# Update Theme

{% hint style="info" %}
Your theme will update automatically only to fix bugs or security issues. For major updates, or if code customizations and apps have been added to your store, Shopify [does not automatically update themes](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/online-store/themes/managing-themes/updating-themes).
{% endhint %}

This article shows you how to transfer your theme settings and templates faster and efficiently. However, custom code change and apps will need to be transferred by a developer or by re-installing apps. Our Support cannot cover manual theme updates, code customizations, or app integration.

You will be notified of all theme updates in your **Theme library**. Major theme updates typically include feature releases or significant changes to the structure or settings of the theme. Click on the notification to view the **Release notes** to learn more about the update.

<figure><img src="https://2633927261-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FQ4k5c4mbNgGVVOJl0Fdz%2Fuploads%2FaVK4k28SIJARC50dN4Sl%2FGroup%208%20(1).png?alt=media&#x26;token=80ab33b0-73ae-4f64-ab33-921c331b5589" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

For theme updates that are not updated automatically, here's how to add the newest theme:

### 1. Add the latest version <a href="#step-1-add-the-latest-theme-version" id="step-1-add-the-latest-theme-version"></a>

1. Click on the theme update notification and click **Add to theme library.**
2. You can rename this new theme copy.

<figure><img src="https://2633927261-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FQ4k5c4mbNgGVVOJl0Fdz%2Fuploads%2FvCI4hCYBsYEDVl65gzrk%2FGroup%208%20(2).png?alt=media&#x26;token=6065f72b-5a61-4f13-9739-f761920ae94a" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

3\. You can back up your current theme.

<figure><img src="https://2633927261-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FQ4k5c4mbNgGVVOJl0Fdz%2Fuploads%2F8okwnsOLrPBLlNeSw6Ze%2FGroup%209.png?alt=media&#x26;token=9e3582d1-b3fa-4b48-a13e-c02061cf4151" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

### 2. Open code editors

We are going to open the code editors for each theme in two separate windows to make it easier to transfer the theme files.

1. Open two browser windows beside each other.
2. In the left window, open up the code editor of the old theme. (**Actions > Edit code)**
3. In the right window, open up the code editor of the new theme. (**Actions > Edit code)**
4. For smaller screens, you can expand the coding area by clicking the expand icon in the top-right corner.

### 3. Open Old theme files

1. Open the **Templates** folder. Files with green dots are templates that have been edited or added.
2.

    <figure><img src="https://2633927261-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FQ4k5c4mbNgGVVOJl0Fdz%2Fuploads%2FXW7SvqceO1UjaP8vEuWQ%2FScreenshot_5.png?alt=media&#x26;token=9afc62b0-4598-495c-946b-ac9d153537ef" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>
3. Click every .json file with a green dot in the order they appear to open. These will open in their own tab within the editor.
4. Open the **config** folder, Click the `settings_data.json` file to open it.
5.

    <figure><img src="https://2633927261-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FQ4k5c4mbNgGVVOJl0Fdz%2Fuploads%2FPgcZcJg9iBPFOrVt8r3y%2FScreenshot_6.png?alt=media&#x26;token=2eb9a000-34f2-4a57-8bdc-639059aa34be" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

### 4. Open new theme files <a href="#step-4-open-new-theme-files" id="step-4-open-new-theme-files"></a>

We will now open the same files in the new theme in the same order.&#x20;

1. Open the **Templates** folder.
2. Open the same files that you opened in the left window, in the same order.
3. For custom templates not in the original theme files, click **Add a new template** and name the template the same as the file in the old theme.
4.

    <figure><img src="https://2633927261-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FQ4k5c4mbNgGVVOJl0Fdz%2Fuploads%2FFU7J9FlPLmBiKjJ85JlZ%2FScreenshot_10.png?alt=media&#x26;token=7e72efe7-9efa-49b3-8850-b145e5c1a0eb" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>


5. Open the **Config** folder and Click the `settings_data.json` file to open it. You now should have your theme files opened and ready for each theme version.
6. Copy old theme files into new theme files, In both windows, select the first tab with the same filename. In the old theme, **select all** of the file contents and **copy** the contents to your clipboard.
7. In the new theme, **delete** the current code, and **paste** everything from your old theme.
8. Repeat this process for all open files. To keep track, you can close each tab once you've transferred and saved the new contents.

You can check all the features/changelog of the Peaks theme [here](../changelog).
