---
title: Feature previews
description: >-
  Shopify's feature previews provide early access to new features. Learn about
  the feature previews available and how to test your apps.
api_name: feature-previews
source_url:
  html: 'https://shopify.dev/docs/api/feature-previews'
  md: 'https://shopify.dev/docs/api/feature-previews.md'
---

# Feature previews

Shopify's feature previews give you early access to changes to Shopify so that you can build on the platform with confidence. You can test features that'll be available to users in the upcoming months, but that haven't yet been rolled out. With feature previews, you can test your apps for compatibility, build new capabilities, and adapt your business strategies to maximize your apps' value to users.

Visit our [developer changelog](https://shopify.dev/changelog?filter=feature_preview) to see all available feature previews.

***

## Previewing new features

When a new feature is accompanied by a backwards-incompatible change to our APIs, or a significant change to the online store or the Shopify admin, it's included in a feature preview.

You can test the feature by [creating a new dev store](https://shopify.dev/docs/apps/build/dev-dashboard/development-stores) and enabling the feature preview.

### Enable a feature preview

Each feature preview can include several changes. When you enable a feature preview, you select the preview that includes the features that you want to access.

A development store with a feature preview enabled includes all of the features that are available on the Advanced Shopify plan, but the store can't be transferred to another owner or transitioned to a paid plan. To learn more about development stores and their features and limitations, refer to [Development stores](https://shopify.dev/docs/api/development-stores).

#### Steps

1. From your [Dev Dashboard](https://dev.shopify.com/dashboard), click **Dev Stores**.

2. Click **Add dev store**.

3. Enter a name for your store.

   The store name is used to create the store's myshopify.com URL.

4. Choose the Shopify plan that you want to use.

5. Recommended: Select **Generate test data for store**. This will populate your store with test data generated by Shopify.

6. Optional: Select **Test a feature preview**. You can choose a [feature preview](https://shopify.dev/docs/api/feature-previews) to test capabilities that aren't available to all stores yet.

7. Click **Create store**.

Caution

Feature previews might still be under development and are subject to change.

### Timeline for feature previews

For backwards-incompatible changes, the timeline for feature previews is tied to the API release schedule.

When a stable API version introduces a backwards-incompatible change, the feature associated with the change won't be available to a user's Shopify admin until nine months later, when that version of the API is the oldest supported stable version. So you have nine months to preview a feature and prepare for it before it's released to users.

To learn more about the API release schedule, refer to [Shopify API versioning](https://shopify.dev/docs/api/usage/versioning#release-schedule).

***