In this simple step-by-step guide, I’m going to show you how to sell digital products on Shopify. And at the end of the post, you’ll find some resources on how to promote them effectively.
Let’s go!
1. Start a Shopify trial
To start selling digital products (or indeed anything else!) on Shopify, the first thing you need to do is start a free trial of the platform.
This lasts for a few days, and once it’s over, Shopify incentivizes you to stick with the platform by giving you access to 3 months of service for a discounted price of one dollar per month.
You can learn more about how this offer works here.
Once you’ve started your trial, it’s time to…
2. Install a digital products app
Shopify differs from some of its competitors in the way it lets you sell digital goods. This is because it requires you to add a digital products app so your customers can download eBooks, music, videos, photos, online courses etc.
(Many competing ecommerce platforms offer this functionality as a built-in feature).
Now, this approach has its pros and cons.
On the downside, it means that extra configuration is required before you can sell digital products online, but on the plus side, you get a lot of options regarding how you go about this.
To install a digital products app, you’ll need to visit the Shopify app store, and enter ‘digital products’ into the search box provided.
As you can see from the screenshot above, your search will return a large number of digital products apps — both free and paid.
It’s then a case of reviewing these and their features, and choosing the one that meets your requirements.
Your decision here will usually boil down to two key things:
- file sizes — if you’re selling very large digital products (for example, videos), you’ll need to choose an app that will cater for big files
- whether you want file or IP protection added to your digital products.
If your needs are simple though, and you want to use a free option, Shopify’s ‘Digital Products‘ app, pictured below, is a good choice.
There are four main reasons for this:
- It lets you sell products of up to 5GB in size (which will be fine for a lot of applications).
- There are no monthly subscription fees to worry about.
- Support for the app is provided by Shopify (not a third-party developer).
- You can use it to create product bundles that include both digital and physical items.
Installing the app is simply a case of making sure you’re logged into your Shopify store and then clicking the ‘Add app’ button provided on the ‘Digital Products’ app page.
If you need file protection features added to your digital products — for example, watermarked content or restrictions on the number of IP addresses that a product can be downloaded from — the paid-for ‘Fileflare Digital Downloads‘ app is a good choice (a free plan is also available for this app, but it’s pretty basic in terms of features).
With your digital downloads app installed, it’s now time to start uploading files.
Download our free Shopify Startup Kit
Our free Shopify Startup Kit is a must for anyone thinking of building an online store with Shopify. Containing a comprehensive e-book on starting a Shopify store, video tutorials, PDF cheatsheets and much more, it’s packed full of practical advice on how to get a Shopify business off the ground. It’s available for free to Style Factory readers — but for a limited time only.
3. Upload your digital product to Shopify
It’s now time to upload your digital product to Shopify and add information about it.
Note: to explain how to do this, I’m assuming that you’re using Shopify’s ‘Digital Products’ app to sell your product, although the process is usually similar with other digital downloads apps.
To get started, log in to your Shopify dashboard and click ‘Digital Products’ in the ‘Apps’ section.
Next, click the ‘Add assets’ button, select ‘File’ and upload the digital file you want to sell.
Once your file has uploaded, click ‘Save.’
Next, open the ‘Fulfillment’ settings. Here, you can choose whether customers receive their download link automatically by email or whether you’d prefer to send it manually. You can also set a limit on the number of times a customer can download your file.
Click ‘Save’ to confirm your fulfillment settings.
With your digital file uploaded and your fulfillment settings configured, you can now complete your product listing.
To do this, go to the ‘Products’ section of your Shopify dashboard and open your newly created product.
Here, you can add a product title, description, price and any relevant images.
You can upload product images using the ‘Media’ section of the product editor.
If you’re selling a digital-only product — rather than bundling a digital file with a physical item — make sure that the ‘Physical product’ option in your product’s shipping settings is turned off. This ensures that customers won’t be charged for shipping.
Once you’re happy with your product information, save your changes.
