How to Edit Shopify CSS: The Definitive Guide for 2023
Getting the look of your Shopify store just right is important. It is essential for building a finished product that showcases your brand rather than just another generic template with a popular theme. In order to do that, you need to edit Shopify CSS for that.
Even if you use a premium Shopify theme, you will still be restricted in terms of customizability, and your store may mirror other stores that use the same template.
Why Should You Edit Your Shopify CSS?
To obtain a more custom look and feel to your fonts, colors, and layouts, consider tweaking the CSS files of your theme.
But here’s the thing.
Comprehending the process of integrating custom code into Shopify can be daunting for those without a technical background.
It is imperative to allow professionals to take over when adding custom CSS for your Shopify theme.
You can also do it once you understand all aspects of CSS to gain a better idea of how to edit code on Shopify store.
Let’s start by introducing you to the fundamentals of CSS and then move on to how it can be employed in your store.
What is CSS?
Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) is an essential coding language used to customize and control the look of your website.
CSS allows you to construct visually-stunning webpages that are both useful and attractive. Through its precise guidelines, HTML elements are effectively displayed just as you would imagine them to be.
HTML provides the essential framework of all web pages, while CSS adds the visual aesthetic to this structure.
With HTML and CSS combined, you can create beautiful websites with headings, body content, images, video, and more – customizing fonts, colors, and layouts for optimum user experience.
Here’s a simple line of HTML code:
This is a heading!
This syntax will render the words “This is a heading!” in the H1 header format.
The amount of adornment for any HTML element depends on the styling rules specified within its stylesheet, which acts as a separate document called upon by HTML.
This is what the h1 element’s styling in the CSS stylesheet could look like:
h1 { color:black; font-size:36px; }
The HTML styling would result in a plain, albeit dull 36-point black text for the heading.
With a single line of CSS code, you can decide how every H1 header will appear on your page.
CSS code structure
In the example of CSS code, “h1” is known as a selector and can be any type of element, such as a paragraph tag (“p”) or even a class specifically created for that purpose (“.uniquely-defined-class”).
CSS and HTML are interconnected, with selectors being the bond between them. The “h1” selector designates styling for all
tags in an HTML document.
Tucked between the curly braces, you can find your declarations; accordingly, in this example, we have “color:black” and “font-size:36px” for our H1 heading.
Cascading Style Sheets are composed of properties and values, with color being one example. For instance, a property such as black is the value of that particular property.
By using declarations, you can create sensational visual styles for your HTML elements! When writing multiple declarations within CSS code (which usually occurs), it’s essential to remember to utilize semicolons to separate them; moreover, don’t forget the last semicolon at the end before closing off those brackets!
Methods of customizing your Shopify store
Let’s delve into the numerous ways you can customize your Shopify store before discussing how to edit its CSS files.
Once you have selected your perfect theme for your Shopify store, there are a few ways to tailor it even further to meet your brand’s unique needs.
Shopify theme editor
Shopify offers a simple, intuitive customization process in their theme editor that makes customizing your site quick and easy.
To start making changes to your desired theme, head over to Online Store > Themes and click the Customize button. From there, you can access everything you need!
With the Theme Editor, you can customize your theme’s style elements like font, color palette, and button design to either the general theme or specific page templates.
This is an excellent way to enhance your website’s aesthetic appeal while ensuring consistency throughout all pages.
Shopify’s Online Store 2.0 themes let you quickly and easily add, rearrange, or customize the sections on any page template for limitless design possibilities.
Shopify code editor
If you want to customize your website further, the theme editor may not cut it. That’s when the code editor comes in handy! With its powerful capabilities, you can take full control of how your site looks and functions.
With the code editor, you can easily tap into your theme’s Liquid files and HTML and CSS documents.
To ensure your theme retains its maximum functionality, only highly proficient developers should be trusted to make changes to these files.
Additionally, you must always perform a backup of your theme before making any modifications.
Today, we’ll be exploring the depths of the Shopify code editor to discover all that it has to offer.
What to do before editing your Shopify CSS code
It is essential to duplicate your theme before personalizing any Shopify theme in the code editor.
By creating a backup copy of your CSS, you can ensure that any changes will not completely derail the look and feel of your website. If anything does go wrong, revert back to a previous version.
Replicating your theme is easy! To get started, click on the Actions button attached to your chosen theme and select Duplicate from the list of given options.
It is important to rename your backup, so you are aware of which version you’re reverting back to. For a precise timestamp, consider including the date in the title.
