You can speed up a Shopify store without coding by removing apps you don't use, switching off their leftover app embeds, resizing heavy images, replacing sliders and autoplay videos, switching to system fonts and cutting old tracking pixels. Work through them in that order, then confirm the change in Shopify's web performance report.
Key takeaways
- Apps and images cause most Shopify slowdowns, and both can be fixed from the admin without touching code.
- Uninstalling an app doesn't always remove everything it added. Check the App embeds panel in the theme editor too.
- Skip tips about CDNs, caching, minifying code and WebP. Shopify already does all of them for every store.
- Make one change at a time and note the date, so Shopify's web performance report can show you what worked.
What does Shopify already do for your speed?
A lot of speed guides fill space with fixes you can't make and don't need. According to Shopify's guide to improving web performance, every store already gets these automatically:
| Tip you'll see elsewhere | Do you need to do it? |
|---|---|
| Use a CDN (content delivery network) | No. Shopify serves every store through a global CDN. |
| Turn on browser caching | No. Shopify sets caching for you. |
| Minify CSS and JavaScript | No. Shopify minifies theme files automatically. |
| Convert images to WebP | No. Shopify compresses images and serves WebP to browsers that support it. |
| Turn on Gzip compression | No. Shopify compresses your files already. |
That leaves the things only you control: apps, images, theme choices and tracking scripts. Those are the fixes below.
Before you start: note your baseline
Write down where you stand so you can tell whether each fix worked. Go to Analytics > Reports and open the web performance reports. Note which of the three measures is failing on mobile:
- Loading speed (LCP): how long the main image or text takes to appear. Good is 2.5 seconds or less.
- Responsiveness (INP): how quickly the page reacts when someone taps. Good is 200 milliseconds or less.
- Layout shift (CLS): how much the page jumps around as it loads. Good is 0.1 or less.
These thresholds come from Shopify's web performance dashboard guide. If you're not sure your store is slow in the first place, or want to find the cause before fixing anything, start with our guide to why your Shopify store is slow.
How do you speed up a Shopify store without coding?
Work through these eight fixes in order. The first three solve most problems, and every one can be done from the Shopify admin or the theme editor.
| Fix | Where | Mainly helps | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Remove unused apps | Settings > Apps | Loading, taps | 20 min |
| 2. Turn off unused app embeds | Theme editor > App embeds | Loading, taps | 10 min |
| 3. Resize and cut images | Products, theme editor | Loading | 1–3 hours |
| 4. Replace sliders and autoplay video | Theme editor | Loading, layout shift | 30 min |
| 5. Trim homepage sections | Theme editor | Loading | 30 min |
| 6. Switch to system fonts | Theme settings > Typography | Loading, layout shift | 10 min |
| 7. Remove old tracking pixels | Settings > Customer events, apps | Taps, loading | 20 min |
| 8. Limit products per collection page | Theme editor (collection template) | Loading | 5 min |
Make these changes on a duplicate of your live theme where you can. In Online Store > Themes, click the three dots next to your live theme and choose Duplicate, make your changes there, preview them, and publish when you're happy.
1. Remove apps you don't use
Apps are the most common reason a Shopify store gets slower over time. Many load code on every page, even on pages where they do nothing.
Go to Settings > Apps and list every app. For each one, ask: does it make us money, save us real time, or do something customers need? Remove anything that fails all three, along with anything you installed for a trial and forgot. Check that features still work afterwards.
Apps that only work in the admin, like inventory or accounting tools, rarely slow the storefront. Focus on anything shoppers see: pop-ups, reviews, chat, upsells, currency switchers and countdown timers. To pin down the worst offender, see how to find which apps are slowing down your store.
2. Turn off app embeds you don't need
Many apps add themselves to your store through app embeds, which load on every page. Shopify notes that uninstalling an app doesn't automatically remove its code from your theme, so this panel is worth checking even after step 1.
Go to Online Store > Themes > Edit theme, click the App embeds icon in the left sidebar, and switch off anything you don't use or no longer recognize. Click Save. Do the same for app blocks: remove review widgets, badges or upsell blocks from templates where they don't help.
If an uninstalled app left code inside your theme files, that part does need code. Shopify recommends asking the app's developer to remove it, which most will do for free.
3. Resize and cut your images
Large images are the usual cause of a slow loading score. Shopify compresses images, but it can't fix a hero image uploaded at 6,000 pixels wide from a camera.
- Resize before you upload. Shopify recommends 2048 x 2048 pixels for square product images, according to its product media guide. Banners rarely need to be wider than about 2,000 to 2,500 pixels.
- Use the right format. JPG for photos, PNG only for graphics that need a transparent background.
- Compress first. Free browser tools like TinyPNG or Squoosh shrink file size without any install. Aim for product photos well under 500 KB.
- Use fewer images. Four strong product photos beat twelve similar ones. Remove decorative images that don't help shoppers decide.
- Start with the homepage and best sellers. They get the most traffic, so fixing them first gives the biggest win for the time.
4. Replace sliders and autoplay videos
A slideshow loads several large images when shoppers only see the first, and an autoplay video at the top of the page is often the heaviest thing on the store. Both can also make the page jump as they load.
