What happens to customer passwords when you move WooCommerce to Shopify

"Will my customers lose their accounts?" is one of the first questions store owners ask about moving. Older migration guides, including some still ranking on Google, say customers must set a new password through an activation email. That was true of Shopify's old account system. It isn't how new Shopify stores work in 2026.

Why passwords can't move

WordPress never stores your customers' actual passwords. It stores a scrambled version (a hash) that can only be checked, not read back. Shopify uses its own system and can't use WordPress hashes, so there is nothing to carry across. Any migration tool that promises to "migrate passwords" is either working around this with extra apps or isn't telling the whole story.

How customers sign in on Shopify now

In February 2026 Shopify deprecated its legacy customer accounts. They're no longer available to new stores, so a store you migrate to Shopify today uses the current customer accounts. According to Shopify's help centre, customers can sign in with:

• Email and a one-time code. They type their email, Shopify sends a 6-digit code, and they're in. No password to remember or reset.
• Shop. If you use Shop Pay, customers can sign in with their Shop account, including passkeys saved there.
• Google or Facebook, if you turn them on.

The part that matters for a migration: if a customer already has a profile in your Shopify admin, they already have an account. They just sign in with the email on that profile. There's no invite or activation step.

What to check before launch

• Import customers with the same email addresses they use in WooCommerce. The email is now the login, so a typo or an old address means a customer can't find their account.
• Attach imported orders to the right customer. Past orders appear in a customer's account only when each order is linked to their profile. Developers have reported imported orders missing from accounts until the link was set again, so check this rather than assuming.
• Sign in as a test customer on the password-protected store, with a real email you control, and confirm the code arrives and the past orders show.
• Spot-check five real customers in the admin: name, email, addresses and order count should match WooCommerce.
• Check whether the same person has two WooCommerce accounts under different emails. Shopify won't merge them for the customer; you merge them in the admin if needed.
• Brand the sign-in and account pages with your logo and colours, so the code email and sign-in screen don't look like a scam.

What to tell your customers

Send one email after launch. Keep it short:

• The store has moved to a new system, and the web address is the same.
• There's no password any more. To sign in, enter your email and use the code we send you.
• Your past orders, addresses and any subscriptions are already in your account.
• Saved cards need to be added again at your next checkout (unless they're part of a subscription that moved with its payment method; see the subscriptions guide).

Only email customers who agreed to marketing for anything beyond this one service message, and import each customer's consent status so you don't email people who unsubscribed.

What else customers need to know

• Saved payment cards don't move with the customer account. Customers add them again at their next checkout.
• Gift card balances and loyalty points move only if you import them into Shopify or your new loyalty app. Do it before launch so nobody loses money or rewards.
• Wishlists rarely move cleanly. Most stores let them go and mention it in the email.

Questions