Why should you update your theme?
All of our themes are robust and well-maintained, and we regularly release upgrades that offer new features and functionality and bug fixes.
Check out our blog article that goes into tons of details on why you should be keeping your theme up to date.
In order to advantage of these free updates, we recommend using our Theme Updater App (which is also free!).
The official Shopify Theme Updater Shopify App by Out of the Sandbox is the easiest, fastest and most convenient way to update your theme.
This app exclusively supports all Out of the Sandbox themes and is completely free for all of our customers.
Quick tips about the Theme Updater App
- When you purchase a theme, you are entitled to free upgrades for life
- Theme upgrades are always optional but highly recommended
- The theme upgrade will duplicate your theme settings and apply them to the updated theme. The updated theme will not replace your published theme, but will be available as an unpublished theme (which you can choose to publish when you are ready!)
- Please note that if you decide not to update your theme and begin experiencing difficulties with your theme, we may not be able to provide support for the issue, especially if it has been resolved in a subsequent version. In these cases, you may be able to hire a developer to help you resolve the issue.
- More questions? See our Theme Updater FAQ page
Important note if you are using a "pre-section" theme version: If you are updating an older theme between any of these version ranges, you will need to rebuild your homepage after the update. To learn how to determine what version you are using, click here.
Parallax 1.0 - 2.4.4
Retina 1.0 - 3.2.3
Mobilia 1.0 - 4.4.4
Responsive 1.0 - 5.2
Turbo 1.0 - 1.2.5
After updating from a theme in the version ranges above, your unpublished homepage will appear be replaced with "dummy" content that you will need to configure before going live.
Once you are using Parallax 3.0+, Retina 4.0+, Mobilia 5.0+, Responsive 6.0+ or Turbo 2.0+, rebuilding the homepage each time you update is no longer necessary in most cases when using our theme updater app.
Upgrades and new styles
When a new theme style is released, there is no way to add the new style without installing a fresh copy of the theme. The Theme Updater App will updated your code, but cannot added new styles at this time.
Alternative method to update your theme (without the Theme Updater App):
If you purchased your theme directly from the Out of the Sandbox website:
When a theme update is released, you should receive an email containing a new download link and upgrade instructions. If for some reason you don't receive it please contact the support team and we'll send you the files directly.
If you purchased your theme from the Shopify Theme Store:
You can go back to the Theme Store to download the latest version of your theme for free (just be sure to be logged into the same shop that you originally purchased the theme):
Parallax Theme
Retina Theme
Mobilia Theme
Responsive Theme
NOTE: your theme will install as a new and separate theme in your Themes section. You should plan to customize and prepare your new theme in "preview" mode until you are ready to go live with it:
Tips and Best Practices for alternative method:
- have your current site open in a separate window or take a few screenshots as a visual reference
- have all your image files (logo, favicon, banner pictures) easily accessible in a local folder so that when you need to add those again through the theme customizer, you can find and upload them easily
- make a note of all of your social media account links and information (user names, client #, etc.) so that they're easy to copy and paste from one place
- set up a simple text document that includes as much info as possible about all the current theme settings that you want to reproduce, including any colors and fonts you've used throughout the current site (e.g. button color = #f9068f, Headline text = Google web font 'Lato', 20px, etc.); it's often easier to refer to the one document rather than switching back and forth between the theme customizer of the current site and the theme customizer of the new one in preview mode
- if you've made any changes or additions to your actual theme files (styles.scss.liquid, index.liquid, etc.) see if you can locate and make note of these in a separate text file, so that you can reproduce them all in the new version (a ‘changelog’ like this is a good thing to maintain at all times, as it will help you keep track of all your customizations and make any future upgrades easier!)
- as you customize your new theme upgrade, work your way from the top down, starting with the top bar/header section: re-add your logo and favicon, then re-add your images in the Home Page / Home Page Slider sections, and then deal with the fonts and colors, and finally the newsletter and social media info
Finally, don't forget that you can also take this opportunity of the theme upgrade to change things up a bit in your shop (add some new pictures, try out some new colors, etc.) and take your time; just keep working in preview mode and then when you're finally ready to make the switch, hit the 'Publish' button!
FAQ for the alternative method:
Q: Can I switch to the new theme automatically, without losing my customizations?
A: Unfortunately not, you will need to apply (reproduce) all your custom edits in the new theme manually. This only applies if you are using the alternative method - your theme settings and customizations will be carried over if you use the free Theme Updater app.
Q: Can I selectively add features from the updated theme to my current theme?
A: It would require additional development to selectively add an individual feature and is not recommended. We also have a list of recommended Shopify Experts.
For more Frequently Asked Questions about our Theme Updater App please see here!