Magento to Shopify migration: a checklist for the decisions that matter
The data is the easy part of leaving Magento. This checklist covers the decisions that decide how the move goes: product mapping, extensions, redirects, customer accounts and timing.
A Magento to Shopify migration is rarely hard because of the data. Products, customers and orders all have a path into Shopify. It gets hard because Magento lets you model almost anything, and Shopify asks you to fit a simpler shape. Attribute sets, configurable and bundle products, multiple store views and years of extensions all need a decision before anything is imported.
Most guides give you the same six steps and a list of migration apps. This one is a working checklist built around the decisions that actually decide how a Magento move goes, with Shopify's and Adobe's own documentation cited at the bottom. Limits and dates were checked on 20 October 2026.
Why Magento stores are moving now
For a lot of merchants, the trigger is the upgrade calendar. Adobe's lifecycle policy for Adobe Commerce lists the end of standard support for version 2.4.6 as August 11, 2026, and for 2.4.7 as May 31, 2027. Every Magento 2 store faces the same question on a regular cycle: pay for another version upgrade, with extension compatibility work and regression testing, or move to a hosted platform where the core is updated for you.
That is a fair reason to look at Shopify, but it isn't a reason on its own to migrate. The sections below include an honest "when not to" check. If you're on a supported version, your extensions are healthy and your team is comfortable running the stack, an upgrade can be the cheaper path for now.
Map your Magento data model before you export anything
This is the step most checklists skip, and it's where a migration is won or lost. Magento and Shopify store products very differently, so write down how each Magento concept will land in Shopify before you touch an export.
| Magento | Shopify equivalent | What to decide |
|---|---|---|
| Simple product | Product with one variant | Usually a direct map. |
| Configurable product | Product with variants | Which attributes become options (Shopify allows up to 3 per product). |
| Bundle or grouped product | No direct equivalent | An app, a Cart Transform built with Shopify Functions, or separate products. |
| Attribute sets and custom attributes | Metafields and metaobjects | Which attributes the theme and filters need, and which can be dropped. |
| Categories | Collections | Manual or automated collections, and how nested categories become navigation. |
| Store views and websites | Markets, languages or separate stores | One store with Markets, or several stores (Plus includes expansion stores). |
| Customer groups and tier prices | Customer tags, discounts or B2B | Whether you need Shopify's B2B features, which are a Plus feature. |
Two Shopify limits shape this mapping. A product can have up to 2,048 variants and up to 3 options, according to Shopify's help center. Magento configurables with four or more configurable attributes need a rethink: merge two attributes into one option, split the product, or capture extra choices another way. Shopify suggests an app or line item properties in theme code for products beyond those limits.
Bundles and kits are where custom work most often appears. In our configurable kits case study, an automotive parts retailer moving from WooCommerce sold kits of forty or more parts, and we used a Cart Transform so each kit showed as one line while every part stayed a real line item for inventory. Magento bundle products raise the same question, and it's better answered during mapping than after import.
The Magento to Shopify migration checklist
Shopify's own migration guide sets out the core order: import content and data, verify products, set up the theme, shipping, taxes and payments, place test orders, add staff, then move the domain. Here is that sequence with the Magento-specific work added.
1. Audit what you have
- Export a full list of products, categories, CMS pages and blog posts, plus every URL Google has indexed (Search Console and a crawl of the live site).
- List every Magento extension and what it does for the business, not just its name. Each one needs a Shopify app, a native feature, custom code or a decision to drop it.
- List integrations: ERP, 3PL, CRM, email, reviews, search, tax. Note which ones talk to Magento directly.
2. Choose a transfer method for each data type
Shopify lists five options, from copy and paste to CSV files, a migration app, hiring a Shopify Partner, or a custom build on the Shopify API. Most Magento moves combine them: an app or CSV tool for the bulk of products, customers and orders, and scripts for anything custom. Migration tools such as Matrixify publish a Magento-specific process, and note that Shopify validates some data more strictly than Magento, such as customer email domains and phone numbers with country codes. Expect to clean data before the import succeeds.
3. Import in the right order
Shopify's guidance is to import products first, then customers, then historical orders, so orders can link to both. Before importing orders, turn off staff notifications for new orders, or your team may get an email for every historical order.
4. Rebuild the storefront
Magento themes don't transfer. You either adapt a Shopify theme to your brand or build a custom one. This is also the moment to cut the extension-driven clutter many Magento storefronts collect. See Shopify theme development for how we approach that.
