The Shopify script tags deprecation is the kind of platform change that breaks stores quietly. Nothing crashes. A size chart disappears from the product page, a reviews widget stops rendering, an affiliate stops getting credited for sales, or a promo bar is simply gone, and nobody notices until a customer or a partner asks. Shopify announced the change on its developer changelog on August 24, 2026, and the first date arrives on October 1.
This guide is written for merchants first. You do not need to read code to follow it, and the check takes about two minutes per store. If you are a developer, the section near the end covers the API side.
The two dates that matter
| Date | What changes | What it means for your store |
|---|---|---|
| October 1, 2026 | Apps can no longer create or update script tags. The scriptTagCreate and scriptTagUpdate mutations return an error, and the REST ScriptTag resource rejects POST and PUT. | Scripts already on your store keep running. An app that has not migrated cannot add its script to a store any more, so a fresh install may do nothing on your storefront. |
| March 1, 2027 | Shopify stops injecting script tags into storefronts. | Every app feature that still loads through a script tag stops appearing on your online store that day. |
The change covers script tags that apps load on the online store. Script tags on the order status page were already covered by an earlier deprecation. The source for both dates is Shopify's own changelog entry, Script tags are deprecated and will stop running on March 1, 2027.
What is a Shopify script tag?
A script tag is the oldest way a Shopify app can put its code on your storefront. When you install the app, it registers a JavaScript file with Shopify, and Shopify loads that file on every page of your store. You never see it in your theme files, which is exactly why it is easy to forget it is there.
Shopify has spent several years moving apps to safer, faster replacements. The main one is the app embed block, which ships inside a theme app extension and shows up in your theme editor as a switch you can turn on and off. The other is the web pixel, which is how apps are now meant to collect analytics and conversion events. Script tags are the last piece of the old approach, and March 1, 2027 is the end of it.
How to check which of your Shopify apps use script tags
You do not need an app or a developer for this. Shopify loads every script tag through one small function in your page source, and it lists them all in one place.
- Open your storefront in Chrome, Safari or Edge, on the home page.
- View the page source. Right-click and choose View Page Source, or press Ctrl+U on Windows or Option+Command+U on a Mac.
- Search the source for
asyncLoadwith Ctrl+F or Command+F. - Read the list after
var urls = [. Every URL in that list is a script tag. Each one ends withshop=followed by yourmyshopify.comaddress, which is how you know it was added for your store by an app. - Match each domain to an app in Settings, then Apps. The domain usually contains the app or company name.
If asyncLoad is not in your page source at all, no script tags are loading on that page and you have nothing to do for this deadline. Check a product page too, because a few apps only load on certain templates.
asyncLoad list, it may be loading twice, and the old script tag is the one to remove.What we found on real stores
On September 25, 2026 we ran this exact check on the live storefronts of the Shopify stores in our portfolio. Of the 10 we could read, 8 still load at least one app through a script tag, 27 scripts in total, between 1 and 7 per store. These are well-run stores with active owners. The scripts are there because nothing ever prompted anyone to look.
The apps behind those 27 scripts fell into familiar groups:
- Affiliate and referral tracking, where a missing script means partners stop being credited for the sales they send.
- Reviews and loyalty widgets on product and account pages.
- Size charts, color swatches and product customizers, the features shoppers use right before they add to cart.
- Returns, subscriptions and live chat widgets.
- Search, promotion bars and delivery cut-off timers.
- Pay-later messaging and ad retargeting scripts.
Several of those vendors already ship an app embed. In those cases the fix is a switch in the theme editor plus removing the old script. Others have not announced anything yet. Either way, the list from your own page source is the only one that tells you what your store depends on.
What to do with each script you find
Once you have your list, every script ends up in one of four buckets.
1. The app already has an app embed
Turn the embed on in the theme editor, check the feature on a product page and in the cart, then ask the vendor to remove the old script tag, or reinstall the app if their support team recommends it. Test on a duplicate of your live theme first if the feature affects pricing or checkout.
