Migrate your theme

Moving from one theme to another might feel like starting from scratch, but it doesn't have to! Here's a few things to know about migrating to a new theme.

If you have any questions about setting up features in Cornerstone, please get in touch with our Support.

What do I need to transfer?

Content and settings that were set up in the theme editor cannot be transferred automatically. You will need to set up sections for each template and apply new theme settings. Below, we'll cover how you can approach setting up your theme to make it faster and more efficient.

Any content and settings added in the Shopify admin will remain unchanged.

What you need to transfer

  • Section content (text, images, and videos)

  • Section settings

  • Theme settings

  • Custom code

  • Apps

What you DON'T need to transfer

  • Products

  • Collections

  • Pages

  • Blog posts

  • Files

  • Metafields

Before you start

To get started, open the editor for both the old and new theme.

Set up your new theme

To make setting up your theme easier, start by just adding sections and content (text, images, and video). That way, you'll have the essentials before focusing on settings and stylistic details.

We recommend following the order below to set up your theme:

1. Section content
2. Theme styles
3. Section styles

Set up each section and copy over any text, images, and videos. Start with the home page, then set up other templates, including products, collections, and pages.

Apply global styles and options to your theme, including fonts and colors.

Return to your new sections and customize their individual settings and styles.

Add sections

Add and rearrange the section you want to use. You can see a full list of Cornerstone's theme sections here.

We recommend hiding sections instead of deleting them. Not only will this be faster but you can avoid making mistakes that you can't undo.

Add text

With your two windows side-by-side, select and copy text from your previous theme and paste theme into the corresponding fields.

Can't find where to add content?

  • There might be a similar field with a different name. For example, there may be a "subheading" instead of "text".

  • Click (+) Add block to find additional content blocks. For example, some sections have "heading" and "text" blocks.

Add images and videos

Any images that you've uploaded to your old theme will still be in your Shopify files. Click (+) Add image, you can find them all in the media library.

Quick tip

  • Search file names You can copy the name of the image file from your old theme and paste it into the search bar. This will save you time from scrolling through your entire media library.\

  • Select videos from library If you added a .mp4 video in your old theme, you can select the video from your media library, instead of pasting the file URL.

Set up styles

After adding your content, you can apply global styles, such as colors and fonts, then follow up by fine-tuning styles for individual sections.

Theme settings

Go to Theme settings in your theme editors. You can select a preset theme style, or set up your own custom branding, including colors and fonts.

You will also find additional settings for products, the cart, and more. You can find a full overview in the theme settings guide.

Quick tip

  • Colors To speed things along, click on the color swatches and copy the hexcode to paste into the new theme's settings.

  • Fonts All themes support Shopify's native font library. Available font settings for types of content will vary between themes. If you're looking for more, check out our guide on adding custom fonts.

  • Swatches If you had swatches set up in your previous theme, add the option names you were using for swatches and chips. Any custom swatch images will still be in your Shopify files. You can also add custom colors or use variant images (see Swatches guide).

Sections

After customizing the theme settings, go back to your updated page templates to customize your sections. You can find a full list and set up instructions in the Theme sections guide.

Set up apps

You may need to re-add apps and app blocks in the theme editor. Be sure to explore Cornerstone's theme features to see if Cornerstone already has built in what you're looking for.

Our support cannot cover app integration or fixing issues arising from apps. Please contact the app developer for help.

Configure custom code

When setting up your theme, make a duplicate copy as a backup to test any custom code changes.

If your previous theme has code customizations, they need to be manually transferred to the new theme. Custom code is often theme-specific and may not work by pasting code as-is.

Our support cannot cover custom code or issues arising from customizations. If you need help from a developer, we recommend reaching out to Shopify Experts ↗ or Task Husky ↗.

  • Use Custom CSS If you're familiar with adding code, you can use Custom CSS in the theme editor. It's more stable and you don't need to manually transfer it for theme updates.

Explore new features

Check out the sidebar or use the search to find features that are unique to Cornerstone. You may want to start with Sections, Theme settings, Product pages, and Collection pages.

You can also check out Cornerstone's store demos for inspiration: Glow | Barista | Flair | Botanical

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