How to run Shopify Theme as a developer?
Running a Shopify theme as a developer involves setting up a local development environment, making changes to the theme, and previewing them on a Shopify store. Here’s a step-by-step guide:
Prerequisites
Before you start, make sure you have the following:
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✅ A Shopify Partner Account – Sign up here
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✅ A Development Store – You can create one via your Shopify Partner dashboard
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✅ Git & Node.js installed – Download Git | Download Node.js
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✅ Shopify CLI Installation Guide
# Open the terminal and run below commands
npm install -g @shopify/cli@latest
# For help
shopify help
# For show version
shopify versionClone or Download the Theme
If the theme is on GitHub, clone it using:
git clone https://github.com/YOUR-USERNAME/YOUR-THEME-REPO.git
# Example
git clone https://github.com/shopifyengine/shopify-theme-20-exp-min.gitOtherwise, download the theme from source.
Run the theme
shopify theme dev --store your-store-name.myshopify.comNote : It will ask for login to the Partner Account
What this does:
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Syncs theme files to the store.
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Provides a preview URL
(e.g., https://your-preview-link.myshopify.com). -
Watches for changes and updates the preview in real-time.