Short version: Shopify is removing the Checkout Blocks branding editor on December 31, 2026. Your current branding stays exactly as it is, but after that date you cannot change it there. If you style a Shopify Plus checkout with Checkout Blocks, plan where those settings will live before your Black Friday code freeze, not after it.
What is changing
Shopify's help center marks the Checkout Blocks branding editor as deprecated and says it "will be removed on December 31, 2026". Existing branding settings remain unchanged, and Shopify points merchants to a migration guide for future updates. Nothing breaks on January 1. What goes away is the screen you use to edit the branding.
At the platform level the same shift is happening for developers. In API version 2026-04 Shopify introduced the Checkout and Accounts Configuration API (checkoutAndAccountsConfigurationUpdate), which replaces the older Checkout Branding API (checkoutBrandingUpsert) and the Checkout Profile API. The new API sets branding once, with shared design tokens and components, across checkout, customer accounts and sign-in.
Who this affects
- Shopify Plus stores that styled checkout in Checkout Blocks. This is the group that needs a plan. The branding editor was only ever available on Plus.
- Agencies that maintain checkout branding for Plus clients. Every client that relies on the editor needs a new home for those settings.
- Stores on Basic, Shopify or Advanced are not affected. They style checkout in Shopify's own checkout editor, which is not going anywhere.
What the Checkout Blocks editor controlled
It is worth listing, because the replacement has to cover whatever you actually changed:
- Global colors and up to four color schemes
- Header and logo: position, breadcrumbs, cart link
- Main content area and order summary: background images, border widths, color schemes
- Typography across three heading levels: family, size, weight, kerning, letter case
- Primary and secondary buttons: padding, borders, styles
- Form controls: checkboxes, text fields, list options
- Corner radius for inputs, buttons and cards, and product thumbnail borders
- Footer width and policy links, and the favicon
Your three options
1. Move what you can to Shopify's checkout editor
Every plan can set a logo, header and accent colors, background colors for the main area and order summary, button colors, error colors and heading and body fonts in Settings → Checkout → Customize. If your Checkout Blocks branding was mostly colors, logo and fonts, this covers it, and it costs nothing.
It does not cover the finer controls: per-scheme colors, button padding and borders, corner radius, background images per section, three-level typography. That is where Plus stores usually lean on an API.
2. Use the new Checkout and Accounts Configuration API
The API exposes the full set of design tokens and component styles, and it is available only to Shopify Plus stores. You can call it from Shopify's GraphiQL app or have a developer script it. The upside is total control; the downside is that every future tweak, such as a Black Friday color scheme, needs someone who can write a GraphQL mutation.
3. Use an app built on the new API
Apps can give non-developers an editor on top of the same API. When you compare them, check that the app is built on checkoutAndAccountsConfigurationUpdate and not the deprecated branding mutation, so you do not have to migrate twice. We are building a branding editor for Plus stores into Smart Checkout Widgets on the new API; if you install the app, you will get it as soon as it ships.
Migration checklist before your Black Friday freeze
- Record what you have. Screenshot every page of checkout on desktop and mobile, and note every value you changed in the branding editor.
- Sort each setting. Mark whether Shopify's checkout editor can reproduce it (option 1) or whether it needs the API (options 2 and 3).
- Rebuild on a duplicate checkout profile. Publish only after you have placed a test order on mobile and desktop and compared it with your screenshots.
- Include your campaign styles. If you swap branding for Black Friday, decide now who will make that change after the editor is gone.
- Finish before your code freeze. Most stores lock checkout changes in early November. Treat that, not December 31, as your deadline.
What stays the same
- Your existing branding keeps working. Removal of the editor does not reset it.
- Checkout UI extensions, including app blocks for upsells, gifts and trust badges, are unaffected; they pick up whatever branding the checkout has.
- Payment and shipping method rules run as Shopify Functions and have nothing to do with branding.
Frequently asked questions
When is the Checkout Blocks branding editor being removed?
Shopify says it will be removed on December 31, 2026. Existing branding settings remain unchanged, but you cannot edit them there after that date.
Will my checkout branding reset when the editor is removed?
No. Shopify states that existing branding settings remain unchanged. Only the ability to edit them in Checkout Blocks goes away.
What replaces the Checkout Blocks branding editor?
For simple branding, Shopify's own checkout editor, available on every plan. For advanced branding on Shopify Plus, the Checkout and Accounts Configuration API introduced in API version 2026-04, used directly or through an app.
Does this affect stores that are not on Shopify Plus?
No. The Checkout Blocks branding editor was only available on Shopify Plus. Other plans style checkout in Shopify's checkout editor, which is not changing.
Is checkoutBrandingUpsert still usable?
It is deprecated in favour of checkoutAndAccountsConfigurationUpdate. If you or an app still use it, plan a move to the new API so you only migrate once.