> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://uxsmart.gitbook.io/velare/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://uxsmart.gitbook.io/velare/run-and-update-your-store/update-velare.md).
# Update Vélare
New versions of Vélare bring fixes and new features. Because Vélare is a Shopify Theme Store theme, Shopify handles updates for you: when a new version is available, it shows an **Update** option on your theme and creates an updated copy that keeps your settings and your content. This page shows you how to run that update safely, and how to protect the one thing an update does not carry over: changes made directly to the theme code.
{% hint style="warning" %}
**Read this before you start.**
Your theme settings, sections, blocks, and content are carried into the updated version automatically. What does **not** carry over is any change made directly to the theme code: edited Liquid files, custom CSS or JavaScript added to theme files, snippets installed by an app or a developer, and translations edited in the code editor. Those stay behind in the old copy and must be applied again by hand. If you do not know whether your theme has code changes, assume it does and back it up first.
{% endhint %}
### Before you start
* You know which version you are on now and which version you are moving to. The release notes list what changed between them.
* You can access **Online Store > Themes** in your Shopify admin.
* You have time to preview the new version properly. Do not update during a sale, a campaign, or your busiest hours.
* If a developer or an agency has touched your theme code, tell them before you update, not after.
### Step 1: Check what changed
{% hint style="success" %}
**Steps:**
1. Open the release notes and read every entry newer than your current version.
2. Note any entry that mentions a setting, a section, or a metafield you already use.
3. Decide whether you need the update now, or whether it can wait until after your next campaign.
{% endhint %}
*Result:* you know what the update actually gives you, and which parts of your store to check most carefully afterwards.
### Step 2: Back up your current theme
Even though the update keeps your settings, a backup is your instant way back if anything looks wrong after publishing.
{% hint style="success" %}
**Steps:**
1. Go to **Online Store > Themes**.
2. Next to your published theme, click the **...** button and choose **Duplicate**.
3. Rename the copy with the date and the current version, for example `Backup 2026-07-22 v1.0.0`.
{% endhint %}
*Result:* you have a duplicate you can publish again in seconds if the update turns out to be a problem.
{% hint style="info" %}
A Shopify store keeps a limited number of themes in its library. If the library is full, delete an old backup you no longer need before duplicating.
{% endhint %}
### Step 3: Note any code customizations
Your settings migrate on their own, so you do not need to write those down. What you do need is a record of anything changed in the theme code, because that is the only part the update leaves behind.
{% hint style="success" %}
**Steps:**
1. List every code change you know about, and who made it.
2. Note which apps have injected code into the theme.
3. If you are unsure, ask the developer or agency who worked on the store.
{% endhint %}
*Result:* you have a short checklist of what to re-apply after the update, instead of discovering a missing customization later.
### Step 4: Run the update
{% hint style="success" %}
**Steps:**
1. Go to **Online Store > Themes**.
2. On your Vélare theme, look for the **Update available** message, or open the **...** menu and choose the update option.
3. Confirm the update. Shopify creates an updated copy of Vélare in your theme library with your settings and content already carried over. Your live theme is not touched yet.
4. Rename the updated copy so the version is obvious, for example `Vélare 1.1.0`.
{% endhint %}
*Result:* the new version sits unpublished in the library, next to the theme your customers are still using, and it already carries your settings.
### Step 5: Preview and re-apply code changes
{% hint style="success" %}
**Steps:**
1. Next to the updated theme, click **Customize**.
2. Check that your branding, home page sections, and layout came across as expected.
3. Re-apply any code customization from your Step 3 list, or ask the person who wrote it to do so.
4. Click **Save**, then preview the home page, a collection page, a product page, and the cart.
5. Repeat the preview on mobile.
{% endhint %}
*Result:* the updated version behaves like your store, not like a demo, before any shopper sees it.
### Step 6: Publish and watch
{% hint style="success" %}
**Steps:**
1. Go to **Online Store > Themes**.
2. Next to the updated version, click **Publish** and confirm.
3. Place a test order, or at least walk through adding a product to the cart and reaching checkout.
4. Keep the old theme and the backup in the library for at least a week.
{% endhint %}
*Result:* the new version is live, and rolling back is one **Publish** click away if anything turns out to be broken.
### What you should see
* The new version is the current theme in **Online Store > Themes**.
* Your branding, navigation, and home page content look the way they did before the update.
* Features mentioned in the release notes are available in the theme editor.
* The old theme and the dated backup are still in the library.
### If something goes wrong
* **A customization disappeared after the update.** Changes made directly to the theme code never carry over. Re-apply the change from your Step 3 list, or ask whoever wrote it.
* **An app feature stopped working.** The app injected code into the old theme. Open the app and let it re-install its integration into the updated theme, or contact the app support.
* **The store looks broken right after publishing.** Publish your dated backup immediately, then investigate on the updated version while the store runs on the old one.
* **You do not see an update option.** You may already be on the latest version, or the update has not been released yet. Check the release notes for the newest version number and compare it with the version on your theme.
* **Your theme library is full.** Delete an old backup you no longer need, then run the update again.
### Related pages
* [Release notes](/velare/run-and-update-your-store/release-notes.md): what changed in each version
* [Install Vélare](/velare/buy-and-install/install-velare.md): the original installation steps
* [Theme license](/velare/buy-and-install/theme-license.md): how buying Vélare on the Theme Store works
* [Store speed](/velare/run-and-update-your-store/store-speed.md): checking performance after a change
* [Recommended apps](/velare/buy-and-install/apps/recommended-apps.md): the apps to reconnect after an update
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