# Pick a theme and edit it in the theme editor

Level: Beginner. About 90 minutes. Plans: Basic, Grow and Advanced: up to 20 themes; Plus: up to 100; Starter: Spotlight theme only. Checked against Shopify's documentation on 2026-10-08.

**Short answer:** From your Shopify admin, go to **Online Store**, add a theme from **Discover themes** or the Theme Store, and it appears in **Draft themes** [1]. Click **Edit theme** to open the theme editor, where you add sections and blocks and change colors, fonts and your logo under **Theme settings** [4][6]. When it looks right, click **Publish** [7].

## Before you start

A theme controls how your online store looks. The theme editor lets you change content, layout, typography and colors without editing code, and shows each change in a preview as you make it [3].

- **Plan limits.** Basic, Grow and Advanced plans can hold up to 20 themes in the theme library. Shopify Plus can hold up to 100. The Starter plan can use only the Spotlight theme [1].
- **Paid themes.** You can try a paid theme before you buy. Buying needs the **Themes**, **Manage and install apps and channels** and **Approve app charges** permissions. Purchases are final sale, the license covers only the store that bought it, and the theme developer provides support and updates [1].
- **Publishing.** You can publish only free themes or paid themes you have bought [1].

## Steps

1. **Browse themes.** From your Shopify admin, go to **Online Store**. In the **Discover themes** section near the bottom, look at the top free themes, or click **Visit theme store** [1].
2. **Add a free theme.** Click a theme name to see its details, then click **Add**. The theme appears in the **Draft themes** section [1].
3. **Or try a paid theme.** In the Theme Store, open a paid theme and click **Try theme**. Back in **Online Store**, it appears in **Draft themes** with a **Theme trial** label. You can preview up to 19 paid themes at once, and edits you make on trial are kept if you buy. While a theme is on trial you cannot edit its code [1].
4. **Make a backup copy.** In **Online Store**, click the **...** menu next to the theme and click **Duplicate**. The copy is named "Copy of" plus the theme name. Shopify recommends a backup before you edit, so you can discard changes and start over [2][3].
5. **Open the theme editor.** In **Online Store**, find the theme and click **Edit theme** [4].
6. **Choose a page to edit.** Use the **Home page** drop-down menu at the top to open another template, or edit the home page directly [4].
7. **Add and arrange sections.** Click **Add section** in the sidebar and pick or search for a section. To add a block, hover over a section, click **Add block**, and pick one. Drag the handle next to a name to reorder it. Use the **Hide** and **Delete** icons to hide or remove items [4].
8. **Edit from the preview.** Click any outlined element in the preview to load its settings in the sidebar. The preview inspector also has buttons to move, hide, duplicate and delete the selected section or block. Use the undo button in the menu bar to reverse a change [5].
9. **Set your brand in Theme settings.** Click the settings icon labeled **Theme settings**. Depending on your theme, set a color palette or color schemes, heading and body fonts, and a **Font size scale** from 100% to 150% [6].
10. **Add your logo, favicon and social links.** In **Theme settings**, upload a logo (max 300 px wide) with alt text, and a favicon (32 x 32 px recommended). Enter full profile links in the **Social accounts** fields; they show in your store footer [6].
11. **Save your work.** Click **Save** in the theme editor [4].
12. **Publish the theme.** In **Online Store**, find the theme in **Draft themes** and click **Publish**. Or click **Publish** on the top bar of the theme editor, then **Publish** again in the window that opens [7].

## Check your work

- In **Online Store**, open the **...** menu for a draft theme and click **Preview**. The preview bar shows the theme name and a **Draft** status [1].
- After publishing, confirm your previous theme moved to **Draft themes**. Shopify says none of its changes are lost [7].
- Open your store and check the logo, colors and footer social links [6].

## Common problems

- **"I can't add another theme."** You have reached your plan's theme limit. Remove a theme first [1]. If you have 20 themes, you must also delete one before you can duplicate [2].
- **"I published my theme, but customers still see a password page."** Publishing does not change store access. If your store is private, it stays private [7].
- **"I can't add more sections or blocks."** Each template allows up to 25 sections and up to 1,250 blocks across all sections, and each theme sets how many of each block type you can use [4].
- **"I hid a section and can't get it back from the preview."** You cannot unhide from the preview inspector. Click undo in the menu bar, or click the hide button next to the item in the sidebar [5].
- **"I can't edit the code of a theme I'm trying."** Code editing is not available while a paid theme is on trial [1].

## Further reading

- How sections, blocks and template limits work [4].
- All theme settings, including color schemes and typography [6].

## Sources

1. [Adding themes](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/online-store/themes/adding-themes), Shopify Help Center, accessed 2026-10-08
2. [Duplicating themes](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/online-store/themes/managing-themes/duplicating-themes), Shopify Help Center, accessed 2026-10-08
3. [Theme editor](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/online-store/themes/customizing-themes/theme-editor), Shopify Help Center, accessed 2026-10-08
4. [Sections and blocks](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/online-store/themes/theme-structure/sections-and-blocks), Shopify Help Center, accessed 2026-10-08
5. [Preview inspector](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/online-store/themes/customizing-themes/theme-editor/preview-inspector), Shopify Help Center, accessed 2026-10-08
6. [Customizing theme settings](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/online-store/themes/customizing-themes/theme-editor/theme-settings), Shopify Help Center, accessed 2026-10-08
7. [Publishing themes](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/online-store/themes/managing-themes/publishing-themes), Shopify Help Center, accessed 2026-10-08

Source page: https://webmerchants.net/guides/edit-your-theme