which lands in your normal inbox but counts as a separate customer. - Enter the 6-digit code from your inbox.
- Place a test order, add an address, try a return. You're now seeing exactly what a signed-in customer sees.
To reproduce one customer's problem, match their setup on your test customer in the admin. Give it the same tags (if prices, discounts or pages depend on tags), the same country or market, and for B2B the same company location. Most “it looks different for me” reports come down to one of these.
How to help a specific customer without logging in as them
You can do most things a customer can do in their account from their profile in Customers:
| The customer wants to… | What you do in the admin |
|---|---|
| Check an order's status | Open the order from their customer profile. The same details they see are there. |
| Fix their address or email | Edit it on their customer profile. |
| Finish a purchase they're stuck on | Create a draft order under Orders → Drafts and send an invoice. It contains a link to a checkout where they can pay. |
| Return something | Start the return from the order, or let them use self-serve returns if you offer them. |
| Get into their account | Check the email address on their profile is the one they're typing, and ask them to look in spam for the code. |
When you really need to see their screen, a quick screen-share on a call is quicker and more private than any workaround.
What about “log in as customer” apps?
Third-party apps on the Shopify App Store offer staff a way into customer accounts. If you consider one, check that it supports the current customer accounts (tools built around legacy passwords are on borrowed time), what it records about each session, and which staff it lets use it. Treat it like any tool that can act as a customer.
Shopify built-in vs an app
| Shopify built-in | Login-as-customer app | |
|---|---|---|
| See the store as a signed-in customer | Yes, with a test account | Yes |
| See a particular customer's orders and details | Yes, in Customers | Yes |
| Place an order for a customer | Yes, with a draft order and invoice | Yes |
| Browse as that exact customer | No | Yes, depending on the app |
| No extra access to customer accounts | Yes | No, so review it |
Privacy: ask first, touch less
Whichever route you take, a customer account holds personal data, and customers expect to be asked. The practices from the original version of this post still stand:
- Get consent. Before you act on a customer's behalf, ask, and note that you asked.
- Say what you'll do. “I'm going to update the address on order 1042” is better than “let me get into your account”.
- Keep a record. Add a note to the customer's profile or the order explaining what you changed and why.
- Touch only what you need. Fix the problem you were asked about, and nothing else.
If your store collects consent for cookies and tracking too, our post on cookie pop-ups is a good next read.
If a customer can't log in
- The code didn't arrive. Ask them to check spam and promotions folders, and make sure they typed the same email that's on their profile. A typo creates a new, empty profile.
- “I can't see my old orders.” They've probably signed in with a different email from the one they ordered with. Compare it with the email on the order.
- No sign-in link on the store. Turn on Show sign-in links in Settings → Customer accounts, and check your theme includes an account link in the header.
- They're looking for a password field. There isn't one. Tell them to enter their email and use the code.
- Google or Facebook sign-in is missing. Social sign-in has to be connected in Settings → Customer accounts first.
- They changed their email. Shopify asks them to verify the new address after they click Save. Until they do, they may still need the old one.
Logging in to your own Shopify store
If you landed here looking for your own login: go to admin.shopify.com (or shopify.com/admin) and enter the email on your Shopify account, or use a login service such as Google, Apple, Facebook or WhatsApp. Enter your two-step authentication code if you've set it up, and choose the store if you have more than one. On a phone, use the Shopify app. If someone else has been in your store without permission, see what to do when someone takes over your Shopify store.
Common questions
Can I log in as a customer on Shopify?
Not natively. Customers sign in with a one-time code sent to their own email, so there's no password to use on their behalf. Use a test account to see what customers see, and the customer's profile in the admin to help them.
How do customers log in to a Shopify store?
Through the sign-in link on your store, usually a person icon in the header. They enter their email, get a 6-digit code, and enter it. They can also use Sign in with Shop, or Google or Facebook if you've set those up.
Do Shopify customers need a password?
No. Current customer accounts are passwordless. Legacy accounts used passwords, but they were deprecated in February 2026.
Can I create an account for a customer?
You can add a customer profile in the admin. When they sign in with that email, they'll get into the account linked to it, including its orders.
How long do customers stay signed in?
Up to 365 days, so returning customers usually go straight to their account.
Where do I turn on customer login?
Settings → Customer accounts, then turn on Show sign-in links and save.
If you'd like a hand setting up customer accounts or moving off legacy ones, talk to us.