A hidden merchant footer no longer means an empty checkout footer. Apps that preview checkout branding need to distinguish merchant content from information Shopify provides.
Shopify published Checkout footer visibility now applies to merchant-configurable content on 15 October 2026.
Separate the two kinds of footer content
The visibility setting controls merchant policy links and copyright copy. HIDDEN removes that merchant-configurable content; Shopify-provided transaction information can still appear in checkout and on Thank You pages. Checkout branding cannot configure or suppress that platform content.
Shopify says existing API requests and stored branding configurations continue to work. No fields, input types, enum values, scopes or mutations changed. The clarification covers the legacy Checkout Branding API and the Checkout and Accounts Configuration API wherever the corresponding types exist.
Review previews and visual assertions
Vivek Codes’ implementation advice:
- If your Shopify Plus app manages footer branding, find any preview logic or assertion that treats HIDDEN as an entirely empty footer. Check merchant links and copyright separately from platform transaction information.
- Exercise representative checkout and Thank You journeys on mobile and desktop. Record the expected merchant content and allow Shopify-provided information to remain; do not remove it with theme CSS or assume an API-version upgrade is required.
Read the official announcement for the release requirements. For help with this work, explore Shopify checkout implementation and testing or send Vivek Codes the implementation context.
Editorial brief based on Shopify’s announcement. The implementation advice is general guidance, not a test result for your store or app.
