Step-by-Step Guide: Setting Up Shopify Partner Collaborator Access

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Recommendation: Keep the Basic Plan (US$25/mo)

You do not need to upgrade to the Grow or Advanced plan just to add 5 developers.

By using Shopify Collaborator Accounts, developers get full admin permissions to develop and test data imports without counting against your store’s staff account limit.

Step-by-Step Guide: Setting Up Shopify Partner Collaborator Access

Step 1: Developers Set Up a Free Shopify Partner Account

(Done once by the development team lead)

  1. Go to shopify.com/partners and sign up for a free Shopify Partners account.
  2. In the Partner Dashboard, go to Team and invite the 5 developers to the Partner account (so each has their own login).

Step 2: Store Owner Prepares Store Information

(Done by the Store Owner)

  1. Log in to your Shopify Admin.
  2. Go to Settings > Users and permissions.
  3. Under Collaborators, check your setting:
    • “Anyone can send a collaborator request” (Recommended for simplicity), OR
    • “Only people with a collaborator request code can send a request” — if selected, copy the 4-digit code shown here.
  4. Note your primary store domain format (e.g., your-store-name.myshopify.com).
  5. Share the .myshopify.com URL (and the 4-digit code, if required) with the developer lead.

Step 3: Developers Request Collaborator Access

(Done by the developer lead from the Partner Dashboard)

  1. Log in to partners.shopify.com.
  2. In the left menu, click Stores > Add store > Request access to store.
  3. Enter the store URL: your-store-name.myshopify.com.
  4. Enter the 4-digit Collaborator Request Code (if required).
  5. Under Permissions, select the permissions needed (e.g., Products, Orders, Customers, Apps and channels, Settings).
  6. Click Save to send the request.

Step 4: Store Owner Approves the Request

(Done by the Store Owner)

  1. Go to your Shopify Admin > Settings > Users and permissions.
  2. Under Collaborator requests, you will see the incoming request from the partner.
  3. Review and grant the requested permissions (or select Full permissions).
  4. Click Accept request.

Step 5: How Developers Log In to the Store

Once approved, all 5 team members can access the store immediately:

  • Method 1 (via Partner Dashboard):
    Go to partners.shopify.com > Stores > Click Log in next to the store name.
  • Method 2 (Direct link):
    Directly browse to https://admin.shopify.com/store/your-store-name and log in with their Partner email.