Can I transfer an existing Shopify store to a development store?

Online Store and Theme Development
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1

Hi! So, my client already has a live Shopify store. They’ve asked me to do a refresh but want to be able to see the changes before going live.

They’ve duplicated their theme in the Theme library and given me access to that so I can make changes there. However, the navigation really needs updating and from what I’ve read you can’t make changes to the nav without it affecting the live site.

Is it possible to export their current website with copy/images/product and import it to my partner dashboard as a development store so i can edit the navigation without it also updating their live site?

TIA!

Alesha

2

Sounds like you’re making more work for yourself, I’d just duplicate the menu (possible with free apps) and make the edits on that, and when ready just use that as the new live menu.

3

Hi @plnk

If it’s just a matter of navigation, you can add a new menu that does the same thing, and then modify it afterward to refer to a different navigation on your theme

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4

hi! thanks so much for this, I’ll give it a go. I knew there had to be an easier way!

5

Would follow the advice above - but I can confirm it’s not possible for a store that’s on a paid plan to be migrated to a development store.

6

Yes, you can work on a development store, but Shopify doesn’t support fully exporting a live store. Instead, you can duplicate the theme for design edits, export products and images via CSV, and manually set up navigation in a Shopify Partner development store. Since navigation changes impact the live site, it’s best to test updates on a duplicated theme before publishing. If making major changes, using a staging store is a better approach.