Before you start
- You need a Shopify store and the theme ZIP from Account → Purchases (press Download Shopify ZIP).
- Don't unzip the file. Shopify wants the ZIP exactly as you downloaded it.
- Orbital themes are Online Store 2.0 themes, so they work with Shopify's theme editor, sections and app blocks.
1. Upload the ZIP
- In your Shopify admin, go to Online Store → Themes.
- In the theme library, press Add theme, then Upload zip file.
- Choose the ZIP and wait a few seconds while Shopify checks it.
The theme now sits in your theme library. It is not live yet, so your current theme keeps running and visitors see no change.
2. Look around and customise
Press Customize on the new theme to open the theme editor. This is where you change colours, fonts, sections and every page template.
The theme installs with sample text and placeholders. The demo store's products and photos are not in the ZIP, so your own products, collections and photos take their place.
To see the theme on your real storefront before going live, use Preview from the theme's menu. Previews and the editor never use your licence activation.
Some themes have extra features that read product metafields. Their theme pages list them under "Setup notes", and we have guides for Abitessa and Heimalba.
3. Add your licence key
- In the theme editor, open Theme settings (the gear icon) and find License.
- Paste your licence key from Account → Licences into License key.
- Press Save.
You don't type a domain anywhere. The theme activates the key on your live store's domain the first time the published theme loads there. Until a key is active, visitors see a small notice in the corner of the page. More in Activating your licence key.
4. Publish
When you're happy, go back to Online Store → Themes and press Publish on the new theme. It replaces your current theme, which stays in your theme library in case you want to switch back.
Then open your store once in a normal browser window. That first visit activates the licence.
Good to know
- Your store only has a .myshopify.com address? If you publish there, that address counts as your live store. When you connect your own domain later, open a ticket and we'll move the licence. See Move your licence to a new store or domain.
- Switching from another theme? Your products, collections, pages and menus stay. Sections and settings from the old theme don't carry over, so you set those up again in the editor.
- Updating later? See Update a Shopify theme without losing your changes.