--- title: Audit Your Shopify Installed Apps | Actorly description: Learn how to audit the apps in your Shopify store. A step-by-step guide to reviewing app permissions, costs, and activity to improve store security and canonical: https://actorly.app/blog/how-to-audit-the-apps-installed-on-your-shopify-store --- [← Blog](https://actorly.app/blog) [Shopify apps](https://actorly.app/blog/category/shopify-apps) # How to audit the apps installed on your Shopify store A regular review of your installed apps helps keep your store secure, fast, and within budget. Learn a simple routine to check each app's cost, data [Odera Joseph Echendu](https://actorly.app/authors/odera-joseph-echendu) Oct 16, 2026 7 min read An app audit is a regular review of the applications installed on your Shopify store. By checking what each app does, what it costs, and what store data it can access, you can ensure your store remains secure, efficient, and cost-effective. ## Key takeaways - You can review every installed app's permissions, activity, and billing details from the Settings > Apps area in your Shopify admin. ([Shopify Help Center](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/apps/managing-apps)) - Apps can access personal information about your customers, and you can revoke this access by uninstalling the app. - Uninstalling an app stops future subscription charges, but you may still see a final charge on your next bill for the cycle you were in when you uninstalled. - Some apps become unsupported if developers don't update them to work with Shopify's latest changes, which can cause them to stop working correctly. - Shopify certifies some apps that meet high standards for performance, design, and integration, identifying them with a badge on their listing. ## Why should you audit your Shopify apps? You should audit your Shopify apps to keep your store secure, fast, and affordable. Over time, you may install apps for short-term tasks or trials and forget to remove them. Each installed app can potentially slow down your storefront, cost you money, and access your store's data, so removing unnecessary apps is a healthy routine. A regular review helps you confirm that every app serves a clear purpose, that its cost is justified, and that its access to your data is appropriate. ## How to review your installed apps Shopify provides a central place to manage your apps and review their details. You can find information on billing, data permissions, and recent activity for each app installed on your store. ([Shopify Help Center](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/apps/managing-apps)) To begin your audit, navigate to the app management area in your admin: 1. From your Shopify admin, go to Settings > Apps. 2. This page lists your installed apps. Click the name of an app you want to review. 3. This opens the app's about page, where you can find detailed information organized into sections. From this page, you can dig into the specific details for each part of your audit. ## A checklist for auditing each Shopify app For each app installed on your store, it's helpful to ask a consistent set of questions. This checklist covers the key areas to investigate for every app. What to checkWhy it mattersHow to find it **Purpose and Usage** Do you still use this app? Does its function justify its place in your store? An unused app can be a security risk and may slow down your site.Review the app's features in your admin. If you haven't used it in months, consider removing it. **Cost** Is the app free, or does it have a recurring subscription or usage-based fees? Understanding the total cost of your apps helps manage your expenses.On the app's about page, find the **Billing and usage charges** section. It shows the plan, billing cycle, and any usage fees. ([Shopify Help Center](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/apps/managing-apps)) **Data Access** What parts of your store can the app see and edit? Apps may access customer PII, order data, and product information. Limiting data access reduces your store's risk.On the app's about page, the **Privacy** section details the personal data an app can access. ([Shopify Help Center](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/apps/managing-apps)) **Quality & Support** Is the app well-regarded and actively maintained? Shopify's certification badge indicates an app meets Shopify's highest standards for quality and performance. ([Shopify Help Center](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/apps/about-apps))Look for the certification badge on the app's listing in the Shopify App Store. You can also read recent reviews from other merchants. **Compatibility** Does the app work with your theme and other store settings? An app can become incompatible or unsupported if the developer doesn't keep it updated. ([Shopify Help Center](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/apps/about-apps))Shopify will display a notification in your admin if an installed app becomes incompatible. Some apps provide a history of the changes they make, but this is often limited. For a more detailed view of what an app has changed, especially for product records, a dedicated change-tracking tool can be useful. Actorly, for example, records changes to products and other store data, showing who made the change when Shopify reports it, including