Working with a developerNote
Collaborator or staff account: how to give a developer access to your Shopify store
Give a developer a collaborator account, not your own login or a staff seat. You approve it with the permissions you choose, and remove it when the work ends.
On this page
A collaborator account is a separate login for a Shopify Partner you've allowed into your store, with only the permissions you give it.
We're a Shopify Partner and build stores on Shopify. When we do Shopify store development, the store and its accounts stay in your name.
How a collaborator account differs from a staff account
A collaborator account is for a developer from outside your business and doesn't use a staff seat. A staff account is for your own team.
| Account type | Who it's for | Uses a staff seat on your plan? | How it ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| Collaborator account | A Shopify Partner doing a piece of work | No. Collaborators don't count towards your user limit. | You remove it, which is permanent, or it expires after 90 days without a login |
| Staff account | Your own team | Yes. Each uses one, and Basic and Starter include none. | You deactivate it, which can be undone, or remove it, which can't |
| Your own login | You alone. Shopify prohibits partners from asking for it. | No. It's the store owner account. | Nothing to remove: you change your password |
Keep the owner account for yourself. Each store has only one store owner, only the owner can transfer ownership, and ownership can't go to a collaborator. Shopify tells partners to ask for a staff account when a task can't be done with a collaborator account. Work in the Shopify POS (point of sale) app is one, because collaborators can't use it.
How to give a developer collaborator access, step by step
You share a code, the developer sends a request, and you approve it.
- Share the codeGo to Settings, then Users (or Users & permissions), then Security, and copy the 4-digit code that every request needs.
- Wait for the requestThe developer sends it from Shopify's Dev Dashboard, and you get an email.
- Check who is askingOpen it under Requests and read the partner details, such as when their Partner account was created.
- Set the roleIn Roles, review the role Shopify built from what they asked for, and cut it to what the work needs.
- AcceptClick Accept request, and the store appears in the developer's list.
Shopify's advice: confirm that you recognise the partner and expected the request. Partners must also turn on two-step authentication, or they can't log in.
Give only the permissions the job needs
Choose permissions for the task, not the person. Collaborators can be given all available permissions in your store, so the limit is yours to set. Theme work for Kesar & Co., a sample linen-clothing store, needs its themes, not its customers or orders.
How to remove a collaborator when the work ends
Go to Settings, then Users, click the collaborator's name and choose Remove. Removal is permanent: to come back, they send a new request. Their name and past actions stay in the store's timelines.
Don't count on the expiry. Access lapses after 90 days without a login, so a developer who logs in now and then keeps it.
If a developer has gone and you can't get in, start with what to do when your developer left.
Next step: write down what the developer will change, then tell us about the work. Our written proposal says what we need from you, access included.
Questions
What's the difference between a Shopify Partner and a collaborator?
A Shopify Partner is a developer or business with a Shopify Partner account. A collaborator is a partner you've let into your store, with the permissions you chose.
What is a Shopify collaborator request code?
It's a 4-digit code under Settings, Users, Security. A developer must enter it to send a request, so only partners you've given it to can ask. If you generate a new code, the old ones stop working.
Should I give my developer my Shopify password?
No. Shopify tells partners that asking a merchant for their password is prohibited. If you've already shared it, change it once the developer has their own access.
Sources
- Shopify Help Center: Collaborator accounts Checked 25 Oct 2026
- Shopify Help Center: User limits by plan Checked 31 Oct 2026
- Shopify Help Center: Working on client stores (for partners) Checked 25 Oct 2026
- Shopify Help Center: Roles managed by Shopify Checked 25 Oct 2026
- Shopify Help Center: Managing users Checked 25 Oct 2026
- Shopify Help Center: Adding themes (sharing a theme preview) Checked 25 Oct 2026
- Shopify Help Center: Exporting reports Checked 25 Oct 2026
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