Getting started

Balm is an Online Store 2.0 theme for Shopify: every page is built from sections and blocks that you add, remove and reorder in the theme editor, without code. This guide takes you from installation to a store ready to publish.

Install Balm from the Theme Store

Open the Balm page on the Shopify Theme Store while logged in to your store.
Select View demo store to browse Balm with its content before you install it.
Select Try theme to add a trial copy to your theme library, or buy the theme straight away. A trial lets you customize everything; you pay when you publish.
In your admin, go to Online Store, Themes. Balm is in your theme library. Select Customize to open the theme editor.
When the store is ready, open the theme's ... menu in the theme library and choose Publish.

Balm needs no app to work. Apps that offer app blocks, such as reviews, subscriptions or bundles, plug into the product page and into most sections.

Updating Balm

When a new version is released, your theme library shows an update notice. Shopify adds the new version to your library as a separate copy that keeps your theme editor settings and content, so you can review it before publishing. Changes made directly in the theme code are not carried over: see Custom code. What changed in each version is listed in the Changelog.

The Balm preset

A preset is a starting style: color schemes, font pairing, corner radii, glass recipe and typography recipes. Balm comes with one preset, also named Balm, and your store starts from it.

Look. Clean and neutral: a white scheme and a near black scheme, sentence case headings and buttons, a white frosted glass. A calm base that lets product photography lead.
Fonts. Inter 600 for headings, Inter for body text.
Corners. Softly rounded: buttons 12 px, cards 20 px.

Every value of the preset is a starting point. Change the colors, fonts, corners, glass and typography in Theme settings; your sections, blocks and content stay as they are.

How the theme editor is organized

Header group: the Announcement bar and the Header, shared by every page.
Template: the sections of the page you are editing. Switch page type with the menu at the top of the editor (Home page, Products, Collections and so on).
Footer group: the Footer, shared by every page.
Theme settings (the gear icon): colors, fonts and storewide features. See Theme settings.

Most sizes and spacings have two settings, one ending in (desktop) and one ending in (mobile), so you can tune phones without touching large screens. Use the device switch at the top of the editor to preview both.

First setup, step by step

Logo and menu. Open the Header section. Set Logo type and upload your Logo image, then pick your main menu under Menu. Menus themselves are edited in your admin, under Content, Menus (Online Store, Navigation on older admins).
Colors. In Theme settings, Colors, adjust the two color schemes of the Balm preset to your brand. Every section picks one of them.
Fonts and corners. Set the Heading font and Body font in Typography, and the corner radii in Corner style.
Home page. The home page starts with a Hero, a Marquee, a Products showcase, Socials, Image with text, Rich text and the Newsletter popup. Replace their images and texts, remove what you do not need, and add sections with Add section.
Product page. Open a product in the editor and review the block stack. See Product page blocks, and Metafields if each product should carry its own color or texts.
Collections and search. Install Shopify's free Search & Discovery app to choose the filters shown on collection and search pages, then set their layout in the Collection section.
Cart. Open the Cart drawer for the reward progress bar, suggestions and the order note. Turn on gift wrapping if you offer it.
Footer. Add your menus, newsletter, social links and, if you sell in several countries, the Localization block.
Favicon and sharing. Upload a favicon and a fallback share image in Theme settings.
Pages. Create your About, Contact, FAQ and Where to buy pages in Online Store, Pages, and assign them the matching template under Theme template: page.about, page.contact, page.faq, page.find-us. The page.products template presents your range with a Featured set and a Products showcase.
Check and publish. Preview every page type on desktop and on a phone, place a test order, then publish.

Templates included

Home page, product, collection, list of collections, search, cart, blog, blog post, page, 404, password and gift card, plus five page templates: page.about (About), page.contact (Contact), page.faq (FAQ), page.find-us (Store locator) and page.products (Products). All of them are built from sections, so you can reshape any of them in the editor.

Need help?

Search this documentation with the box at the top of the page, read the FAQ, or contact Balm support.