Migrating from Another Theme to Surge

Overview

Switching to Surge is a great step toward improving your store’s performance, flexibility, and conversion-focused design. If you're moving from another Shopify theme, the migration process is straightforward, but there are a few important things to understand to ensure a smooth transition.

Because Shopify themes are structured differently, settings and layouts from your previous theme won’t automatically carry over. This guide walks you through what transfers, what needs to be rebuilt, and best practices for moving to Surge efficiently.

Before You Start

We recommend the following preparation steps:

1. Duplicate Your Live Theme

Always create a backup before making changes.

Shopify Admin → Online Store → Themes → Duplicate

This allows you to safely experiment without affecting your live store.

2. Install Surge as an Unpublished Theme

Add Surge to your theme library but do not publish it yet. This gives you time to configure everything behind the scenes.

What Transfers Automatically

These items are stored at the Shopify store level and will carry over to Surge automatically:

• Products

• Collections

• Pages

• Blogs

• Navigation menus

• Apps

• Files

• Metaobjects / metafields (if previously created)

No manual migration is required for these.

What Needs to Be Rebuilt

Theme-specific elements must be recreated inside Surge since each theme has its own structure and settings:

Theme Customizer Settings

• Homepage sections and layout

• Colors and typography

• Header/footer setup

• Product page layout

• Collection page settings

• Custom blocks or promotional sections

Custom Code

• CSS customizations

• Liquid edits

• Theme file modifications

If you previously added custom code, you’ll need to manually copy or adapt it for Surge’s structure.

Recommended Migration Steps

Step 1 – Configure Global Styles

Set up:

• Brand colors

• Fonts

• Buttons

• Spacing

• General design settings

This ensures consistency across your site.

Step 2 – Rebuild Your Homepage

Recreate sections using Surge’s built-in blocks and conversion-focused layouts.

Tip: Surge includes many native features that may replace custom code or apps you used before.

Step 3 – Set Up Templates

Customize:

• Product pages

• Collection pages

• Blog pages

• Static pages

Leverage Surge’s flexible sections and dynamic sources where possible.

Step 4 – Reconnect Apps & Embeds

Re-enable:

• App embeds

• Third-party widgets

• Tracking scripts

Some apps require reactivation per theme.

Step 5 – Test Everything

Before publishing:

• Check mobile responsiveness

• Test add-to-cart and checkout

• Verify variant selection

• Confirm app functionality

• Review performance

Helpful Tips

✔ Work on Surge in draft mode first
✔ Avoid copying old code unless necessary
✔ Use Surge’s native features whenever possible
✔ Preview frequently on desktop and mobile
✔ Publish only when fully tested

Final Step: Publish Surge

Once everything looks good:

Online Store → Themes → Publish

Your store will immediately switch to Surge.

Need Help?

We’re here to make your migration as smooth as possible.

If you run into any issues or need guidance:

• Click Create a support ticket at the top

• Or email us at [email protected]

Our team will be happy to assist you every step of the way. ?