Working with a Shopify developer is common when customising a theme, fixing issues, or making structural changes to a store.
How access is handled during this process matters. Shopify provides specific tools for collaborating with external developers, allowing store owners to control what can be accessed, changed, or removed.
Understanding how to grant access, manage permissions, and remove access once work is complete helps keep the store organised and secure.
Why proper access management matters
Your Shopify admin controls everything: products, orders, customers, payments, and code. Giving full access without understanding what’s needed can expose your store to unnecessary risk.
Shopify’s collaborator access exists specifically for this reason — it allows developers to work on your store without becoming permanent staff accounts.
What is collaborator access?
Collaborator access allows a Shopify Partner (such as a developer or agency) to work on your store using their own Partner account.
Instead of creating a staff account, you approve a collaborator request and choose exactly what they can and can’t access.
This is the recommended and safest way to work with external developers.
How to give collaborator access
To request access, a developer needs two things: a 4-digit collaborator code and your .myshopify.com store address. Both confirm that you approve external access to your Shopify store.
1. Find your collaborator code
The collaborator code is generated inside your Shopify admin and is required before a developer can request access.
- Log in to your Shopify admin
- Go to Settings → Users and permissions (or Users, depending on your admin version)
- Scroll down to the Collaborators section
- Copy the 4-digit collaborator code shown on the page
You can share this code with your developer. Shopify may regenerate it periodically, so make sure you send the current one.
2. Find your .myshopify.com store address
Your .myshopify.com address is your store’s internal Shopify URL. It’s different from your custom domain.
- Log in to your Shopify admin
- Go to Settings → Domains and find the Shopify-managed domain
Share both the collaborator code and your .myshopify.com address with your developer.
Approving the access request
Once the developer submits the request, you’ll receive an email and see it listed in the Collaborators section.
- Review the access request
- Select the permissions you want to grant
- Click Approve request
The developer will only have access to the areas you approve, and you can edit or remove their access at any time.
Once approved, the developer can start working immediately — without needing your login details.
Choosing the right permissions
Permissions should always match the scope of work. More access is not always better.
For example:
- Theme customisation → Online Store permissions
- Bug fixes or performance work → Themes and files access
- App setup → App management access
- Content updates → Pages and blog posts access
A professional Shopify developer will tell you exactly what access they need — and nothing more.
How to edit collaborator permissions
You can update a collaborator’s permissions at any time, even while they’re actively working on your store.
- Go to Settings → Users and permissions (or Users, depending on your admin version)
- Find the collaborator in the list
- Click their name
- Adjust permissions as needed
- Save your changes
This is useful if a project changes scope or if you want to temporarily limit access after a key task is completed.
How to remove a collaborator from your store
Collaborator access does not need to be removed once work is completed. Access can remain in place for ongoing or future work.
If a collaborator does not log in to your store for 90 days, their access will automatically expire.
Store owners can also remove collaborator access manually at any time if access is no longer required or if permissions need to be revoked.
To remove collaborator access:
- Go to Settings → Users and permissions
- Find the collaborator you want to manage
- Click Remove access
- Confirm the removal
Removing collaborator access does not affect any work that has already been completed. It only prevents future access to the store.
Best practices when working with a Shopify developer
- Never share your personal Shopify login credentials
- Use collaborator access instead of staff accounts
- Only grant permissions that are actually required
- Ask for documentation or a summary of changes when work is finished
These small steps create a professional workflow and reduce the risk of accidental issues or security concerns.
Working with the right developer
A good Shopify developer doesn’t just write code — they respect your store, your data, and your long-term goals.
They’ll guide you on access, explain what they’re doing, and leave your store in a better state than they found it.
Conclusion
Working with a Shopify developer should feel safe, transparent, and collaborative.
By using collaborator access correctly and managing permissions thoughtfully, you protect your store while still benefiting from expert support.
If you’re planning to work with a developer or want help setting up a clean, professional workflow, get in touch and we’ll be happy to help.