5. Replace extensions and custom logic
Work through your extension list. Many map to apps. The rest, such as custom pricing rules, bundle logic or checkout validation, often become Shopify Functions or a custom Shopify app. Check which features need Shopify Plus before you choose a plan.
6. Test like it's launch day
Place real test orders through every payment method and shipping zone. Check tax, emails, discounts, inventory sync with your ERP or 3PL, and order export to fulfillment. The checkout is new to your customers too, so review it for friction. Our post on checkout frictions is a useful list to test against.
7. Cut over and do a final sync
Keep Magento live while you build. On launch day, run a final delta import of new orders and customers, switch the domain, and watch orders, analytics and Search Console closely for the first few weeks. Shopify notes that Google can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks to index the new store.
SEO and redirects: the Magento details
Shopify uses fixed URL paths such as /products/ and /collections/, so nearly every Magento URL will change. Magento URLs often end in .html and can include category paths, so build the redirect map from your crawl and Search Console data, not from the product export alone.
- Limits. Shopify allows up to 100,000 URL redirects per store, or up to 20,000,000 on Plus. Large catalogs with layered navigation URLs can approach the standard limit, so redirect the URLs that have traffic or links, not every filter combination.
- Redirects only work from broken URLs. Shopify's help center says a redirect won't work if the old URL still loads a valid page. Don't create a Shopify page at an old path you also want to redirect.
- Restricted paths. Shopify can't redirect certain paths, including some
.htmlcases and its own reserved prefixes. Test a sample of old Magento URLs on the new store before the domain moves. - Markets. If you sell in several markets with subfolders, redirects don't apply to each subfolder automatically.
- Bulk import. Shopify accepts a redirect CSV under Content, Menus, URL redirects. Set redirects up before you transfer the domain.
Carry over titles and meta descriptions for pages that rank, and rebuild structured data in the new theme.
Customer accounts and passwords
Customer passwords can't be moved from Magento, because they're stored as hashes. Many older guides then tell you to send every customer an account invite. On Shopify today that matters less. With Shopify's current customer accounts, customers enter their email address and get a one-time 6-digit code, and Shopify says a password isn't required to sign in. Imported customers keep their history and sign in with their email.
If your theme or integrations depend on legacy customer accounts, or you use single sign-on, plan that separately. Plus stores can connect their own identity provider.
Shopify or Shopify Plus after Magento?
Magento stores often assume they need Plus. Many don't. The deciding features are usually B2B with customer-specific catalogs and pricing, checkout customization beyond what standard plans allow, several stores for brands or regions, and higher API limits for heavy integrations. If none of those apply, a standard plan may be enough. Our Shopify Plus pricing guide walks through the costs and a break-even test, and the Shopify Plus page covers what we build on it.
When not to migrate yet
Moving platforms is a big project, and some Magento stores should wait:
- Your core business logic has no Shopify equivalent and you haven't scoped how to rebuild it. Scope first.
- Your ERP or warehouse integration is deeply tied to Magento and the vendor has no Shopify connector. Budget for the integration before committing.
- You're on a supported version, the store is stable and a peak season is close. Upgrade, get through the season, and migrate when there's room to test.
- You want a redesign, a new catalog structure and a new ERP at the same time. Doing all three at once multiplies the risk. Sequence them.
If you'd like a second opinion on the mapping or the plan, see our Shopify migration service. We start with an audit of what moves, what needs rebuilding and what can be dropped.
Questions
It depends on catalog size, custom features and integrations. A store with simple products and few extensions moves much faster than one with bundles, customer-specific pricing and an ERP. Map the data model and extensions first, then you can build a realistic timeline.
Not if every indexed URL gets a 301 redirect, titles and meta descriptions carry over, and you monitor Search Console after launch. Most ranking drops after a migration come from missing redirects. See Shopify migration for how we handle it.
No. Passwords are stored as hashes and can't be transferred. With Shopify's current customer accounts, customers sign in with a one-time code sent to their email, so they don't need to set a new password.
Configurable products become Shopify products with variants, up to 3 options and 2,048 variants each. Bundle and grouped products have no direct equivalent and usually need an app or custom logic built with Shopify Functions.
Not always. Plus is worth it for B2B catalogs and pricing, deeper checkout customization, multiple stores or heavy integrations. Many Magento stores run well on a standard plan. Read our Shopify Plus pricing guide.
Sources
Planning to leave Magento?
Tell us what you run today. We'll map what moves, what needs rebuilding and what it will take, before you commit.