Your menu is still intact in Navi+, so you don’t need to start over. The new theme just isn’t connected to Navi+ yet. Follow the 3 steps below and the menu will show again.
Turn the menu back on for the new theme
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Open your menu in Navi+, click the Publish step in the left step bar, then click Enable Navi+ in theme name or Open Theme Editor.
PublishPut the menu on your storeNo code needed — a Tab Bar sticks to the bottom of the screen, there is no menu placement to pick.STATUS:OFFTurn onSTEP 1Enable Navi+ in Theme → App embedsNot enabled yet Enable Navi+ in Dawn
Not enabled yet — the menu cannot show until Navi+ is on in your theme. View guide
This is Shopify’s standard method - safe and removable anytime.Not turned on for this themeSTEP 2Test this menuOpen the Test panel to preview this menu on your store. Open Test -
In the theme editor that opens, switch on Store Connector in the left column, then click Save at the top right. You can see each step with illustrations in Turn on the app embed.
App embedsFind apps built for themes on the Shopify App Store.STOREHomeShopCollectionsAboutContact -
Go back to your store and reload the page with Cmd + Shift + R on a Mac or Ctrl + F5 on Windows. Tab Bar and Floating Button will show again right away.
If you use a Desktop Mega Menu, Mobile Mega Menu, Icon Menu or Mobile Menu, these menus attach to the header of the old theme, so you need to do 2 more things:
- Pick the placement or menu button again: Each theme has a different header structure, so the old CSS selector may not match the new theme. Open Publish, find the Theme selector-map box, choose your new theme name to get the right selector, then paste it into the placement field or the ☰ button field. If your theme isn’t in the list, use Navi+ Live to click the spot directly on the page.
- Add the app block to the page again: If you placed the menu with the Menu in Section block before, that block stays in the old theme. When you switch to the new theme, open the theme editor and add the Menu in Section block again in the spot you want.
Why does changing the theme remove the menu?
App embeds are a Shopify feature: the switch is tied to each theme to keep things safe, and you can turn it off any time without affecting the theme’s source files. Since each theme has its own switch, a new theme is always installed in the off state.
All your menu items, styles and display rules live in Navi+, not in the theme. When you switch between themes, the menu follows automatically.
Why did the menu disappear after a theme update?
When a theme gets a major update, the header code is sometimes rewritten. The app embed switch can stay on, so the Tab Bar still shows, but the old selector no longer matches, which makes the Desktop Mega Menu or Icon Menu disappear. Just pick the placement again in Publish, as described above.
What to do if the menu still doesn’t show
Turned on the app embed but still no menu?
Next, check Menu not showing on your store, starting from step 2.
The menu shows in the preview, but not on your live store?
You turned on the app embed in the preview theme, not in the live theme. Go back and switch it on for the theme that’s running live.
Do I have to rebuild the menu for the new theme?
No. At most, you need to pick one selector again and check whether the menu colors still suit the new theme. To match colors, open the Palette and adjust them.
Other platforms
The steps above are for Shopify — the default way.
Wix doesn’t use Shopify themes. If you change your site’s template or design, the Navi+ code may be lost. Paste the code into your site’s head tag again, then reload the page to check whether the menu shows.
Changing your site’s template or design can remove the Navi+ code. Paste the code into the page’s head tag again. A design update can also make the old CSS selector stop matching, so pick it again with Navi+ Live.