In the theme editor, swap the slideshow for a single image banner with one clear message. If you want video, use a still image at the top and put the video lower on the page or on the product page, where people choose to play it.
5. Trim your homepage sections
Shopify's own advice is to avoid adding too many sections to page templates. Every section adds images, text and sometimes scripts.
Open your homepage in the theme editor and hide any section that doesn't help a first-time visitor understand what you sell and why to trust you. Six to eight focused sections usually do more than fifteen. You can hide a section with the eye icon, so nothing is lost if you change your mind.
6. Switch to system fonts
Custom fonts have to download before text appears in the right style, which can slow loading and make text jump. System fonts are already on the shopper's device, so there's nothing to download. Shopify added them to the theme font picker for this reason.
In the theme editor, open Theme settings > Typography and choose a system font for body text. If your brand depends on a custom font, keep it for headings only and use a system font everywhere else.
7. Remove old tracking pixels and tags
Every ad platform, analytics tool and heatmap adds a script that runs on your store. Old ones from campaigns you stopped months ago still load for every visitor. Shopify recommends auditing tag managers and removing unused or low-value tags.
Check Settings > Customer events for pixels you no longer use, then look at your sales channels and marketing apps for duplicates. A common one is the same Google or Meta tracking installed twice, once through an app and once through an old setup. Keep one of each.
8. Limit products per collection page
A collection page loading 50 or more products at once is slow on mobile. Shopify suggests using pagination to limit how many load at one time.
Open a collection page in the theme editor, select the product grid section and lower Products per page to around 16 to 24. The setting name varies a little between themes.
Which speed fixes should you be careful with?
Some popular fixes cost more than they save. Be careful with these:
- Speed booster apps. Every app adds code. Do the free fixes first, then test any speed app with before-and-after numbers.
- Lazy loading apps. Most current themes already load lower images only when shoppers scroll to them. Check your theme's documentation first.
- Removing apps that make money. A reviews app that slows you down slightly but lifts sales is worth keeping. Speed is a means, not the goal.
- Chasing a perfect score. Aim for "good" on all three measures for real visitors, not 100 on a test tool.
How do you know the fixes worked?
Shopify's web performance report uses real visitor data, which can be delayed by up to 36 hours. Make one or two changes, wait a few days of normal traffic, then compare.
Keep a simple log of each change and its date. The report marks app installs and theme changes on its charts, so you can line up your log with the dips and improvements. If a measure moves from poor to good on mobile, that fix was worth it.
When do you need a developer?
You need help when the cause is in the theme code itself. That includes leftover app code in theme files, custom code someone added in the past, or a theme that's still slow after you've removed apps, scripts and heavy images. If a clean copy of your theme is slow, it may be time to look at a lighter theme. See the signs your store needs a redesign rather than a fix.
Do it yourself or have it done for you
Do it yourself: the eight fixes above take an afternoon and need no code. If you're still setting up, you can start a Shopify free trial and choose a fast, current theme from day one, which avoids most of these problems. If Black Friday is coming, also see the speed checks in our guide to preparing your Shopify store for Black Friday.
Have it done for you: if you'd rather not dig through apps and theme settings, our speed and conversion tuning service finds and fixes the slow parts for you, including leftover code. Not sure where the problem is? Our free store audit will tell you.
Frequently asked questions
Do Shopify speed booster apps work?
Some help, but every app adds its own code, so a speed app can cancel out part of what it saves. Many promise things Shopify already does, like caching, compression and a CDN. Do the free fixes in this guide first. If you try an app afterwards, compare your web performance report before and after, and remove it if nothing improves.
How many apps is too many on Shopify?
There's no safe number. One heavy app that loads on every page can slow a store more than five light ones that only run in the admin. What matters is what each app loads on your storefront. Keep apps that clearly earn their place, remove the rest, and switch off app embeds you don't use.
Will compressing images make my store look blurry?
Not if you resize to the size the image is actually shown at and use sensible compression. Shopify recommends 2048 x 2048 pixels for square product images, which stays sharp for zoom. Problems usually come from uploading phone photos at full size, not from compressing them. Check a few images on your phone after uploading.
How long does it take to see speed improvements in Shopify?
Shopify's web performance report uses data from real visitors, and it can be delayed by up to 36 hours. Give each change a few days of normal traffic before judging it. The report keeps 90 days of data, so note the date of every change and compare the weeks before and after.
Do I need to add lazy loading to my Shopify store?
Usually not. Most current Shopify themes already delay loading images further down the page until a shopper scrolls to them. Check your theme's documentation before installing an app for it. Adding a lazy loading app on top of a theme that already does it adds code without making the store faster.
Does upgrading my Shopify plan make my store faster?
No, plan upgrades don't speed up your storefront. They add features, lower fees and more staff accounts. Shopify's speed basics, like its global network, caching and image delivery, come with every store. Speed comes from what's on your store: apps, images, theme and scripts. Fix those instead of paying for a bigger plan.
Start with steps 1 and 2 today. They take half an hour and fix more slow stores than anything else on this list.
