Shopify Checkout Aug 26 Deprecation: What Every Store Needs to Know

On Aug 26 2026, Shopify removes the legacy "Additional Scripts" checkout box for every non-Plus store, which means any Meta Pixel, Google Ads, TikTok Pixel, or custom tracking code still pasted into that box stops running entirely on that date, with no gradual rollout and no fallback. Stores on Shopify Plus already migrated to checkout extensibility under an earlier deadline; this Aug 26 date closes the gap for everyone else still relying on the older method.

What is actually being removed

The Additional Scripts box, found under Shopify admin's Settings > Checkout, has been the default place merchants and their developers pasted third-party tracking and marketing scripts for years, because it was one of the only checkout customization points Shopify exposed without requiring a Plus plan. Shopify's Web Pixels API documentation describes the replacement architecture: a sandboxed, event-driven pixel system that runs pixels in an isolated context rather than injecting arbitrary scripts directly into the checkout page's DOM. This is a security and privacy improvement (sandboxed pixels cannot read or modify checkout page content, including payment fields), but it means any script relying on direct DOM access or unrestricted script execution in checkout simply will not run under the new system without being rewritten.

Who is affected

Every Shopify store on a non-Plus plan that currently uses the Additional Scripts box for any purpose is affected, not just tracking. Common uses include Meta Pixel and Conversions API bridging, Google Ads conversion tracking, TikTok Pixel, affiliate network pixels (Impact, ShareASale, Awin, Rakuten), custom analytics, and third-party review or loyalty program scripts that fire on the checkout confirmation page. Shopify Plus merchants who already moved to Checkout Extensibility ahead of Plus's earlier deadline are unaffected by this specific date, but any Plus store that still has legacy scripts running in parallel should confirm they were actually migrated, not just left in place alongside the new system.

What breaks, specifically, on Aug 26

The most consequential break for paid-advertising-dependent stores is Purchase event tracking. If your Meta Pixel Purchase event, Google Ads conversion tag, or any other checkout-confirmation-page tracking is still routed through Additional Scripts, it stops firing the moment Shopify removes the box, and your ad platforms lose the ability to see completed purchases from your store entirely. Orders will still process normally through Shopify's own systems; only the third-party tracking signal disappears. This is a silent failure from the customer's perspective (checkout still works) and from a casual glance at Shopify admin (orders still show up), which makes it easy to miss until ad performance metrics start looking worse for reasons that aren't obvious.

Why Shopify is making this change now

Shopify has been moving toward a sandboxed, permission-scoped checkout architecture for several years, driven partly by PCI compliance requirements around who can execute code near payment fields and partly by merchant complaints about slow, script-bloated checkout pages built up over years of ad-hoc third-party additions. The Web Pixels API's sandboxing model directly addresses both: a pixel running in an isolated context cannot read payment card data even if compromised, and Shopify can enforce stricter performance budgets on sandboxed pixels than it ever could on freeform injected scripts. Merchants who treat this purely as a tracking inconvenience are missing that the underlying motivation is checkout security and speed, which makes a further extension of the Additional Scripts box unlikely regardless of how many stores are still using it close to the deadline.

The correct migration path

Shopify's supported replacement is the Web Pixels API, either configured directly through Shopify's Customer Events settings (which now supports adding Meta Pixel, Google Analytics, and several other integrations natively without custom code) or through a purpose-built app that registers a compliant web pixel on your behalf. For server-side tracking specifically, Meta's Conversions API documentation describes the server-to-server event path that does not depend on checkout script injection at all, since it sends event data directly from Shopify's backend (or a middleware service) to Meta's servers, bypassing the browser and checkout DOM entirely. A combined browser-pixel-plus-server-side approach, with deduplication via a shared `event_id`, is the most resilient setup against this kind of platform-level change, since a future Shopify checkout update is less likely to break a server-side integration than a browser-injected script.

How to check if you're currently affected

Per Shopify's Customer Events documentation, open Shopify admin, go to Settings > Checkout, and look for the Additional Scripts section. If it contains any pixel or tracking code, you are affected and need to migrate before Aug 26 2026. If it's empty and your tracking already runs through Customer Events or a native app integration, you are likely already on the supported path, but it's still worth confirming your Purchase event fires correctly under the new system rather than assuming a past migration was complete.

What to do if you discover a gap close to the deadline

If Additional Scripts still contains active tracking code and Aug 26 is close, prioritize Purchase/conversion events first, since those directly affect ad platform optimization and reported ROAS. Migrate to Shopify's native Customer Events integration where your tracking platform is supported (Meta Pixel is natively supported as of this writing), or install a dedicated app that handles the Web Pixels API registration correctly. After migrating, run a full checkout test and verify the event arrives in Meta Events Manager's Test Events tab before considering the migration complete; a script that "looks migrated" in code is not confirmed until it's confirmed firing.