How to access CSS files in the Shopify code editor
Making use of the Shopify code editor is effortless. To begin, head over to your Shopify admin dashboard.
Step 1: Go to your Themes page.
To personalize the look of your online store, go to the Themes tab on the homepage. From there, you will be able to locate and select a theme that resonates with your business’s aesthetic, then click Actions for further customization options.
Step 2: Click Edit code
To access the code editor, open the Actions dropdown menu and select Edit Code.
Step 3: Find the Assets folder for CSS files
Once you open the code editor, be sure to collapse the Templates folder which is already expanded. Subsequently, extend the Assets folder where your theme’s CSS directory is located.
The CSS files are conveniently named for the parts and components, making it easy to identify what each file is responsible for styling. In addition, you can open several files in your editing window simultaneously to make simultaneous customization of various documents possible.
Edit existing CSS on Shopify
Utilize your Shopify theme to effortlessly edit CSS files and create a website that reflects your unique style.
Looking to make some changes? To start, locate the CSS file you want to alter. In the Dawn theme, it is usually named base.css, though other possibilities include main.css and theme.css as well.
Step 1: Open the base.css file
To open the base.css file, head over to Assets and click on it. This will cause the main editor screen to appear with a tab above so that you don’t have to worry about losing sight of this particular document while making edits in other files.
Step 2: Pinpoint the element to edit
What needs to be altered? No worries – you can easily gain insight into your desired modifications via simple browser research.
To customize your store, open it in a web browser, right-click the element you wish to adjust, and select Inspect.
Selecting the element in the inspector window lets you quickly view all its existing CSS attributes.
Even more impressive is that you can modify these values without affecting your actual site, so you’ll be able to preview what changes would look like on your store!
By carefully analyzing the element, you can identify its class name or ID, which is then used to define it in the CSS file.
Step 3: Find your element in the CSS file
By knowing the CSS element name, it’s easy to scan your base.css or theme.css file to identify what you’d like to edit.
To quickly find what you’re looking for, press Control + F (for PCs) or Command + F (for Macs). Enjoy the ease of being able to search and locate information in a flash!
Step 4: Make your CSS edits and save
After you have completed the adjustments to your CSS element, click the convenient green Save button located in the top right corner.
Furthermore, clicking the Preview button will enable you to view the effect of your adjustments on the element currently in consideration.
How to create a new custom Shopify CSS file
Crafting a fresh CSS file to store all of your custom styles requires only a few easy steps!
Step 1: Click “Add a new asset” in the code editor
To create a custom CSS file, go to the Assets folder and click “Add a new asset”.
Step 2: Upload an existing CSS file or start from scratch
If you have a CSS file prepared and ready to go, choose it.
If you’re starting from the beginning, select the Create a blank file option and name your CSS document. Here, you can pick which suffix to use for your filename – though current themes are best suited with .css as their extension.
If you’re beginning with a blank file asset, add your CSS code to the file. Double-check for duplicated naming conventions in your CSS code to ensure that any inconsistencies don’t arise from the pre-existing base.css file.
Step 3: Go to theme.liquid in the Layout folder
Now that you’ve crafted the ultimate CSS file, it’s time to make sure your store sees its magic by adding a reference in the main theme file.
In order to incorporate CSS into your Liquid file, simply navigate to the Layout folder and select the theme.liquid document.
Step 4: Add code for the custom.css stylesheet
Locate the base.css file by scrolling down or searching for it.
To apply a custom design to your website, copy the line of code for base.css and paste it below that same line. Then substitute ‘base.css’ with your unique CSS filename – in our example, this would be replaced with ‘custom- design.css’.
Here’s how it will look:
In the top right-hand corner, click ‘Save’ and your custom CSS will be visible on your store.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I change the font on my Shopify store?
To change the font on your Shopify store, you can use the theme editor to access the CSS code and add custom CSS to your theme. You can also use a third-party app like Typify to change fonts.
How can I customize the layout of my Shopify store?
Answer: To customize the layout of your Shopify store, you can use the theme editor to access the HTML and CSS code and make changes to the structure and design of your theme. Additionally, you can use a third-party app like PageFly to easily customize the layout of your store pages.
How can I add a custom background image to my Shopify store?
Answer: To add a custom background image to your Shopify store, you can use the theme editor to access the CSS code and add a background image property to the body or specific elements. You can also use a third-party app like Background Manager to add and change background images on your store.
Conclusion
Now that you know how to edit Shopify CSS like a pro, you will be able to customize all aspects of your Shopify website as you like. Hopefully, one of these approaches can do wonders for you.
