Shopify checkout tracking in 2026: customer events and pixels

Shopify tracks checkout through customer events now. Pixels you add in Settings > Customer events run in a sandbox on your storefront, checkout, Thank you page and Order status page, and they replace tracking code that used to sit in Additional scripts or checkout.liquid. August 26, 2026 was the deadline to upgrade the Thank you and Order status pages, and Shopify upgraded every store that hadn't done it, which replaced the old customizations on those pages.

If your purchase events dropped, doubled or moved this year, start here.

What changed with Shopify checkout tracking

The change came in three steps:

• February 2025: Meta pixels and Google Universal Analytics tags that weren't set up through their apps were removed from the Preferences page and turned into custom pixels (opens in a new tab). Shopify warns this can reduce measurement features.
• August 28, 2025: the Additional scripts box in checkout settings became view-only. You can no longer edit it.
• August 26, 2026: the deadline to upgrade the Thank you and Order status pages (opens in a new tab). Stores that hadn't upgraded were upgraded automatically, and existing customizations on those pages, including additional scripts, were replaced.

The new Thank you page also has a new address. It moved from /thank_you to /thank-you, so any tracking rule that matches the old URL needs an update.

What are customer events in Shopify?

Customer events are actions in the shopper's browser, such as viewing a product, adding to cart or completing checkout. You manage the pixels that listen for them in the Customer events (opens in a new tab) section of your Shopify admin.

There are two kinds of pixels:

• App pixels come with an app or sales channel, such as Google & YouTube or Facebook & Instagram. The app's developer maintains the code, and Shopify lists only apps that use its Web Pixels API.
• Custom pixels are code that a developer adds in the pixels manager, for services that have no app.

Both listen to Shopify's standard events (opens in a new tab). For checkout, the ones that matter most are checkout_started, checkout_contact_info_submitted, checkout_shipping_info_submitted, payment_info_submitted and checkout_completed, which fires when a visitor completes a purchase.

App pixels or custom pixels: which should you use?

Use the official app when one exists. For Google, Shopify recommends replacing Google Tag Manager scripts on the Thank you page with the Google & YouTube app, because Google maintains it. For Meta, Shopify points to the Facebook & Instagram channel.

Use a custom pixel only for a service with no app, or for events an app doesn't send. Google Tag Manager can run as a custom pixel, but Shopify lists the limits (opens in a new tab):

• Google doesn't recommend it and can't give technical support for it.
• Google Tag Assistant can't test custom pixels.
• Tags that Tag Manager loads still run inside Shopify's sandbox, with the same limits as any pixel.

If you keep a Tag Manager custom pixel, check that its code subscribes to checkout_completed. Without it, purchases on the new Thank you page don't reach Google.

What Shopify pixels can't track

The sandbox protects your store and your customers. It also limits what tracking can see. Pixels can't:

• Read the page to detect events, such as button clicks or outbound links.
• Collect email addresses or phone numbers by scraping forms.
• Track page scrolling, or clicks and mouse movement for heatmaps.
• Show anything on the page, such as buttons, banners or pop-ups.

For events Shopify doesn't send, a developer can publish custom events from the theme with Shopify.analytics.publish() and subscribe to them in a pixel. Not every app pixel supports custom events.

Consent and privacy

In markets set up to require consent, which usually means the European Economic Area and the UK, pixels run only after a visitor gives the permissions the pixel needs. New pixels need Marketing and Analytics permission by default.

If you use a third-party cookie banner, it has to pass consent to Shopify through the Customer Privacy API. If it doesn't, your pixels may not fire even for visitors who said yes. Shopify is clear that meeting privacy laws is your responsibility, so check your setup with a lawyer if you're unsure.

How to test your checkout tracking

Test before you trust any report:

• In Settings > Customer events, open a pixel and click Test to launch the Shopify Pixel Helper. Accept cookies on your store first, or the helper may say the pixel is waiting for consent.
• Place a test order. It is the only way to check events on the Thank you page. Make it part of your monthly maintenance checklist.
• Look for duplicates. Leftover code in your theme, Additional scripts or an old app can send the same purchase twice.
• Compare numbers within one service only. Different tools filter bots and fill gaps in different ways.
• Expect a small dip. Shopify says single-digit percentage drops in event counts are normal after moving to web pixels, because some bots don't trigger the sandbox. Bigger gaps mean something is wrong.

Why ad platforms see fewer sales than Shopify

Browser privacy features can shorten cookies, and ad blockers can block a web pixel completely. Shopify's own reports aren't affected (opens in a new tab), because Shopify records each order when it's processed. What you lose is attribution in the ad platform, such as matching a sale back to an ad click.

Some app developers also offer server pixels. They send events from a server instead of the browser, and can match them with first-party data such as an email address, while still following your consent settings. Ask each app's developer whether they offer one.

Where we come in

Tracking problems often look like conversion problems. Before you redesign a checkout, make sure the numbers are right. Our Shopify CRO work starts by checking analytics and the funnel against real orders.

When a store needs events that no app sends, our developers write and test custom pixels. For changes inside checkout itself, our Shopify app development team builds checkout extensions, and on Shopify Plus we can customize the checkout steps themselves. Rolling Pandas is a Shopify agency and Shopify Select Partner.

Quick answers

Do Additional scripts still work on Shopify?

No. The Additional scripts box became view-only on August 28, 2025, and the upgraded Thank you and Order status pages replaced the old customizations. Move tracking to app pixels or custom pixels in Customer events.

Why did my Google Analytics purchases drop after the upgrade?

A common cause is an old tag that lived in Additional scripts or matched the old /thank_you address. Connect GA4 through the Google & YouTube app, or make sure your custom pixel subscribes to checkout_completed, then place a test order.

Can I still use Google Tag Manager on Shopify?

Yes, as a custom pixel. Google doesn't support that setup, Tag Assistant can't test it, and its tags run inside Shopify's sandbox, so use the Google & YouTube app where you can.

Sources

Facts checked October 27, 2026.

• Shopify Help Center: Upgrading and replacing your Thank you and Order status pages (opens in a new tab)
• Shopify Help Center: Non-Plus upgrade guide for Thank you and Order status pages (opens in a new tab)
• Shopify Help Center: Replacing Google Tag Manager scripts on the Thank you page (opens in a new tab)
• Shopify Help Center: Pixels overview (opens in a new tab)
• Shopify Help Center: Migrating pixels (opens in a new tab)
• Shopify Help Center: App pixels (opens in a new tab)
• Shopify.dev: Web Pixels API standard events (opens in a new tab)