How to Contact Shopify Support, and When to Call a Partner

When something stops working on your Shopify store, finding the right person to ask matters more than finding someone to ask. Shopify offers 24/7 chat on every plan, with phone and email on some, but Shopify Support is not responsible for everything that can go wrong: a billing error, broken custom theme code, a Shopify outage, an app conflict and a paid theme bug all belong to different people, and sending one to the wrong team can add hours or days to the fix.

This guide explains how to contact Shopify Support, how to check whether Shopify is down, what Shopify can and cannot fix, what to have ready, and when it is faster to call a Shopify Partner. Shopify's contact options were checked against its Help Center on 1 October 2026, because its support channels change over time.

Key Takeaways

• Shopify offers 24/7 chat on every plan through the Help Center. Shopify Plus and the Retail plan add inbound phone and email, and Shopify POS Pro adds inbound phone.
• There is no general Shopify phone number or callback for other plans, and Shopify Support never makes outbound phone or video calls, so treat any unexpected call claiming to be Shopify with suspicion.
• Check Shopify Status before changing your theme, apps or settings, but remember that problems affecting only a small share of stores may not appear there.
• Shopify supports its own platform, apps made by Shopify and its free themes, but not third party apps, paid third party themes or most custom code.
• Of the last 10 support requests from our client stores, 7 were theme, app or integration problems that Shopify Support does not handle.
• A Shopify Partner is the faster route for theme code, app conflicts, integrations and ongoing maintenance, and should work through a collaborator account rather than your password.

Quick Answer

To contact Shopify Support, go to the Shopify Help Center, try its AI search, then click Chat with a human at the bottom right, log in and select your store to join the queue. Chat is available 24/7 on every plan, while Shopify Plus and Retail stores can also phone or email, and Shopify POS Pro users can phone, all through the Help Center. If your store suddenly stops working, check Shopify Status first, and if Shopify is fine and the problem involves theme code, a third party app or an integration, go to the app or theme developer or a Shopify Partner instead.

Table of Contents

• How Do You Contact Shopify Support?
• Is Shopify Down? How to Check Shopify Status
• What Can Shopify Support Help With, and What Can It Not?
• What Should You Prepare Before Contacting Support?
• How Do You Get Help With a Theme or App?
• When Should You Call a Shopify Partner Instead?
• Why Matters Perspective
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Final Thoughts
• Related Articles

How Do You Contact Shopify Support?

The main route is the Shopify Help Center. Shopify asks you to try its AI powered search first, which points to help articles and step by step instructions, and if that does not solve the problem you can reach a human Support Advisor:

1. Go to the Shopify Help Center and, if you like, ask the AI search your question first.
2. Click Chat with a human at the bottom right of the page.
3. Log in when prompted, using your email and password, a passkey or another sign in method.
4. Select the store you need help with.
5. Wait in the queue, which shows an estimated wait time, then describe the problem to the advisor.

You must be logged in to the affected store to reach an advisor. If you cannot log in, use the I can't access my account option or Shopify's separate Can't log in form, though that form does not create a ticket in your Support Inbox, because tickets are only created after live chats. During the chat, attach screenshots with the paperclip icon so the advisor can see the problem.

That matters because older articles and forum posts still tell merchants to email Shopify or ask for a callback. On Basic, Grow and Advanced, chat through the Help Center is the human route: you cannot request a callback or phone Shopify directly, and email support is limited to Plus and Retail, where Shopify quotes typical response times of around 48 hours. There is no general Shopify UK customer service number, and Shopify says its Support team does not make outbound phone or video calls on any plan, which is worth remembering whenever someone rings claiming to be Shopify.

Is Shopify Down? How to Check Shopify Status

Before you open your theme code, uninstall an app or change DNS records, check whether the problem is yours to fix. Shopify Status shows the state of Shopify's main services, including the admin, checkout, reports, storefront, API and mobile, third party services, support, point of sale and Oxygen, using these labels:

If the component behind your problem shows an incident, changing your store is unlikely to help. Read the updates to see what is affected, take screenshots, avoid unrelated theme, DNS or app changes, decide whether customers need telling by email or social media, and watch for the resolution. All Systems Operational does not prove your store is fine, though: Shopify says issues affecting a small percentage of stores might not appear on the page.

