A tour of your Shopify admin
A plain-English walkthrough of the Shopify admin interface — every menu, panel, and section explained so you can navigate confidently.
When you log in to Shopify, you land in the Shopify admin — the control center for your entire store. Everything you need is here: products, orders, customers, settings, and more.
Quick summary
The Shopify admin has a left-hand navigation menu with sections for Orders, Products, Customers, Analytics, Marketing, Discounts, and more. The Home page shows a snapshot of recent activity. Settings are at the very bottom of the left menu.
The Home page
The first screen you see after logging in is the Home page. It shows you:
- Recent orders and their statuses
- A sales summary for today, this week, or a custom date range
- Tasks or setup tips if your store is new
- Shortcuts to common actions like "Create product" or "View orders"
You can return to the Home page any time by clicking Home at the top of the left-hand menu.
The left-hand navigation menu
All the major sections of your store live in the left-hand sidebar. Here is what each section does:
| Menu item | What you do here |
|---|---|
| Orders | View, process, and manage customer orders |
| Products | Add, edit, and organize your products |
| Customers | View customer profiles and purchase history |
| Analytics | Sales reports, traffic, and conversion data |
| Marketing | Set up campaigns and automations |
| Discounts | Create discount codes and automatic discounts |
| Apps | Add features to your store via the Shopify App Store |
| Sales channels | Manage where you sell (online store, social, etc.) |
| Settings | All store configuration — payments, shipping, taxes, staff, and more |
Orders
The Orders section is where you manage everything that happens after a customer buys. You can:
- See every order with its status (Unfulfilled, Fulfilled, Cancelled, etc.)
- Open an order to see what was bought, who bought it, and where it ships
- Mark orders as fulfilled once you have shipped them
- Issue refunds or cancel orders
See Orders explained and Processing orders for full walkthroughs.
Products
The Products section is your catalog. From here you can:
- Add new products and edit existing ones
- Manage variants (sizes, colors, etc.)
- Organize products into collections
- Track and adjust inventory
See How to add a product to get started.
Analytics
The Analytics section shows how your store is performing:
- Overview — a summary of sales, sessions, and conversion rate
- Reports — detailed breakdowns by product, customer, or time period
- Live view — real-time activity on your store
Not sure what a metric means?
Check the Shopify glossary for plain-English definitions of terms like "conversion rate" and "average order value."
Discounts
The Discounts section is where you create:
- Discount codes customers enter at checkout
- Automatic discounts that apply without a code (e.g. buy 2 get 1 free)
Settings
Settings is at the bottom of the left menu. This is where you configure the core of your store:
| Setting | What it controls |
|---|---|
| General | Store name, address, currency, timezone |
| Payments | Payment providers, Shopify Payments setup |
| Checkout | What customers see and fill in at checkout |
| Shipping and delivery | Shipping zones, rates, and profiles |
| Taxes and duties | Tax rates and collection rules |
| Plan | Your current subscription and billing |
| Users and permissions | Staff accounts and their access levels |
| Notifications | Emails sent to you and your customers |
| Domains | Connect or buy a custom domain |
The search bar
At the very top of the admin, there is a search bar. You can use it to jump straight to any product, order, or customer by typing their name or order number. This is the fastest way to find something specific.
Common questions
Related guides
- How to log in to Shopify
- What is Shopify?
- How to add a product
- Orders explained
- Shopify staff accounts
Need a hand?
Learn more
How to log in to Shopify
Step-by-step instructions for logging in to your Shopify admin on a computer or phone, plus what to do if you cannot get in.
How to add a product
Step-by-step instructions for adding a new product to your Shopify store, including title, description, images, price, and inventory.