How do I restore Shopify's default robots.txt file?

Definition: Restoring Shopify's default robots.txt means removing the theme's custom robots.txt.liquid template so Shopify supplies its generated crawl rules again. A robots.txt file tells search engine crawlers which pages they can request; Shopify documents this restoration procedure as of October 2026.

Key facts

• Shopify's Help Center specifies deleting the custom robots.txt.liquid file to return to the default.
• Shopify's developer guide explains that adding this template replaces the generated robots.txt output.
• As of October 2026, Google's robots.txt report documentation describes how to view the last fetched file and its parsing issues in Search Console.

Which file is removed?

Shopify's deletion instructions apply to the custom template. In the published theme, its location is:

templates/robots.txt.liquid

The store administrator opens Online Store in Shopify admin, opens the relevant theme's menu, and selects Edit code. In the Templates folder, the administrator right-clicks robots.txt.liquid, selects Delete permanently, then confirms Delete.

Shopify's developer guide recommends saving the current /robots.txt output before publishing changes. Saved customizations can also be kept for later reuse, as the Help Center explains.

Why remove a template that already outputs default rules?

The robots object is a Liquid template object that supplies default rule groups for custom templates. Shopify's developer documentation states that the rendered output can differ from Shopify's generated file. Replacing the template's contents with copied rules still leaves a custom template in place.

Shopify's Help Center gives concrete examples: a template outputting default groups can retain Disallow: /search and Disallow: /policies/ after those rules leave the generated default. The documented route to the current default is template deletion.

How is the restored file checked?

Google's robots.txt report guide explains that the live file can be opened in a browser at the domain root. The example address is:

https://example.com/robots.txt

The store's domain replaces example.com. In Search Console, selecting the file in the robots.txt report shows Google's last fetched contents and highlights errors or warnings. Open live robots.txt opens the live version for comparison. The report's Checked on field records Google's latest crawl attempt.

For a critical correction, the file's menu offers Request a recrawl. Google generally fetches robots.txt frequently; a request does not ensure an immediate crawl of newly unblocked pages.

Related terms

• robots.txt
• How do I edit robots.txt in Shopify?
• How do I retain Shopify's default robots.txt rules when editing?

FAQ

Can I restore my old custom rules later?

Yes. Shopify's Help Center explains that you can copy saved customizations back into a template later.

Is pasting plain text rules a suitable reset?

Shopify's developer guide recommends using Liquid objects when customizing rules. If you want the generated default, deleting the template follows the Help Center's restoration procedure.

Where can I test whether a page is blocked?

Google's report documentation directs you to the URL Inspection tool to test whether a specific URL is blocked by robots.txt.

Sources

1. Shopify Help Center, "Editing robots.txt.liquid", undated
2. Shopify, "Customize robots.txt", undated
3. Google Search Console Help, "robots.txt report", undated

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