A useful test is whether the problem appears on other Shopify stores or only yours. If Shopify Status is clear and the issue started straight after installing an app, changing a theme, publishing custom code, connecting an integration, editing domain settings or adding tracking code, investigate that change before assuming Shopify is down.

What Can Shopify Support Help With, and What Can It Not?

Shopify Support is most useful when the problem sits within Shopify itself: your account and login, billing and subscription charges, domains bought through Shopify, apps made by Shopify, the admin and platform, and its own free themes, where it offers basic troubleshooting and admin help. If you use a free Shopify theme on Basic or higher, you also get up to 60 minutes of free design support, in 15 minute blocks, for small theme changes. For payment and payout questions, our guide to Shopify Payments in the UK covers what to check first.

A Shopify store is more than Shopify, though. Most apps are built by third party developers, who are responsible for their errors, features and the code they add to your theme; paid themes are supported by their developers; and Shopify says that unless you are on Shopify Plus or are a Shopify Partner, it cannot help with most custom code. Its free theme support also excludes heavily modified themes and third party code, including code from developers, forum answers and AI generated theme blocks, and for a domain bought elsewhere it can tell you which records to set but cannot log into your registrar to change them.

What Should You Prepare Before Contacting Support?

"My website isn't working" forces every support team to start from scratch. Whoever you contact, whether Shopify, a developer or a Partner, you will get an answer faster if they can reproduce the problem, so have these ready:

• The store: which store is affected, ideally its myshopify.com address if you run several.
• The problem: what you tried to do, what you expected and what happened; "Add to Cart on the Large size spins but nothing is added" is far easier to investigate than "the cart is broken".
• Steps to reproduce: the shortest repeatable route to the error, from the product URL to the click that fails.
• Evidence: screenshots or a short screen recording, and the full error message copied exactly.
• Timing: when it last worked and what changed just before, such as a new or updated app, a theme update, developer work, tracking code, markets, payments, DNS or an integration.
• Context: affected order numbers or product URLs (but not unnecessary customer or payment details), your live theme, recent app changes and what you have already tried, such as another browser, a duplicate theme or switching off an app embed.

How Do You Get Help With a Theme or App?

For a paid theme bought from the Shopify Theme Store, open the theme editor from Online Store, click the theme name and choose View documentation or Get support to reach the theme developer. If the theme works as designed but you want it to behave differently, you have moved from support into custom development, which theme developers typically do not offer, and Shopify suggests hiring a Partner.

For an installed app, go to Settings, then Apps, open the app's menu and choose Get support; for third party apps, Shopify passes the request to the developer and checks back with you after three days. If the app is no longer installed, use the support details on its App Store listing. Either way, give the developer the exact error, steps to reproduce, screenshots or video, the affected URL, your theme and its version, when it started and any other apps that touch the same feature.

Store problems often sit between two systems, and it is easy for each supplier to blame the other, so if a developer says another app is the cause, ask what evidence led to that conclusion. Choosing apps you can rely on is half the battle; see our guide to the best Shopify apps.

When Should You Call a Shopify Partner Instead?

Shopify Partners are independent businesses that build, fix and maintain Shopify stores. A Partner earns its place when the problem sits in the part of the store Shopify does not maintain: a broken custom section or heavily modified theme, a conflict between a theme and an app that neither developer will own, a connection to an ERP, CRM, warehouse or subscription platform, or an urgent storefront bug while Shopify Status is clear. For a trading business, waiting while suppliers pass a problem between them can cost more than asking a developer who already knows the store.

Our own figures show how common that is. Of the last 10 support requests from Why Matters client stores, 7 were theme, app or integration problems that Shopify Support does not handle, and we fixed them ourselves. The other 3 belonged with Shopify, so we gave the client our findings and pointed them to Shopify Help, which we find very useful for problems that sit with Shopify.

