How to Change a Shopify Domain Name

When you set up a Shopify store, you’ll automatically receive a default domain name, which is the name of your store, followed by myshopify.com. While it is fine to keep this name, you may prefer to customize your store with your own domain name. Your domain name can be anything you want as long as it’s available to purchase.

By the end of this tutorial, you will know how to purchase and change your Shopify domain name.

How to change your Shopify domain name

Follow these steps when you’re ready to change your default domain name to a more unique one:

1. Buy a customized domain name.

2. Confirm your domain is connected.

3. Change your primary domain from the Shopify admin page.

4. Find your new domain from the dropdown list.

5. Click Set as primary.

Let’s look at each step in more detail.

1. Buy a customized domain name.

The first step to adding your domain name to your Shopify store—or changing it—is purchasing a domain. You can do this by buying your domain name through Shopify, which simplifies the setup process, although this isn’t the only option. You can also buy your domain name from any other provider. 

If you buy from Shopify, log into it, access the Admin panel, and then go to Settings > Domains > Buy new domain. 

You can search to see if your preferred domain name is available and click Buy to purchase it. 

Review the information on the next screen, and click Buy domain when ready.

2. Confirm your domain is connected.

Return to the Domain section in your Shopify store to check if your new domain has been successfully connected to your Shopify store and is ready to use. If it is, it will be listed here, but it can take up to 48 hours to appear on the list.

3. Change your primary domain from the Shopify admin page.

Once your domain is connected, go to your Shopify store’s admin panel, click Settings > Domains, and find the tab titled Change primary domain.

4. Find your new domain from the dropdown list.

Click Change primary domain to access a dropdown list with your domain names. Your new domain name should now be listed.

5. Set your domain as primary.

Finally, select your domain name from the list and click Set as primary. Your Shopify store now has a new primary domain name.

Buying a domain name from an external provider

You don’t have to buy your domain name directly from Shopify. You can still use it with your Shopify store if you already own or want to purchase one from a different provider. The process of adding it to your store is just slightly different. Follow these steps:

1. Change your Shopify DNS settings according to your provider’s instructions. The instructions will vary depending on which provider you bought your domain from.

2. Once you have the proper DNS settings, go to your Shopify Admin panel and click Settings > Domain > Connect existing domain.

3. Enter your domain name in the designated field when prompted, and then click Next.

4. Click Verify connection to complete the process.

5. Within 48 hours, check your Domains page to verify your new domain is listed and marked as Connected in the Third-party domains section.

Future changes

If you decide to change your domain name later on, you can do so if you purchase a new domain name. Follow the same process in this article to add your new name. 

Although you can have only one primary domain name at a time, you can also use subdomains. You can set up your old domain as a subdomain and redirect it to your new primary domain. This ensures that customers still using the old website address will be redirected to the new one.

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