Create your store and find your way around the admin

Before you start

This guide takes you from no account to a Shopify admin with the basic business settings in place. It suits a hypothetical candle shop that plans to sell 40 products in the US and Canada, or any new store.

• Shopify's pricing page says new stores start with a free trial and that no credit card is needed to begin. The trial length and any introductory offer are shown on that page, so read it before you sign up².
• While you are on the trial, your store starts in private mode or with checkout inactive. Customers cannot buy until you choose a paid plan and set up a payment provider³.
• Work you do during the trial is kept when you pick a paid plan³.
• Shopify publishes separate setup guides for some countries, including Brazil, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Spain. Check them if your business is based in one of those countries¹.

Steps

1. Start the sign-up. Go to shopify.com and click Start for free¹.
2. Create or choose an account. Enter an email address and password, or sign up with Google, Apple or Facebook. If you already have a Shopify account, click Log in and select it¹.
3. Decide on billing now or later. You can add a payment method so the store stays open after the trial ends, or click Skip and add it later. Billing details you add here apply only to this store¹.
4. Answer or skip the setup questions. Shopify offers a short questionnaire that gives setup suggestions for your industry. Complete it, or select Skip customized setup. Your new Shopify admin then opens¹.
5. Learn the sidebar. The sidebar is the main navigation. It holds orders, products, customers, analytics and reports, marketing, and discounts. A separate area lists your sales channels and apps, including Online Store. Settings is also in the sidebar⁴.
6. Use search and Home. Press ctrl + K (Windows) or command + K (Mac) to search from any page. Depending on your admin design, the search bar is in the sidebar or the top bar. The Home page shows sales and traffic, task reminders and urgent actions such as unpaid orders⁴.
7. Set your store name. Go to Settings > General. In the Store contact details section, click your store name, edit the Store name field, and click Save. The default name is "My Store". Changing it does not change your myshopify.com domain⁵.
8. Add your store address. In Settings > General, in the Store contact details section, click Store address, enter your company name and address, and click Save. Store contact details are public and appear on your store and policy pages⁵.
9. Set the store currency. In the Store defaults section, click the ... menu, click Change store currency, select a currency, and click Save. Do this before your first order. After the first order, you must tick I understand the risk of changing the store currency to change it⁵.
10. Set the time zone and units. In the Store defaults section, select a Time zone, then a Unit system and Default weight unit, and click Save. You can still change the weight unit on single products later⁵.
11. Check your plan and billing. Shopify's trial article names Settings > Plan as the place to see your current plan³. Bills, payment methods and your billing address are under Settings > Billing⁶.

Check your work

• Open Settings > General and confirm the store name, address, currency, time zone and weight unit read the way you want⁵.
• Press command + K or ctrl + K and search for "Products" to confirm you can reach any section from search⁴.
• Open Settings > Plan and note whether you are still on the trial³.

Common problems

• "My store name changed, but my web address still says the old name." Changing the store name does not change the default myshopify.com domain⁵.
• "I can't change the store's country." If you use Shopify Payments, Shopify Balance, Shopify Capital or Shopify Credit, you must deactivate them before you can change the country in your store address⁵.
• "The currency setting won't let me save." After your first order, tick I understand the risk of changing the store currency first. If you use Shopify Payments, change the currency through the bank account and currency settings for Shopify Payments instead⁵.
• "My store is paused." When the trial ends before you choose a paid plan, Shopify prompts you to pick a plan and pauses the store until you do³.
• "Customers can't check out." During the trial the store is private or checkout is inactive. To take orders you need a paid plan and a payment provider³.
• "I can't find the search bar." It is in the sidebar in the refreshed admin design and in the top bar in the current design. The keyboard shortcut works in both⁴.

Further reading

• Shopify's plan list and current trial offer².
• How the trial ends and what happens to your work³.