A genuine Partner should never ask for your password. Shopify recommends collaborator accounts: the Partner sends a request, you choose which permissions to grant, and you can remove the access when the work is done. Partners set their own prices, and Shopify's Partner Directory lets you filter by service, location and price, so compare the model as well as the rate: one off fixes, blocks of hours, monthly retainers or emergency support. A cheap developer who needs two hours to learn your store every time something breaks can cost more than a team that already knows it, and our guide to Shopify Partners explains the programme in more detail.

Why Matters Perspective

Shopify support feels frustrating partly because a Shopify problem can mean several different things. Behind one website might sit Shopify, a third party theme, ten apps, tracking scripts, a subscription platform, an ERP connection and code from two previous agencies, so Shopify can correctly say its platform is working while customers still cannot buy. That gap is where ongoing store support earns its keep.

Our Shopify support and maintenance retainers cover bugs and broken layouts, theme and app updates, app conflicts, speed, tracking, security and access reviews, new sections and integrations. Clients reach us by email, phone or in weekly calls, and we reply within 24 hours and often sooner, with anything stopping customers buying prioritised; there is no ticket system and no waiting for a set development day. Retainers start from £650 a month plus VAT, billed one month in arrears with no long contract.

That does not replace Shopify Support. Use Shopify when the problem belongs to Shopify, the app or theme developer when it belongs to their product, and a Partner when someone needs to investigate, change or maintain the custom layer that ties everything together.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I contact Shopify support?

Go to the Shopify Help Center, click Chat with a human at the bottom right, log in and select your store. Chat is available 24/7 on every plan, and Shopify suggests trying its AI search first.

Does Shopify have a phone number in the UK?

There is no general Shopify phone number for every merchant. Inbound phone support is available to Shopify Plus and Retail plan stores and Shopify POS Pro users through the Help Center, and Shopify never makes outbound support calls.

Does Shopify offer email support?

Only for Shopify Plus and Retail plan stores, through the Help Center, with typical replies within about 48 hours. Basic, Grow and Advanced stores use 24/7 chat instead.

How do I check if Shopify is down?

Visit Shopify Status and check the component behind your problem, such as the admin, checkout or storefront. Shopify notes that issues affecting a small percentage of stores might not appear there.

Can Shopify support fix my theme?

Shopify supports its own free themes, and stores on Basic or above get up to 60 minutes of free design support for small changes. It does not change custom code, troubleshoot heavily modified themes or support paid third party themes, which their developers support.

Who can help if Shopify support cannot?

The app developer for a third party app, the theme developer for a paid theme, or a Shopify Partner for theme code, app conflicts, integrations and problems that span several parts of the store.

How do Shopify Partners access my store safely?

Through a collaborator account. The Partner sends a request, you choose the permissions and you can remove access at any time, so a genuine Partner never needs your password.

Final Thoughts

The fastest route depends on who owns the problem. Check Shopify Status when something suddenly affects Shopify generally; contact Shopify through the Help Center for account, billing, platform and Shopify managed services; go to the app developer for a third party app and the theme developer for a paid theme; and use a Shopify developer or Partner for custom code, app conflicts, integrations and heavily modified themes. If problems keep recurring, ongoing maintenance usually beats solving each one from scratch.

That simple sorting removes a surprising amount of back and forth. If you need someone to investigate a problem Shopify Support cannot fix, see our Shopify support and maintenance service or contact Why Matters.

Related Articles

• Shopify Partners: The Program and Why Hire a Partner Agency
• How to Choose the Best Shopify Development Company for Your Business
• The 20 Best Shopify Apps for Every Job Your Store Needs
• Shopify Payments UK: Fees, Payouts and How It Works
• Shopify Online Store 2.0: What It Means for Your Store
• Shopify Speed Score: Why It Was Replaced and What to Measure Instead
• Shopify Technical SEO Audit: A Step by Step Guide
• Why Matters Shopify Support and Maintenance