Explainer
Shopify new customer accounts and Multipass: what happens when you upgrade
On Shopify Plus, an existing Multipass integration keeps working when you upgrade to the new customer accounts, and Shopify says no action is needed. New stores can’t get Multipass, and a store that leaves Plus loses it on the new accounts. Shopify’s upgrade page doesn’t say that upgrading merges or removes duplicate customer records.
By MergeGuard team
5 min read
On this page
- What is the difference between new and legacy customer accounts?
- What happens to Multipass when you upgrade
- Who can use Multipass
- What happens to customers who already have a legacy account?
- Does upgrading merge or remove duplicate customers?
- How Multipass relates to merging customers
- Is there a deadline for new customer accounts?
- How do I upgrade to Shopify’s customer accounts?
- Sources
Merchants still search for “new customer accounts”, the name Shopify used before December 9, 2024, when its changelog says it changed the name. Its pages now say “customer accounts” for the current version and “legacy customer accounts” for the older one, and this guide uses both.
It covers Multipass, customer records and merging. We read Shopify’s pages on November 1, 2026. Shopify is retiring the legacy version, so read them again before you act.
Words in this guide
Key insight
Multipass keeps working for a Plus store that already uses it. Shopify’s upgrade page says nothing about merging customers or removing duplicates.
What is the difference between new and legacy customer accounts?
The new customer accounts sign customers in with a one-time 6-digit code sent by email, with no registration step. Legacy customer accounts use an email and a password.
Legacy customer accounts are deprecated. Shopify’s December 9, 2024 changelog post says “Classic customer accounts” became “legacy customer accounts”.
What else Shopify’s pages say:
| Topic | What Shopify says |
|---|---|
| Status of legacy | Deprecated since February 26, 2026, with no feature updates or technical support. Not available to new stores. |
| Theme change | A legacy store that moves to a theme without the legacy files is upgraded automatically. |
| Apps | Legacy accounts do not support customer account UI extensions. |
| Reverting an upgrade | Possible within 30 days, per the upgrade page. |
What happens to Multipass when you upgrade
A Plus store that already uses Multipass keeps it. Shopify’s upgrade page says, under Limitations:
“…your existing integration continues to work after you upgrade, and no action is needed.”
Shopify’s Multipass developer docs say stores already using it keep access after they upgrade.
Who can use Multipass
Multipass is open only to Shopify Plus stores that already have it.
“Multipass is no longer available to new stores.”
- Plan. “Your store must be on a Shopify Plus plan.”
- Downgrade. “A store that downgrades off Shopify Plus loses Multipass on new customer accounts.”
- New integrations. “If you’re building a new integration, then connect a third-party identity provider instead.”
A Plus store can also connect its own identity provider, which replaces the default sign-in (customer accounts page).
What happens to customers who already have a legacy account?
Customers who created a legacy customer account stay enabled after the upgrade. Shopify’s upgrade page covers sign-in and does not describe what happens to customer records. These are the statements we found.
- Account status. Shopify marks a customer’s account as enabled at their first sign-in to customer accounts, and tells apps that subscribe to those events.
- Web addresses. Shopify redirects the legacy account URLs after you upgrade.
- Customizations. Legacy customizations you do not rebuild before you upgrade do not carry over.
- Existing customers. Shopify’s customer accounts page says: “If your customer has a customer profile in your Shopify admin, then they already have an account.”
- New addresses. The same page says a sign-in with an email address not tied to an existing profile creates a new profile automatically.
Does upgrading merge or remove duplicate customers?
Shopify’s pages do not say so. The upgrade page does not mention merging or duplicates, and no page we read describes a step that merges, removes or splits customer records. We found no statement that upgrading changes which customers exist, so we do not claim it.
One rule bears on duplicates: a person who signs in with a different address from the one on file can end up with a second profile. That is our reading, and Shopify does not call it a duplicate. Why Shopify creates duplicate customers lists the other routes.
