Pick a starter preset
A preset is a named starting configuration for your app. It sets a brand color, font, border radius, and a default layout for each screen. Loading one gives you a coherent starting point so you are not making dozens of decisions from scratch. Every value is editable after you load it.
What is a preset
Under the hood, a preset is a snapshot of theme tokens and screen layouts stored as a config. When you load a preset, those values are written into your app config. From that point, each value is independently editable in the builder. There is no preset "mode" that locks you in.
Think of presets as a starting direction, not a fixed constraint. Atlas and Bloom look very different, but after loading either one you can change every token, reorder every block, and arrive at the same final design if you choose to.
The theme catalog
There are 40 starter themes, organized in the picker by niche: fashion, beauty, fitness, home, food and drink, tech, and hobbies. Each theme ships its own home layout, shop and product screen presets, palette, and typography, so two themes are genuinely different apps, not recolors of the same one. A few examples:
Atlas
Warm neutral palette, editorial typography, generous spacing. The default theme. Works well for general retail, fashion, home goods, and catalogs that benefit from a clean, editorial feel.
Pace
Electric red on true black with a drop-led home. Built for sneaker and streetwear stores where release days matter.
Bloom
Soft colors, rounded corners, light and airy spacing. A gentle aesthetic that suits florals, gifting, and lifestyle brands.
Verdant
Earthy, muted palette with a magazine-style home. Fits plants, organic food, wellness products, and stores with an outdoors identity.
Brew
Roast browns and a ritual-led home with room for roast dates and brew guides. Made for coffee roasters and subscription-first stores.
Nimbus
A spec-and-gallery home with cool, technical typography. Good for consumer tech, audio, and any product that sells on details.
How to load a preset
Open the builder from your Shopify admin sidebar and navigate to the Presets tab. Each preset shows a thumbnail preview of how it will style your app. Click a preset to see a larger preview, then click Load to apply it.
Loading resets your customizations
Do this early. Loading a preset overwrites your current theme tokens and screen layouts. If you have already spent time customizing colors, fonts, or block arrangements, those changes will be replaced. Load a preset before you start customizing, not after.
You can reload a different preset at any time, but the same overwrite rule applies. If you want to experiment with multiple presets, do it before committing to a direction.
After loading: what to do next
Once a preset is loaded, the typical sequence is:
- Set your brand color. Open Theme tokens and replace the preset's accent color with your actual hex value. This propagates through buttons, links, and highlights across every screen.
- Pick a font. Choose from the 10 curated Google fonts in the Font family token. Pick the one that fits your brand voice, then check the preview across a few screens to confirm it reads well at small sizes.
- Review each screen's layout. Walk through the home screen, product detail, collection listing, and cart in the builder. The preset gives you a solid starting layout, but you may want to reorder blocks, swap a hero image, or adjust which collections appear front and center.
- Save. Your changes go live over the air immediately. No build required for config changes.
If nothing in the catalog fits your brand well, start with Atlas (the most neutral option) and customize the tokens from there. Atlas is intentionally understated so it does not fight your brand.