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How to add a privacy policy to a Shopify store

By Paul Cranmer, Founder · Last verified October 2026 · Shopify admin · Settings → Policies

Shopify gives every store a privacy policy slot, but it does not write the policy for you, and the automated template says it is not legal advice. This page shows where the field is, what URL Shopify creates for it, where the link appears, and how to point an ad platform or app store at it.

Who this is for

  • Store owners who need a privacy policy URL for Meta, Google or TikTok lead forms, or for a store app
  • Merchants whose checkout footer shows no privacy policy link yet
  • Agencies setting up policies for a client's store

Not for

  • Shopify apps listed in the Shopify App Store (that is the Shopify app how-to)
  • Custom storefronts that do not use Shopify's policy pages

What the platform requires

  • Shopify Help Center: go to Settings → Policies in your Shopify admin and open the Written policies section; you can manage return and refund, privacy, terms of service, shipping and contact information policies there.
  • Each policy can be written by hand or generated from an automated template; Shopify says the templates are for informational purposes only and are not legal advice, so review them against your business and applicable law.
  • Once added, policies are automatically linked in the footer of your checkout pages; Shopify also tells you to link them in your store menus or page footers so customers find them before checkout.
  • Shopify serves each policy at a fixed path on your store domain: /policies/privacy-policy for the privacy policy (and /policies/refund-policy, /policies/terms-of-service, /policies/shipping-policy for the others).

Get a live URL first

If you would rather not write the policy in Shopify's box, create a hosted privacy policy URL here (shops are on the hosted plan), then paste its text into Settings → Policies or link the hosted page from your footer. Either way the store needs one stable URL that loads without a login.

Get a hosted privacy policy URL

Step-by-step: paste your privacy policy URL

  1. Open Settings → Policies. In Shopify admin, click Settings in the bottom left, then Policies. Scroll to Written policies.
  2. Fill the Privacy policy box. Click Privacy policy. Paste your own text, or click Insert template and then edit every line that does not match how your store actually collects and uses data. Save.
  3. Note the URL Shopify created. Your policy now lives at https://your-store-domain/policies/privacy-policy. Open it in a private window and confirm it loads without a login and is not a PDF.
  4. Link it where people look. Shopify links policies in the checkout footer by itself. Add the same link to your main footer menu (Online Store → Navigation → Footer menu) so the policy is one click from every page.
  5. Paste the URL into the platform that asked. Use the /policies/privacy-policy URL in Meta, Google Ads or TikTok lead forms, in app listings, and in the cookie banner. Keep the URL stable; edit the text in Shopify instead of moving the page.

Field labels to look for

Settings → Policies → Written policies
Where privacy, refund, terms, shipping and contact policies are edited.
Insert template
Shopify's automated starting text; it says it is not legal advice.
/policies/privacy-policy
The fixed path Shopify serves your privacy policy at.

Common reasons the form fails

  • Leaving the policy box empty, so the checkout footer shows no privacy link
  • Pasting the template unedited, with sections that do not match your store
  • Linking a PDF or a Google Doc instead of the /policies/privacy-policy page
  • Moving the policy to a new page and breaking the URL used in ad forms

About the template

Shopify's template is a starting point, not legal advice, and Shopify says so. If you collect anything beyond order data (marketing consent, pixels, reviews, subscriptions), say so in the policy.

Get a hosted privacy policy URL

FAQ

Where is the privacy policy in Shopify admin?

Settings → Policies → Written policies → Privacy policy. Paste your text and save.

What is my Shopify privacy policy URL?

https://your-store-domain/policies/privacy-policy. Shopify serves every written policy at a fixed /policies/ path.

Does Shopify write the policy for me?

It offers an automated template, which Shopify says is for information only and not legal advice. Edit it to match your store or paste your own.

Can I use the Shopify URL in Meta or Google lead forms?

Yes, as long as it loads publicly and is a web page, not a PDF. Keep the URL stable.

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