How to Customize Your Shopify Checkout

Who it is for

Store owners on any plan

Time needed

About an hour for the free changes

What you need

Admin access and your plan details

"Can you add a banner to our checkout?" is one of the most common requests I get, and the honest answer depends on two things: which plan the store is on, and which page of the checkout the banner should go on. Shopify's checkout is locked down by design. That's part of why it converts well and stays secure, but it means customization works through settings, apps and extensions rather than by editing a template.

This is the hands-on guide: what you can change, where in the admin, and which changes need Shopify Plus. Every setting was checked against Shopify's Help Center and developer docs on 7 November 2026. If you want the background on how the system fits together, my guide to Shopify checkout extensibility covers that.

What you can customize on each plan

The pattern is simple. Anything that changes the main checkout steps themselves, or uses a custom-built app for logic, needs Plus. Branding, form settings and post-purchase pages work on every plan. If you're weighing the upgrade, my Shopify vs Shopify Plus comparison covers the full list of differences.

Step 1: Brand the checkout

Branding is done in the checkout and accounts editor, which is separate from the theme editor and covers checkout, thank you, order status and customer account pages.

1. Open the editor. Go to Settings > Checkout and click Edit on your checkout configuration.
2. Add your logo. Use a sharp, horizontal version. Keep it small so the order summary stays above the fold on phones.
3. Set colors and font. Match your store's main button color and body font. Check that buttons and error messages have strong contrast.
4. Choose a background. A plain color reads better than an image on small screens.
5. Preview and save. Preview on desktop and phone, then save the configuration.

On Plus, developers can go further with the Checkout Branding API, using the checkoutBrandingUpsert mutation to set color schemes, typography scale, corner radius and section styling. Shopify notes that styling can't target individual pages and SVG isn't supported.

Step 2: Set the checkout form fields

Every field you remove is one less reason to stop. Go to Settings > Checkout and work through the form options:

• Customer contact method: Phone number or email, or Email. Leave Require customers to sign in off unless you sell only to account holders.
• Full name: Require first and last name or Only require last name.
• Company name: Don't include, Optional or Required. Hide it unless you sell to businesses.
• Address line 2: same three choices. Keep it optional, because apartments need it.
• Shipping address phone number: same three choices. Only require it if your carrier needs it.
• Marketing opt-in: email, SMS and, in some regions, WhatsApp checkboxes, with email preselection by region.

Adding brand-new fields, such as a gift message or a delivery instruction box inside the checkout steps, needs a checkout UI extension in the information, shipping or payment step, which means Plus. On other plans, collect that information in the cart with cart attributes, where the theme can add fields freely.

Step 3: Add apps to the thank you and order status pages

These two pages are where non-Plus stores have the most freedom. Eligible apps can add surveys, upsells, social links, delivery tracking, reorder buttons and content blocks.

1. Install the app. Pick one that says it supports the thank you or order status page.
2. Open the editor. Settings > Checkout, then Edit on your configuration.
3. Choose the page. Use the page selector at the top to open the Thank you or Order status page.
4. Add the block. In the Sections sidebar, click Add block in the section you want, or open the Apps sidebar and click the plus icon next to the app's block.
5. Configure and save. Set the block's options, preview it, then save.

Shopify's own free Checkout Blocks app is a good starting point here. On Basic and above, its dynamic and static content blocks can be placed on the thank you and order status pages. All its other features, including blocks inside the checkout steps, custom discounts and hiding or renaming payment and delivery methods, are limited to Plus.

Step 4: Customize payment methods and delivery options

Hiding cash on delivery above a set order value, renaming a shipping method or putting pickup first are all done with apps built on Shopify Functions. Since Shopify Scripts were retired on 30 June 2026, this is the only route.

1. Install a customization app from the App Store that handles the rule you need.
2. Payment rules: go to Settings > Payments. In Payment customizations, click Manage, then add, configure and activate the customization.
3. Delivery rules: go to Settings > Shipping and delivery. In Delivery customizations, click Add delivery customization, then configure and activate it.
4. Test with carts that should and shouldn't trigger each rule.

Two plan rules matter. Below Plus, payment customizations in the US and Canada only apply to non-credit-card methods. And custom-built apps containing functions only install on Plus, so other plans rely on public apps. My Shopify Functions guide explains how these work underneath.

Step 5: Add checkout rules

Checkout rules stop an order that breaks a condition: a maximum quantity per customer in a limited drop, a minimum order for trade customers, or an address restriction. They come from apps that use the Cart and Checkout Validation API, and they also apply to express checkouts like Shop Pay and Apple Pay.

1. Install the app that provides the rule.
2. Add it. Go to Settings > Checkout. Under Checkout rules, click Add rule and select it.
3. Configure, activate and save. Decide whether checkout should still go through if the rule hits an error.
4. Test the error message shoppers see. It should say what to change, such as "Limit 2 per order".

A store can activate up to 25 validation functions, so the limit is rarely a concern.

Step 6: Plus-only customizations inside checkout

On Shopify Plus, checkout UI extensions can add blocks to the information, shipping and payment steps: delivery date pickers, gift messages, trust content, upsells, custom fields and loyalty points. Developers build them with Shopify CLI (shopify app generate extension --template checkout_ui), and merchants place them in the checkout and accounts editor like any other block. Each extension's compiled bundle can't exceed 64 KB, which keeps checkout fast.

If a Plus store needs an extension that no app offers, a custom app with a checkout UI extension is usually a small, contained build. My Shopify app development service starts from $800.

Don't forget tracking

Old checkout customizations often included tracking scripts. Those no longer run on checkout pages. Since the thank you and order status upgrade deadline of 26 August 2026, conversion tracking goes through app pixels or custom pixels under Settings > Customer events. If your ad platform reports dropped after an upgrade, check your pixels before anything else.

Common checkout customization mistakes

1. Buying a checkout app on a non-Plus plan without checking which pages it can use. Many only work inside checkout steps on Plus.
2. Adding too much to the thank you page. One survey and one useful block beat five widgets.
3. Requiring a phone number without a delivery reason.
4. Two apps editing the same payment or delivery methods. They can override each other.
5. Not testing express checkout. Rules and validations apply there too.
6. Leaving old tracking in theme files and adding a pixel, so conversions count twice.

Shopify checkout customization checklist

Next steps

Start with what's free on every plan: branding, form fields and a thank you page survey. That's an hour's work. Then list any rule you need at checkout, such as hidden payment methods or quantity limits, and look for a public app that handles each one.

If you're on Plus and need something in the checkout steps that no app does, or you're not sure whether a change is possible on your plan, send me what you want to add and I'll tell you how it can be done.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

1. Customizing your checkout and accounts pages, Shopify Help Center
2. Adding apps to your checkout, Shopify Help Center
3. Checkout Blocks, Shopify Help Center
4. Customizing payment methods and delivery options, Shopify Help Center
5. Editing the checkout form options, Shopify Help Center
6. Checkout styling, Shopify.dev

Related services and work

Written by Ashraf Siddik

I'm a Shopify developer and CRO specialist. I have built and improved Shopify stores since 2018, completed more than 1,000 projects, and hold a 4.96 average rating across 719 client reviews.

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