---
title: Transfer a development store
description: Learn about development stores and when they can be transferred to a client.
source_url:
  html: https://shopify.dev/docs/storefronts/themes/tools/development-stores/transfer-development-stores
  md: https://shopify.dev/docs/storefronts/themes/tools/development-stores/transfer-development-stores.md
---

ExpandOn this page

* [When to transfer a store](https://shopify.dev/docs/storefronts/themes/tools/development-stores/transfer-development-stores#when-to-transfer-a-store)
* [How to transfer a store to a merchant](https://shopify.dev/docs/storefronts/themes/tools/development-stores/transfer-development-stores#how-to-transfer-a-store-to-a-merchant)
* [Transfer-disabled stores](https://shopify.dev/docs/storefronts/themes/tools/development-stores/transfer-development-stores#transfer-disabled-stores)

# Transfer a development store

[Development stores](https://shopify.dev/docs/storefronts/themes/tools/development-stores) can be used to build a store for a client, or to test your app while you're building it.

Development stores have limitations on them to make sure that they're only used for development purposes. Some actions, such as enabling a developer preview or installing a draft app, disable store transfer permanently.

***

## When to transfer a store

There are two main reasons to transfer a store to a live plan:

* The work on the store is complete and the store is ready to sell products.
* The work on the store is not complete, but the store requires a feature that's available only on a paid Shopify plan. To learn more about what features aren't available for development stores, refer to [Features and limitations of development stores](https://shopify.dev/docs/storefronts/themes/tools/development-stores#features-and-limitations-of-development-stores).

When transferring to a live subscription plan, the store requires billing information, which must be provided by the store owner.

Note

After you've transferred a development store to a live plan, your store is no longer eligible for promotions or free trials.

***

## How to transfer a store to a merchant

To learn more about how to transfer a development store to a merchant, refer to [the Shopify Help Center page on transferring ownership of a development store](https://help.shopify.com/partners/dashboard/managing-stores/hand-off-development-stores#transfer-ownership-of-a-development-store).

***

## Transfer-disabled stores

By default, development stores are transferable to merchants. However, store transfer is disabled if the store uses functionality that can't be transferred to a live store. After store transfer is disabled, it can't be transferred to a merchant.

Caution

After store transfer is disabled on a development store, the change can't be reversed. If you want to transfer anything that you developed in a transfer-disabled store to a client, then you need to recreate your changes in a new development store.

Development store transfer is permanently disabled in the following cases:

* If you install a [custom app or a draft app](https://help.shopify.com/manual/apps/app-types) on a development store
* If you enable [developer preview](https://shopify.dev/docs/api/developer-previews) for a development store

When you attempt to perform any action that will cause transfer to be disabled for a development store, a warning appears before the store is converted.

Transfer-disabled stores have a **Store transfer disabled** label in the Shopify admin.

***

* [When to transfer a store](https://shopify.dev/docs/storefronts/themes/tools/development-stores/transfer-development-stores#when-to-transfer-a-store)
* [How to transfer a store to a merchant](https://shopify.dev/docs/storefronts/themes/tools/development-stores/transfer-development-stores#how-to-transfer-a-store-to-a-merchant)
* [Transfer-disabled stores](https://shopify.dev/docs/storefronts/themes/tools/development-stores/transfer-development-stores#transfer-disabled-stores)