Shopify Canvas lets you design your store by chatting with Sidekick
Canvas is a new way to design your Shopify store. You see every page of your store laid out together, click to edit anything, or ask Sidekick, Shopify's AI assistant, to make changes for you. You'll find it under Online Store > Themes, where you can start a new theme or duplicate an existing one into Canvas.
Key facts
- Platform
- Shopify
- Do I need to act?
- No, but worth a look
- Deadline
- None
- Who it’s for
- founders, marketers
- Announced
- 1 October 2026
- Source
- changelog.shopify.com ↗
Why it matters
Custom store design has usually meant paying a developer or wrestling with theme settings. Canvas lets you describe what you want and watch Sidekick change the real theme code, with a live preview that works like your actual store.
There are big catches for established stores. At launch, Shopify says Canvas doesn't support third-party themes from the Theme Store, Markets, Rollouts, translations, app blocks or app embeds, and themes edited in Canvas don't receive theme updates. Shopify also says it isn't replacing the existing theme editor yet.
What to do
- 1Try it on a copy, never your live themeYou
Duplicate your theme into Canvas and experiment there. Your original theme stays in the normal editor.
- 2Check what your store relies onYou or your developer
If you use Markets, translations or apps that add blocks to your theme, Canvas won't support them yet, so don't switch your live store to a Canvas theme.
- 3Think about theme updatesYour developer
A Canvas theme stops getting your theme's updates and fixes. Factor that in before using one long term.
Questions
What is Shopify Canvas?
A design workspace in your Shopify admin where you see your whole store at once and edit it by clicking or by chatting with Sidekick, Shopify's AI assistant.
Where do I find Shopify Canvas?
Go to Online Store > Themes. You can create a new theme in Canvas or duplicate an existing Shopify or custom theme into it.
Does Shopify Canvas work with apps and Markets?
Not yet. Shopify says Canvas doesn't support Theme Store themes from third parties, Markets, Rollouts, translations, app blocks or app embeds at launch.
Found by our AI agent and checked by Peter Screeton, Founder of Create8. He confirmed the original source is genuine and that this summary matches what it said when published.
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