Quick answer

1. Rule out Shopify. Shopify Status shows Storefront, Checkout, Admin, API & Mobile, Point of Sale and Third party services separately (per Shopify Status, Sept 2026).
2. Name the symptom. Nothing loads, checkout fails, pages look broken, or something keeps disconnecting. Each has a different fix path.
3. Change one thing at a time, starting with whatever changed most recently: a theme edit, an app install, or a DNS record.
4. Send it to the right support team. Shopify handles billing, Shopify Payments and its own apps. App developers, payment providers and Meta handle theirs.

Shopify Store Troubleshooting Guide

I'm PJ, a one-person tech operator in Solana Beach. This is the order I work through on a broken Shopify store. Every setting, path and limit here was checked against Shopify's own docs in September 2026.

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Pick your symptom

Store won't load, shows a password page, or checkout fails: Shopify store not working
An app, sales channel, POS card reader or custom domain keeps dropping: Shopify store keeps disconnecting
Orders, inventory or products out of sync between tools: Shopify data not syncing
A connected tool or custom integration failing: Shopify integration not working
A refund stuck or missing: Shopify refund not processed

The triage order

1. Rule out a Shopify incident

Check shopifystatus.com and subscribe to updates. During an incident, don't reinstall apps or edit DNS. You'll only add a second problem.

2. Check billing and store access

If a Shopify bill goes unpaid, the store is frozen. Customers can't view it and you can't access the admin (per Help Center). The Pause and Build plan turns off checkout (per Help Center). A password page means Private mode is on under Online Store > Preferences (per Help Center).

3. Check the domain

Try your .myshopify.com address. If it loads and your domain doesn't, check DNS. Shopify expects an A record of 23.227.38.65 and a www CNAME of shops.myshopify.com., and changes can take up to 48 hours (per Shopify Help Center, Sept 2026).

4. Check payments

"This store is currently unable to accept payments" usually means there's no active primary payment provider in Settings > Payments. For third-party gateways, most settings live in the provider's account (per Help Center). Confirm with a test order.

5. Separate theme from app

Preview a free Shopify theme. If the problem goes away, it's your theme. Then uninstall recently added apps one at a time. The code editor's Timeline can restore an earlier version of a file (per Help Center).

6. Check integrations

Apps drop when they're uninstalled or their tokens expire. Webhooks get removed after eight failed retries over four hours (per Shopify.dev, Sept 2026). Full fix path: keeps disconnecting.

Where to look in Shopify admin

Settings > Domains: DNS status, whether the domain is live, and the TLS certificate
Settings > Payments: active providers, test mode, and More actions > Contact provider
Settings > Apps: installed apps and who supports each one
Sales channels: Facebook & Instagram, POS and other channel connections
Online Store > Preferences: Private mode (password page)
The Plan settings page: paused or frozen store

When to contact Shopify Support

Contact Shopify for incidents that don't clear, billing or frozen stores, Shopify Payments, Shopify-made apps, or if you're locked out of the admin. Go to help.shopify.com, click Chat with a human and log in. Chat is open 24/7 on all plans, and Plus and Retail plans also get phone and email support (per Shopify Help Center, Sept 2026). For third-party apps, contact the developer (per Help Center). For gateway errors, contact the payment provider.

FAQ

What's the first step in troubleshooting a Shopify store?

Check shopifystatus.com. It lists Storefront, Checkout, Admin, API & Mobile, Point of Sale and Third party services separately. If your area shows an incident, wait instead of changing settings. If everything is operational, the cause is in your store, so work through billing, domain, payments, theme and apps in that order.

How do I tell if a Shopify problem is my theme or an app?

Preview a free Shopify theme without publishing it. If the problem is gone, it's your theme. If it shows up on every theme, check admin settings. If it goes away after you uninstall a recently added app, contact that app's developer (per Shopify Help Center, Sept 2026).

How do I test Shopify checkout without charging a real card?

Use Shopify's test payment gateway or Shopify Payments test mode. You need a paid plan to test, and customers can't place live orders while your provider is in test mode, so turn it off afterward (per Shopify Help Center, Sept 2026).

How do I contact Shopify Support?

Go to help.shopify.com, click Chat with a human and log in to your store. Chat is open 24/7 on all plans. Plus and Retail plans also get phone and email support (per Shopify Help Center, Sept 2026).

When is a Shopify problem not Shopify's to fix?

Third-party apps are supported by their developers. Third-party payment gateways are supported by the provider, and most of their settings live in the provider's account. The Facebook & Instagram channel has its own Get Support link to Meta. Shopify handles billing, Shopify Payments, its own apps and platform incidents.

Related — keep reading

AI Automation HubEvery problem we route, in one place Shopify store not workingStore down, password page, checkout and theme errors Shopify store keeps disconnectingApps, sales channels, POS readers and domains Shopify data not syncingOrders, inventory and products out of step

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