changes made by third-party apps. ## Common mistakes when managing Shopify apps When managing a store, it's easy to make a few common errors regarding apps. Being aware of these can help you maintain a cleaner and more secure Shopify environment. - **Forgetting to uninstall unused apps:** Many merchants install an app for a one-time task, like a data import, and then forget to remove it. These apps may retain access to your store data and could be a security liability. - **Ignoring app permissions during installation:** During installation, Shopify lists the permissions an app requires. It's common to approve these without a thorough review. Always check what data an app wants to access before agreeing. - **Not reviewing app charges:** Small monthly fees can add up. Without a regular review of your Shopify bill, you might be paying for services you no longer need. App charges appear on your regular Shopify invoice. ([Shopify Help Center](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/your-account/manage-billing/billing-charges/types-of-charges/third-party-charges/app-charges)) ## A worked example Imagine you run a clothing store and, a year ago, you installed an app to add product recommendations to your product pages. As part of a quarterly audit, you decide to review it. First, you go to Settings > Apps and click on the recommendations app. ([Shopify Help Center](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/apps/managing-apps)) On its about page, you check the **Billing and usage charges** section. You see it has a monthly recurring charge. Next, you look at the **Activity and permissions** section. Since you're paying for an app that is no longer visible to customers, you decide to uninstall it and look for a new recommendations app that is compatible with your current theme and has Shopify's certification badge. ([Shopify Help Center](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/apps/about-apps)) This audit saved you a recurring fee and helped you clean up your store. ## Frequently asked questions ### How do I uninstall a Shopify app? From the app's about page in Settings > Apps, click the ... menu and select Uninstall app. Be aware that uninstalling stops future charges, but a charge for the current billing cycle might still appear on your next Shopify bill. ([Shopify Help Center](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/apps/managing-apps)) ### Can I reduce the permissions an app has? No, you cannot selectively reduce an app's permissions after it is installed. An app's permissions are set by the developer and agreed to upon installation. If you are not comfortable with the level of access an app has, your only option is to uninstall it. ([Shopify Help Center](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/apps/finding-choosing-apps)) ### What's the difference between listed and unlisted apps? Both listed and unlisted public apps go through Shopify's review process. ([Shopify Help Center](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/apps/about-apps)) Listed apps appear in the Shopify App Store's search results and categories. Unlisted apps do not, and can only be installed through a direct link. You should apply the same audit process to both. ### What does Shopify's app certification badge mean? This badge is given to apps that meet Shopify's highest standards for performance, design, and integration. ([Shopify Help Center](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/apps/finding-choosing-apps)) These apps are certified to not significantly slow down your store and to work seamlessly within the Shopify admin. Choosing apps with this badge is a good way to ensure quality. ### What happens to my data when I uninstall an app? When you uninstall an app, Shopify sends a request to the developer 48 hours later to erase all of your customers' personal information that the app collected. ([Shopify Help Center](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/apps/finding-choosing-apps)) To confirm that your data was deleted, you would need to contact the app developer directly. ## Read next - [How to add a privacy policy to your Shopify store](https://actorly.app/blog/how-to-add-a-privacy-policy-to-your-shopify-store) Written by [Odera Joseph Echendu](https://actorly.app/authors/odera-joseph-echendu) Founder of Actorly Odera Joseph Echendu is the founder of Actorly, a Shopify app from ONDUTYOPS LLC that keeps a searchable history of the changes it can see in a store. He spent seven years leading customer support and technical support inside high-growth SaaS and e-commerce companies. [All posts by Odera Joseph Echendu](https://actorly.app/authors/odera-joseph-echendu) ## More in [Shopify apps](https://actorly.app/blog/category/shopify-apps) [How to read Shopify app permissions before you install:](https://actorly.app/blog/how-to-read-shopify-app-permissions-before-you-install) ## Keep reading [Store management Handing a Shopify store to a freelancer: what to record:](https://actorly.app/blog/handing-a-shopify-store-to-a-freelancer-what-to-record)[Themes and storefront How to choose a Shopify theme for your store:](https://actorly.app/blog/how-to-choose-a-shopify-theme)[Security and fraud Where to find who removed a staff member in Shopify:](https://actorly.app/blog/where-to-find-who-removed-a-staff-member-in-shopify)