Key takeaways
- Text in Shopify lives in three places: the Pages editor, the Theme Editor, and hardcoded theme files.
- The Pages editor (Online Store > Pages) handles standalone page content like About and Contact.
- The Theme Editor covers section text, banners, and language strings like “Add to cart.”
- Hardcoded text in theme Liquid files requires direct code editing - or an AI tool like Fudge.
Most text edits in Shopify are straightforward. But when you can’t find where a piece of text comes from, it’s usually because text lives in three different places depending on how your theme was built.
This guide covers all three.
Why you can trust us
We’ve built and customised hundreds of Shopify storefronts. We also built Fudge - an AI storefront editor with a 5.0 rating on the Shopify App Store.
Where does text live in Shopify?
Before you start clicking around, it helps to know which system controls which text.
| Text type | Where to edit it |
|---|---|
| Standalone page content (About, FAQ, Contact) | Online Store > Pages |
| Section text, banners, hero copy | Theme Editor |
| System text (“Add to cart”, “Checkout”) | Theme Editor > Edit languages |
| Hardcoded text in Liquid files | Code editor or Fudge |
Method 1 - Edit text in the Pages editor
Use this for: About us, FAQ, Contact, Policy pages, and any custom pages you’ve created.
Step 1. In your Shopify Admin, go to Online Store > Pages.
Step 2. Click the page you want to edit.
Step 3. Edit the text in the rich text editor. You can format headings, bold text, add links, and insert images.
Step 4. Click Save.
This editor works like a basic word processor. It only controls the content area of the page - the header, footer, and surrounding layout are handled by your theme.
Related: Add a Link to Text in Shopify.
Method 2 - Edit text in the Theme Editor
Use this for: Homepage sections, hero banners, announcement bars, feature blocks, and any text added via section settings.
Step 1. Go to Online Store > Themes > Customize.
Step 2. Navigate to the page containing the text you want to change.
Step 3. Click the section in the left sidebar, or click directly on the text in the preview.
Step 4. Update the text in the settings panel on the left.
Step 5. Click Save.
Editing system button text and labels
Text like “Add to cart,” “Buy now,” “Continue shopping,” and similar strings are controlled by your theme’s language file - not by section settings.
To edit these: go to Online Store > Themes > Actions > Edit languages. Use the search bar to find the string you want to change, update it, and save.
Method 3 - Edit hardcoded text in theme files
Some text is written directly into your theme’s Liquid templates. It won’t appear in the Theme Editor because it was never wired up as an editable setting.
To find and edit it:
Step 1. Go to Online Store > Themes > Actions > Edit code.
Step 2. Use the search icon at the top of the file browser to search for the exact text string you want to change.
Step 3. Open the file, find the text, and edit it directly.
Step 4. Click Save.
This approach requires care. Always duplicate your theme first (Themes > Actions > Duplicate) so you have a backup before editing any code.
When you can’t find the text
If a piece of text doesn’t show up in the Pages editor, the Theme Editor, or the code search, it may be coming from a third-party app. Check which apps are installed and look for text settings inside each app’s dashboard.
Related: Fudge Store Editor.
See also: Change Shipping Text in Shopify.
Related: Create an About Page in Shopify.
Related: Update a Product Description in Shopify.
Related: Translate Text Manually in Shopify.
Editing text that requires code changes
Some text is inside conditionals or dynamic Liquid logic - not a simple string you can swap. Editing it without understanding Liquid can break the page.
This is where Fudge is useful. You describe what you want changed, and Fudge identifies the right file and makes the edit for you. The change is drafted first, so you can review it before anything goes live.
Example: “Change the text that says ‘Sold out’ on product pages to ‘Join the waitlist’.”
Fudge handles it without you needing to find the right template or understand the surrounding logic.
Quick reference
- Standalone pages - Online Store > Pages
- Section and banner text - Theme Editor > click the section
- System text (“Add to cart” etc.) - Online Store > Themes > Actions > Edit languages
- Hardcoded Liquid text - Online Store > Themes > Actions > Edit code (or Fudge)
FAQ
Four likely sources: the language file (Online Store → Themes → Edit languages), an installed app's settings dashboard, a Liquid template not exposed in the Theme Editor, or content injected by a theme update. Search for the exact text in the code editor — that's the most reliable way to identify the source. Or describe the change to Fudge ("change the text 'Sold out' to 'Join waitlist' wherever it appears") and it finds the source and updates it as a draft you can review.
Yes — most cart drawer text is in the language file ("Cart", "Subtotal", "Checkout"). For custom text added by a theme or app, edit the relevant cart drawer Liquid section/snippet via the code editor. Some themes expose cart drawer text in section settings under the cart or drawer block.
Edit through the app's own dashboard, not via Shopify. Reviews apps (Judge.me, Yotpo), chat widgets (Tidio, Gorgias), and pop-up apps each have their own text settings. Searching theme files won't find their content because it's loaded from the app's servers at runtime.
No, edits to one language don't propagate to others. If your store has multiple active locales, each language has its own file. Edit the English version, then translate the same change in other locales (or run your translation app to regenerate). Changes only apply to the locale you actually edited.
Most common causes: you edited a draft theme but the live theme is published, your browser session timed out and the save failed silently, or the field has a character limit you've exceeded. Refresh, try again, and check for any browser console errors. If using a third-party translation app, save through the app rather than directly in Shopify.