Shopify also says: “Customers can’t merge multiple customer profiles together by changing their email address.” When a customer asks you to merge accounts, you can merge their profiles in your Shopify admin.
How Multipass relates to merging customers
A Multipass login blocks a Shopify merge. It is one of the nine cases on Shopify’s help page for merging customers:
“Either of the customer profiles has a multipass login.”
Multipass appears only as an item in that list, with no definition and no note on when the limit clears. Shopify’s pages do not say whether an upgrade changes it. Because Multipass keeps working after an upgrade, plan on such a profile staying blocked until Shopify says otherwise. That is our reading, not a Shopify statement. Why Shopify blocks some merges lists all nine cases.
A merge is permanent, and Shopify says so:
“After the profiles are merged, you can’t reverse the process.”
Plan the upgrade and any merges as separate jobs, and review duplicates after the upgrade settles.
MergeGuard for Shopify merges through Shopify, so it cannot merge a pair that Shopify blocks. It shows the group as Protected with the reason Multipass login and never merges it automatically. Audiences can still count the profiles as one person.
Is there a deadline for new customer accounts?
As of November 1, 2026, the pages we read give no final deadline, because the date legacy customer accounts end is still to be announced. Shopify’s changelog post of February 26, 2026 announced the deprecation and recommends upgrading as soon as possible.
“A final sunset date for legacy customer accounts will be announced later in 2026.”
We found no date in Shopify’s help pages, developer docs or changelog on November 1, 2026. Shopify may have posted one since, so check the changelog before you plan around a deadline.
How do I upgrade to Shopify’s customer accounts?
Shopify’s upgrade page gives nine steps, from reviewing your legacy customizations to choosing Upgrade in Settings, Customer accounts. Its checks:
Pass the upgrade check
Your store must pass it first.
Recreate your customizations
Use apps, built-in features or a developer.
Publish and test
Publish your configuration and test every sign-in option.
Review Shopify Flow and segments
Check them yourself, because Sidekick, Shopify’s assistant, does not. A workflow on the customer account enabled trigger starts at a customer’s first sign-in, not for customers who already had a legacy account.
Test Multipass if you use it
Confirm your store is on Shopify Plus and test a Multipass sign-in afterward.
Keep a pair apart when you are unsure it is one person.
Sources
- Shopify Help Center: Upgrading to customer accounts from legacy customer accounts
- Shopify Help Center: Customer accounts
- Shopify Help Center: Customer accounts and legacy customer accounts
- Shopify developer docs: Multipass
- Shopify developer changelog: Legacy customer accounts are deprecated
- Shopify Changelog: Legacy customer accounts are deprecated
- Shopify developer docs: Building apps for customer accounts
- Shopify Changelog: New customer accounts is now customer accounts
- Shopify developer changelog: First sign-ins to customer accounts now set Customer.state and send customers/enable webhooks
- Shopify Help Center: Managing customers, Merging customer profiles
Related
- Why can’t I merge customers in Shopify?Shopify blocks some customer merges. Here are the 9 cases from Shopify’s help page, what each one means, and what you can still do with those profiles.
- How to merge customers in Shopify: the complete rulesShopify merges two profiles at a time, combines their data, keeps the profile tied to the email you choose and can’t reverse it. The rules and choices.
- Why Shopify creates duplicate customersEleven causes of duplicate customers in Shopify, from guest checkout and second emails to POS and imports, with the evidence behind each cause.
- Protected profilesSee which duplicate Shopify customers can’t be merged, the Shopify rule that blocks each one, and how MergeGuard still counts them as one person in Audiences.
- Safe merge checklist for Shopify customer profilesShopify customer merges are permanent. Run these 8 checks first: the match, shared emails, kept details, subscriptions, blockers, limits and automation.
- Protected profileA protected profile is a customer Shopify blocks from merging, such as one with a past subscription or store credit. See why, and what you can still do with it.