What changed: The separate footer links for each policy have been replaced with a single Terms and policies link that opens a modal where customers can view any of the store's policies. The policy content itself is unchanged.
Who is affected
All Shopify stores using the standard checkout are affected; Shopify Plus merchants can hide the default footer and add custom policy links using Checkout UI extensions.
What it means for your business
For businesses using Shopify checkout, this means the policy links in their checkout footer will automatically appear differently, with customers accessing all policies through a single link, without any setup required.
What to do
No action is needed for this change; review how your checkout footer now looks, and if you use Shopify Plus, consider customizing the policy links via Checkout UI extensions if desired.
When it takes effect
The change was listed in Shopify's changelog dated October 26, 2026; no separate effective date is specified.
Source: https://changelog.shopify.com/posts/the-checkout-footer-now-shows-one-terms-and-policies-link
