How can I recover deleted theme on Shopify?

Shopify offers extensive customization options for your store, allowing you to change almost every page element to match your brand's vision. You can find ready-made design solutions in the Shopify Theme Store and make further improvements by changing their code. These tasks are often delegated to third-party companies or freelancers.

Why should you backup a Shopify theme

Designing an online store is a time-consuming task, and it's essential to ensure that your hard work is protected. If you, an employee, or a freelancer working with a theme makes a mistake, restoring a deleted or corrupted theme without a previously saved copy will be impossible as Shopify does not have a trash can from which you can retrieve the deleted item.

This is why it's so important to be sure that you have a backup copy before making changes to your store's theme or installing a third-party app. Having a backup copy will give you peace of mind and ensure that you can quickly restore your store to a previous state if anything goes wrong.

How to backup Shopify theme files (manually)

The Shopify platform has the capability to save themes, enabling you to manually save a copy before making changes to protect against potential data loss.

1. Go to the Online Store menu tab in your store's admin panel to access the Themes section.

2. Expand the Actions drop-down menu for the current theme and click on the Duplicate option. 

3. Scroll down to find a copy of the theme saved to the Theme library. It is recommended to change the name of the theme for better organization.

For example, you can add a date to the name.

It is advisable to duplicate the theme in this manner each time before making changes. Alternatively, a simpler and more dependable backup method can be provided.

Restore the Shopify theme easily

The BackupMaster app provides an advantage by automatically saving a daily copy of your store, including backups of themes. Upon installation of the app, you can rest assured that a damaged or deleted theme can be restored from the backup version, whether it is due to an error on your part or the unprofessionalism of an outsourcing contractor.

With the BackupMaster app, you no longer have to worry about manual backups, providing peace of mind. Restoring a theme is now just a few clicks away.

1. Find the Theme category on the Backup Storage panel.

2. Choose the desired theme by its name.

3. Select the desired version by date from the drop-down menu.

It is recommended to save the current theme manually as a precaution when restoring.

4. Click the confirmation button and wait briefly for your store's appearance to be restored to the desired version.

With the BackupMaster app, you have the ability to restore not only the entire theme, but also specific elements within the theme.

1. Access the backup version of the theme and select the Theme Assets menu item.

A complete list of assets will be displayed.

2. Use the search bar to locate the desired asset.

Shopify enables its customers to edit the store theme code through the use of Liquid, a templating language consisting of HTML code and Liquid-specific constructs. While editing or adding pre-made code, errors may occur that negatively impact the store's appearance. In the event of such a mistake, it is not necessary to restore the entire theme. Instead, you can simply locate the necessary element in the backup version and undo any unwanted changes.

1. To do this, access the selected asset that contains the code and restore it to a previous version by selecting it by date from the drop-down menu.

2. Click the Restore button and the recovery process will occur almost instantly.

With the BackupMaster app installed, the appearance of your store will return to its normal state.

You can install the BackupMaster app by following this link. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact our specialists at [e-mail]. We're here to help!