2. The app is still on script tags
Email the vendor and ask two questions: when will the app embed or web pixel version ship, and will the switch need anything from you. Put their answer in your calendar well before March 1, 2027. If they have no plan, that is your answer: start looking for an alternative now, while you have months rather than days.
3. You no longer use the app
Uninstall it. Uninstalling removes the app's script tags, and it is the easiest speed and security win you will get this year.
4. It was a custom script, not an app
Some stores have script tags created by a private or custom app a developer built years ago. Nobody will send you an email about those. They need rebuilding as an app embed or a web pixel before March 1, 2027. This is the work our Shopify app development team does, and for simple cases it is usually a small job.
Why tracking scripts deserve a closer look
Losing a size chart is visible. Losing a tracking script is not. Affiliate networks, ad platforms and analytics tools often loaded through script tags, and when they stop, sales still happen but attribution quietly drops. If an affiliate or ad partner appears in your list, confirm with them that their web pixel version is live and reporting before you remove anything, and compare a week of numbers either side of the switch.
For developers: finding and replacing script tags
To list every script tag on a store, query the Admin GraphQL API with a token that has the read_script_tags scope:
query {
scriptTags(first: 100) {
nodes { id src displayScope createdAt }
}
}Anything returned with an online store display scope needs migrating or deleting. Shopify's guidance is to replace each script tag with an app embed block in a theme app extension, which merchants activate in the theme editor, and to move scripts that only collect analytics or conversion data to a web pixel, which needs no action from the merchant. Existing tags can still be read and deleted after October 1, so clean-up scripts keep working.
For what it is worth, none of our own Miko apps requests permission to create script tags. Their storefront features load through theme app extensions and their tracking through web pixels, which is why this deadline is a non-event for merchants who use them. We checked the code and the app configurations again this week before writing that sentence.
A simple plan from today to March 2027
- This week: run the
asyncLoadcheck on your home page and one product page, and write down every domain. - By October: match each domain to an app, uninstall what you do not use, and email every vendor still on script tags.
- By December: switch on the app embeds that have shipped, remove the old scripts, and replace any app with no migration plan.
- By February 2027: run the check again. The goal is an empty
asyncLoadlist, or noasyncLoadat all.
If you would rather hand the whole thing over, we audit stores for exactly this, migrate custom scripts to app embeds and web pixels, and handle the vendor follow-up. Tell us your store address and we will send you the list from your own page source.
FAQ: Shopify script tags deprecation
When do Shopify script tags stop working?
On March 1, 2027 Shopify stops injecting script tags into storefronts, so any app that still relies on one stops loading on your store that day. From October 1, 2026 apps can no longer create or update script tags, although existing ones keep running until March 1, 2027.
What happens to Shopify script tags on October 1, 2026?
From October 1, 2026 the scriptTagCreate and scriptTagUpdate mutations return an error and the REST ScriptTag resource rejects POST and PUT. Script tags already on your store keep running, and they can still be read and deleted. An app that has not migrated can no longer add its script to a store, so a fresh install of that app may show nothing on your storefront.
How do I know if my Shopify apps use script tags?
Open your storefront, view the page source and search for asyncLoad. If it is there, the list of URLs after var urls = is every script tag on your store, and each URL carries your myshopify.com address. Match each domain to an app in Settings, then Apps. If asyncLoad is not in the source, no script tags are loading on that page.
What replaces script tags in Shopify?
Shopify asks developers to replace each script tag with an app embed block shipped in a theme app extension, which the merchant switches on in the theme editor. Scripts that only collect analytics or conversion data should move to a web pixel, which needs no action from the merchant.
Do I need to do anything as a Shopify merchant?
Yes, a little. Find which of your apps still load through script tags, ask each vendor for their replacement and date, and when they ship an app embed, switch it on under Online Store, Themes, Customize, App embeds. Apps you no longer use should be uninstalled, and custom scripts added by a developer need to be rebuilt before March 1, 2027.
