When you move from Square to Shopify, it's tempting to bring over only what you think you'll need - the current products, the active customers - and leave the rest behind. We recommend the opposite: bring everything, then tidy up in Shopify. Here's why.
What happens to your data when you leave Square
- Access ends when you deactivate
According to Square's own help center, once you deactivate your Square account you can no longer access your item library, customer directory or payment history.
- There's no undo
A deactivated Square account can't be reactivated - you would have to open a new, empty one. unSquared can only read what your Square account still has, so data left behind can't be migrated later by anyone.
- The connection goes too
unSquared reads Square through the connection you approve. Once the account is gone, so is the connection - including tools like Re-sync Products and Inventory Sync that read Square again.
Moving everything vs. picking and choosing
| Move everything now | Move only some data | |
|---|---|---|
| Something you didn't need | Delete, hide or archive it in Shopify in minutes | Nothing to do |
| Something you later realize you needed | Already in Shopify | Another run that rewrites products you may have edited - and only while Square is still connected. After that, it's gone. |
| Your records | One report showing everything that came across | Pieces spread across several runs |
How to move everything with unSquared
- 1Select every data type
Right after connecting Square, choose Products, Customers, Gift Cards and URL Redirects. You can change this later in Settings.
- 2Keep every Field Mapping field ticked
On the Products page, Field Mapping starts with every field ticked. Leave them on - extra details land as metafields, which stay out of your storefront unless your theme uses them. Consider ticking Extra Variant Images too, if your variants have several pictures.
- 3Turn on Collections and Discounts
Both are off by default in Migration Settings. Turning them on brings your Square categories and discounts across in the same run.
- 4Include archived and deleted items if you might want them
These arrive archived, so they never show in your store, but their history is kept in Shopify.
- 5Tidy up in Shopify afterward
Delete or archive what you don't need. It's much faster than recovering something that was left behind.
The one exception: gift cards
Shopify never lets an imported gift card be deleted - only deactivated. Unlike everything else, a gift card you migrate stays in Shopify for good, so check which cards you're bringing over before you run that migration. Only active Square gift cards migrate in the first place.
See exactly what migrates
Every data type, field by field, plus what doesn't come across and why.
Read the Migration Guide