Customer Password Migration to Shopify

Last updated August 2026

The challenge of migrating customer accounts while preserving password security, since password hashes cannot be transferred between platforms with different hashing algorithms.

What transfers

• Customer names, email addresses
• Customer addresses (billing and shipping)
• Customer phone numbers
• Customer tags and notes
• Marketing subscription status

• Password hashes (different algorithms per platform)
• Login history and session data
• Two-factor authentication settings
• Saved payment methods (tokenized, PCI compliance issue)

Risks and common problems

• Customers cannot log in after migration without password reset
• High volume of password reset emails triggers spam filters
• Customers may abandon if password reset experience is poor
• Account-less checkout customers may lose their purchase history
• Customer groups/tiers may lose their association

Recommended approach

Migrate customer data without passwords. Send a branded account activation email after migration inviting customers to set a new password. Consider a migration notice period to set expectations. For Shopify Plus, use the Multipass feature to allow customers to log in with their existing credentials via a custom authentication bridge.

Technical notes

• WordPress/WooCommerce uses phpass/BCrypt with unique salts
• Magento 2 uses SHA-256 with a 32-character salt
• Shopify uses BCrypt for password storage
• Cannot migrate password hashes directly; algorithms are incompatible
• Shopify's Customer API: POST /admin/api/2026-07/graphql.json
• Customers must accept account invite via email after import
• Shopify Plus Multipass allows external authentication
• Consider SSO/OAuth bridge for enterprise migrations

Platform-specific guides

Customer Password Migration by platform:

Related migration problems

References

• Shopify Customer API — Shopify
• Shopify Multipass — Shopify