FAQ

Does this affect my storefront theme, or only checkout? Only checkout. Scripts in your theme's `theme.liquid` or added through the Web Pixels API for storefront pages are unaffected by this specific change; the Additional Scripts box removal is scoped to the checkout flow only.

I'm on Shopify Plus. Do I need to do anything? If you already completed Shopify Plus's earlier Checkout Extensibility migration, no action is needed for this specific date. If you're unsure whether that migration was completed, or if legacy scripts are still running alongside the new system, verify before Aug 26 2026 rather than assuming.

Will my orders still process correctly if my tracking breaks? Yes. This change affects third-party tracking scripts only, not Shopify's own checkout and payment processing. Customers can complete purchases normally even if your Meta Pixel or Google Ads tracking silently stops working.

How will I know if the migration actually worked? Place a real test order (or use Shopify's test payment gateway) after migrating and check Meta Events Manager's Test Events tab for a Purchase event with correct order value and currency. A successful checkout alone does not confirm tracking works; only checking the receiving platform's event log does.

Is there a grace period after Aug 26? Shopify's own documentation frames this as a hard cutover for non-Plus stores, not a gradual rollout, which is consistent with how Shopify Plus's earlier Checkout Extensibility deadline was enforced. Treat Aug 26 2026 as the date scripts stop, not a date migration should start.

Related reading: our how to verify Meta Pixel installation guide walks through confirming any migration actually worked, and Meta Pixel not firing on Add to Cart covers pre-checkout event troubleshooting. For a full platform-specific fix snippet library, see /meta-monitor/snippets, or run a free scan at PixelProof to check your current checkout tracking status.

Related paste-ready snippets

If your Shopify store shows one of the specific legacy patterns above, PixelProof's snippet library has paste-ready Web Pixels replacements you can copy directly into your theme:

Meta Pixel fbq('track', 'Purchase') in checkout.liquid — the exact snippet stores using checkout.liquid need to replace.

Meta Pixel fbq('track', 'InitiateCheckout') in Additional Scripts — the InitiateCheckout fix for stores that had the pixel in the Additional Scripts box.

GA4 gtag('event', 'purchase') in checkout.liquid — the GA4 Purchase-event replacement for the same checkout.liquid pattern.

Meta CAPI checkout.liquid dependency — server-side CAPI snippet for stores whose CAPI setup still resolves order data through checkout.liquid.

Google Tag Manager dataLayer push in checkout.liquid — GTM dataLayer replacement for stores still pushing purchase events from checkout.liquid.

Google Ads conversion gtag — Google Ads conversion-tag replacement that stops working when the Additional Scripts box is removed.

ShareASale conversion tracking — affiliate SSCID + order-confirmation pixel migration for stores running ShareASale.

AWIN pixel (awin.dwid) — AWIN conversion tag migration for the same non-Plus checkout deadline.

Rakuten LinkShare pixel — Rakuten Advertising conversion-tag migration off the deprecated Additional Scripts path.

Impact.com pixel — Impact partnership pixel migration off order-confirmation.liquid.

Each snippet page includes the legacy detection regex, the sandbox-correct replacement, a test-event verification checklist, and links to the platform's primary-source documentation.

FAQ

Does this affect my storefront theme, or only checkout?

Only checkout. Scripts in your theme's `theme.liquid` or added through the Web Pixels API for storefront pages are unaffected by this specific change; the Additional Scripts box removal is scoped to the checkout flow only.

I'm on Shopify Plus. Do I need to do anything?

If you already completed Shopify Plus's earlier Checkout Extensibility migration, no action is needed for this specific date. If you're unsure whether that migration was completed, or if legacy scripts are still running alongside the new system, verify before Aug 26 2026 rather than assuming.

Will my orders still process correctly if my tracking breaks?

Yes. This change affects third-party tracking scripts only, not Shopify's own checkout and payment processing. Customers can complete purchases normally even if your Meta Pixel or Google Ads tracking silently stops working.

How will I know if the migration actually worked?

Place a real test order (or use Shopify's test payment gateway) after migrating and check Meta Events Manager's Test Events tab for a Purchase event with correct order value and currency. A successful checkout alone does not confirm tracking works; only checking the receiving platform's event log does.

Is there a grace period after Aug 26?

Shopify's own documentation frames this as a hard cutover for non-Plus stores, not a gradual rollout, which is consistent with how Shopify Plus's earlier Checkout Extensibility deadline was enforced. Treat Aug 26 2026 as the date scripts stop, not a date migration should start.