Note: you can save a product as ‘Active’ or ‘Draft.’ If you’re working on a live Shopify store (i.e., one you’ve already published), it’s best to keep products in draft status until they’re ready to publish.
At this point, your digital product is set up in Shopify. Once you’ve changed its status to ‘Active’ and made it available on your online store, customers can purchase it.
Before promoting your product, however, it’s a good idea to test that everything is working as expected. Run a test purchase through your store and check that the download link is delivered correctly and the file downloads without any problems.
Tip: if you’re currently selling physical products on your store, you can increase their value (or price!) by bundling digital products with them.
For example, if you’re selling a vinyl album, you could include an MP3 version with it.
To do this, open the ‘Digital Products’ app, select the existing product and use the ‘Add asset’ option to upload your digital file.
With your digital products uploaded and your download process tested, it’s now time to…
4. Launch your store
In the steps above, I showed you how to add a digital product to a Shopify store. However, selling digital goods involves more than just uploading digital files! You’ll also need to build the rest of your online store and get it live.
This will involve tasks like:
- selecting a theme
- creating site navigation
- writing copy
- adding a custom domain name to your store
- keyword research and SEO (search engine optimization)
(And quite a few other things!)
I’m not going to go into these tasks in depth here, but we’ve covered all of these in our step-by-step guide to creating a Shopify store. I’d encourage you to read this, as it will help you get your new Shopify store live quickly and easily (and in a way that maximizes sales).
Our Shopify tutorial video below may also help.
There are a couple of other Style Factory resources that I’d suggest you take a look at before launching your store too: our Shopify SEO guide, which shows you how to improve your site’s chances of performing well in search results, and our Shopify store launch checklist, which walks you through a series of important checks you should carry out on your new Shopify store before putting it live.
Good luck with creating a digital product store with Shopify! If you have any queries about the process, do leave them in the comments section below.
How to sell a digital product on Shopify — FAQ
Can I sell my digital products on Shopify?
Yes — it’s simply a case of creating a Shopify account, installing a digital downloads app and then uploading your digital product to the platform.
Is selling digital products profitable?
A digital product business can be very profitable. Once a digital product is produced and made available online, it can be sold over and over again without incurring additional manufacturing costs. This can lead to very high profit margins. However, you will still need to invest in promotional activities like PR, marketing and SEO in order to generate sales.
How much does it cost to sell digital products on Shopify?
To sell digital products on Shopify, you will always need a Shopify subscription, which ranges from $39 to $399 per month depending on your chosen pricing plan. You’ll then need to install an app to gain the functionality to sell digital products — Shopify’s own digital products app is free, but others charge monthly fees and these vary considerably by app.
Can I bundle downloadable files with a physical product on Shopify?
Yes — you can easily bundle downloadable files with physical products using Shopify’s ‘Digital Products’ app or a similar third-party app.
To do this using Shopify’s app, open ‘Digital Products’ in your Shopify dashboard, select the physical product you want to add a digital file to, and use the ‘Add assets’ option to upload your file. Customers who purchase the physical product will then be able to download the accompanying digital file.
What sort of digital products can I sell with Shopify?
You can sell any downloadable product on Shopify (provided it’s legal and doesn’t violate Shopify’s terms of service). Digital goods sold on Shopify include videos, online courses, software, music, eBooks, digital art, digital templates, downloadable prints and stock photography.
Can I create membership sites with Shopify?
Yes. However, rather than using a digital products app for this, you’ll need to install a dedicated membership site app, like Bold Memberships or Locksmith. These apps typically involve a monthly subscription.
Update details
This article was updated on October 9, 2026. The following updates were made:
- Updated the digital product upload instructions to reflect Shopify’s latest workflow.
- Replaced outdated instructions for adding digital files and configuring fulfillment settings.
- Updated the guidance on creating and publishing digital product listings.
- Revised the FAQ on bundling digital downloads with physical products.
- Updated references to Shopify’s Digital Products app.
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