Preview Mode: Test your limits before activating them
Preview Mode applies your Draft limits to your own cart and checkout, so you can test them before switching them to Live. Your customers see no change, and your Live limits keep working as usual.
Table of Contents
- Starting a preview
- How previewed drafts behave
- The preview banner
- Exiting Preview Mode
- Frequently asked questions
Starting a preview
From the limit editor: set Status to Draft, press Save, then press Preview on my store at the top of the page. The button only appears once the limit is saved.
From the limits list: select one or more drafts and choose Preview selected drafts. Live limits in the selection are skipped, since they're already enforced.
Either way, your store opens in a new tab with Preview Mode on.
https://your-store.myshopify.com/?mincart=preview&preview-limits=<id>, with several limit ids separated by commas. You can bookmark it or send it to a colleague. Each person previews on their own browser.How previewed drafts behave
Previewed drafts are enforced on your cart exactly as they will be once Live: the storefront popup, the disabled checkout button and the checkout block all apply.
Each draft's Enforce on the storefront setting and Activation Dates still apply. Activation Rules that reference a previewed draft react to it, so you can test limits that depend on each other.
Drafts you didn't select stay hidden. Previewing never changes the draft itself.
The preview banner
While you preview, a dark MinCart preview mode banner stays at the top of every page, including the cart and checkout. It has two buttons:
- What's being previewed (N) opens the selection. Remove drafts on the Previewed tab, add them from Available drafts, then press Apply. You can preview up to 50 drafts at once.
- Exit preview ends Preview Mode.
Each previewed draft shows its state:
State | Meaning |
|---|---|
Enforced now | Blocks carts that break it. |
Not enforced (rules only) | Enforce on the storefront is off. It blocks nothing but can still satisfy another limit's Activation Rule. |
Not started yet | Its start date is in the future. |
Ended | Its end date has passed. |
Exiting Preview Mode
Press Exit preview in the banner. The page reloads with only your Live limits.
Closing the tab or reloading the page doesn't end the preview. It's remembered on your cart until you press Exit preview.
Frequently asked questions
I switched a draft to Live while previewing. What happens?
It's enforced for every visitor from the next page load. Nothing is left to preview for it.
Why does the editor ask me to confirm when a Live limit's Activation Rule points at a draft?
Your customers never see drafts, so that rule is ignored until the draft is Live, and a limit with no other activation rules is always active. Keep both limits as drafts and preview them together to check the rule, then switch them to Live.
The banner covers my store's header.
Themes with a header pinned to the top of the window can sit under the banner. It goes back to normal when you exit.
Can Sidekick give me a preview link?
Yes. Once the drafts it prepared are saved, ask Sidekick for a preview link.
Updated on: 29/09/2026
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