Formatters & Code
Shopify Theme Settings Diff Checker — Recover Lost Customisations
Compare Shopify config/settings_data.json files locally. Detect lost custom CSS, deleted sections, missing blocks, and altered palette presets.
Original & updated theme settings
or click to browse
or click to browse
Results
What the result means
When updating Shopify themes or publishing changes from theme editor drafts, merchant customisations stored in config/settings_data.json can silently disappear. This diff engine performs deep structural comparison between your original and updated settings files. It flags missing custom CSS code blocks, identifies removed sections and app embed widgets, highlights altered color schemes or typography configurations, and generates a downloadable recovery CSS file and audit report to review before theme publication. The scanner parses JSON trees locally without sending proprietary theme files or storefront assets to remote servers, preventing unexpected storefront regressions when upgrading official or custom Shopify Online Store 2.0 themes.
Related tools
Guides
Questions
Why do custom CSS and settings disappear after updating a Shopify theme?
When an updated theme version is published or installed from the Shopify Theme Store, it often replaces config/settings_data.json with standard defaults. If custom CSS was placed in section settings rather than external assets, it can be dropped entirely.
Can this tool recover my lost custom CSS code?
Yes. If you provide a previous backup or export of your settings_data.json, the tool extracts all lost global and section-level custom CSS snippets and provides a one-click CSS download.
Does comparing theme JSON files modify my live Shopify storefront?
No. The tool performs read-only analysis inside your web browser. No connections or API calls are made to Shopify, and your live storefront is never touched.
