You can add Google sign-in to Shopify customer accounts without installing an app. There is no additional fee for this connection on either side: Shopify does not require a paid app, and creating and configuring the Google OAuth client for this setup does not add a Google fee. The native connection works alongside Shopify’s email and Shop sign-in options.
This guide documents how we enabled Google sign-in on the CheckoutWorks store, using screenshots from our own setup and the customer-facing result.
Before You Start
The Shopify store owner must enable the connection. Make sure the owner is available to complete the owner-only Shopify step.
This guide applies to Shopify’s current customer accounts. Before opening Google Cloud, make sure you have:
- Access to Settings → Customer accounts in Shopify Admin.
- A Google account that can create or manage a Google Cloud project.
- A public homepage, privacy policy, and terms of service for your store.
- A secure place to save the OAuth client secret while you complete the setup.
Keep Shopify Admin and Google Cloud Console open in separate tabs. You will copy values between them several times.
Connect Google Sign-In to Shopify
1. Open Shopify’s Google sign-in instructions
In Shopify Admin, go to Settings → Customer accounts. Under Authentication, click Manage, then click Connect next to Google.
The Sign in with Google page contains the Authorized JavaScript origins and Authorized redirect URIs for your store. Leave this page open. These values are generated for your Shopify store and customer account domain, so use the values shown in your own admin.
2. Create a dedicated Google Cloud project
In Google Cloud Console, create a project for the customer account connection or select an existing project that your team can maintain. A descriptive name such as Store Name Customer Auth makes the project easier to identify later.
A separate project is not required, but it keeps ownership clear and prevents unrelated integrations from becoming tangled with customer login.
3. Configure the Google Auth Platform
Open Google Auth Platform → Overview in the selected project and click Get started. Use a store or brand name customers will recognize and choose a monitored support email.
Select External for the audience. “Internal” restricts access to users inside a Google Workspace organization, which is not suitable for a public Shopify store.
Add a contact email for Google’s notifications, accept the required user data policy, and create the configuration.
4. Add your public app information
On the Branding page, add your application homepage, privacy policy, and terms of service. Register your store’s root domain as an authorized domain.
These links can appear during Google’s consent flow, so they must be public, accurate, and served over HTTPS. A logo can introduce additional verification requirements, so add one only when you are ready to manage that review.
5. Create the OAuth web client
Go to Google Auth Platform → Clients and create a client. Select Web application as the application type and give it a name that explains its purpose, such as Shopify Customer Accounts.
Return to the Shopify tab and copy every value under Authorized JavaScript origins into the matching Google section. Then copy every value under Authorized redirect URIs into Google’s redirect URI section.
Copy these values exactly. Do not remove a path, change the protocol, substitute your storefront domain, or add a trailing slash that Shopify did not provide. Google compares redirect URIs exactly; a mismatch prevents the customer from completing sign-in.
6. Copy the Client ID and Client secret into Shopify
Create the OAuth client. The store owner must then copy its Client ID and Client secret into the Credentials section of Shopify’s Sign in with Google page and click Save.
The owner should copy and paste the credentials directly without sending the Client secret to anyone else. This keeps the sensitive value inside accounts controlled by the merchant.
Never put the client secret in screenshots, messages, or a code repository. Google says a new secret is shown when created. If it is no longer available, add a new secret and update Shopify instead of trying to recover it.
7. Publish the Google app
In Google Auth Platform, open Audience and click Publish app. An External app left in testing mode is limited to the test users you add in Google Cloud, so the storefront button alone does not prove that every customer can complete the flow.
Publishing and formal Google verification are not always the same process. Follow any verification request shown in your project.
8. Confirm that Google is turned on in Shopify
Return to Settings → Customer accounts → Authentication. Google should now display an On status.
Show the Sign-In Link in Your Store
Connecting Google controls the available authentication method. A separate Shopify setting controls whether customers can see an account sign-in link in the online store header and at checkout.
Go to Settings → Customer accounts and turn on Show sign-in links. The exact storefront presentation depends on your theme. It might be a person icon, an Account label, or Shopify’s account component.
This is an easy setting to miss. Google can be configured correctly while the storefront account entry point remains hidden.
The Finished Customer Experience
On our store, opening the account menu from the header displays Google beside Sign in with Shop and Shopify’s passwordless email option.
The option also appears when a shopper is asked to sign in from our Shopify Inbox chat experience.
Shopify states that only the customer’s email address is synced to Shopify through social sign-in. Google is an additional authentication method, not a separate customer account system.
Troubleshoot Google Sign-In
Check the connection boundaries before recreating the project:
- Google is still in testing mode: Publish the app or add the Google account as a test user while you verify the setup.
- The redirect URI does not match: Compare it with Shopify character by character, including the protocol, subdomain, path, and trailing slash.
- The wrong Google project or client was used: Confirm that the selected client is a Web application inside the intended project.
- The user cannot enable the connection: Confirm that the Shopify store owner is completing the owner-only step.
- The customer account domain changed: Add the new origin and redirect URI to Google before changing the domain in Shopify. Keep the old values until the new sign-in and sign-out flow has been tested.
- The storefront link is hidden: Turn on Show sign-in links in Shopify customer account settings.
- You are testing an existing session: Sign out fully or use a private browser window so a previous customer session does not hide the sign-in flow.
Our first check is whether the failed URI exists in the same OAuth client Shopify is using. A correct URI in a different project or client does not affect the live connection. We also test both sign-in and sign-out after any customer account domain change.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Google sign-in require a Shopify app or Shopify Plus?
No additional Shopify app is required. Google social sign-in is a native option for Shopify’s current customer accounts. It is different from connecting your own OpenID Connect identity provider, which replaces Shopify’s default sign-in experience and is a separate Shopify Plus capability.
Does this add another monthly app fee?
No. There is no additional charge from Shopify or Google for this connection itself. It does not install a paid Shopify app or add a recurring app subscription, and creating the required Google OAuth client does not carry a separate setup fee.
Who can enable Google sign-in?
The Shopify store owner must enable the connection. Staff users and collaborators cannot complete the owner-only activation step.
Does Google replace Shopify’s other sign-in methods?
No. Google appears alongside Shopify’s passwordless email flow and any other enabled options, such as Sign in with Shop.
What happens if the customer account domain changes?
Add the new origin and redirect URI to the Google OAuth client before changing the domain in Shopify. Keep the old values until sign-in and sign-out work correctly on the new domain.
If you want technical help with this setup, CheckoutWorks can guide you through it in a remote screen-sharing session. You remain signed in and control both accounts while we help configure and test the connection.