- Short answer
- In most themes, open Theme settings > Colors in the theme editor and edit a color scheme's background; Horizon 4.0.0+ uses color palettes instead.
- Themes with color schemes
- Theme settings > Colors > Schemes: edit the scheme's background by hex code or color picker.
- Horizon 4.0.0 and later
- Uses a color palette: changing a palette color updates every section and block that uses it.
- One section only
- Pick another scheme in the section's Color scheme field; in palette themes, override its color field if it has one.
- Scheme limit
- Up to 21 color schemes in the theme editor.
- Checkout
- Styled separately, in the checkout and accounts editor.
- Custom CSS
- Can set one section's background and overrides theme settings; not supported on the checkout page.
Change the background in a theme with color schemes
Color schemes, groups of colors (background, text, button) applied to sections, are available in most themes, such as all free Shopify themes before the release of Horizon 4.0.0. A section takes the colors of its assigned scheme automatically. Which color fields you get depends on your theme's source and version.
- In your Shopify admin, go to Online Store and click Edit theme.
- Open Theme settings, then Colors.
- Under Schemes, click the scheme your sections use, or Add scheme for a new one.
- Click the scheme's background color swatch, then enter a hex code or use the color picker.
- Click Save.
To recolor one section, pick another scheme in its Color scheme field: templates have no color fields of their own. The theme editor holds up to 21 color schemes.
Change the background in Horizon 4.0.0 and later
As of October 2026, Shopify lists color palettes in newer themes such as Horizon 4.0.0 and later. A palette is a set of named brand colors for the entire theme, managed in the same Colors section; changing one updates every section and block that uses it.
So change the palette color your backgrounds use: in Shopify's example, the primary color might be assigned to all page backgrounds. Shopify adds that a theme might have no overall page background setting while its header or footer has a background color field.
To recolor one part, click its section or block and, where it has a color field, choose a palette swatch or enter a hex code; that override takes priority there.
What about the checkout, emails and custom CSS?
- Checkout. Styled separately, in the checkout and accounts editor: see what you can change on the checkout.
- Notification emails. Shopify documents an accent color for all templates at once, under Settings > Notifications.
- Custom CSS. Can set a single section's background and overrides theme settings, but isn't supported on the Checkout page; check how many characters it allows.
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