Feature / Admin

Turn automatic hreflang tags
on or off from your admin settings

hreflang tags tell search engines which language or regional version of a page to show to which visitors. Shopify generates them automatically from your Markets language and domain settings, but an OFF switch has been added to the admin for stores that want to manage them on their own.

On this page
  1. What's actually changing (30-second overview)
  2. How it works: how hreflang routes visitors in search results
  3. Why turn it OFF: the duplicate tag problem
  4. Keeping it ON vs turning it OFF
  5. Setup steps (3 steps)
  6. 5 points developers should know
  7. 3 use cases for your business
  8. One-line summary for proposals

1What's actually changing

Shopify has been automatically generating hreflang tags from your Markets language and domain settings (ON by default).
Now you can switch this auto-generation OFF with one click from the admin . It's a switch for stores that manage hreflang themselves and want to avoid duplicate tags.

Default: ON (auto-generated)

Shopify outputs hreflang tags automatically based on your Markets language and domain settings. Most stores don't need to do anything.

New option: OFF (self-managed)

If you want to manage hreflang yourself or avoid duplicate tags, you can stop auto-generation from Online Store > Preferences.

2How it works: how hreflang routes visitors in search results

Markets settings Languages: ja / en / fr ... Domain settings Source of generation Auto-generated by Shopify (when ON) <link hreflang="ja" ...> <link hreflang="en" ...> <link hreflang="fr" ...> Declares each page's language and regional versions Search engines interpret them Visitors in Japan → Japanese version Visitors in the US → English version Visitors in France → French version
hreflang tags: they tell search engines "this page has Japanese, English, and French versions" so thatthe version matching each visitor's language and region appears in search resultsA declaration for exactly that purpose. It's a fundamental building block of multilingual, multi-region SEO, and in Shopify your Markets settings serve directly as its source.

3Why turn it OFF: the duplicate tag problem

The pain before there was an OFF switch <link hreflang="ja"> ← auto-generated by Shopify <link hreflang="ja"> ← your own implementation (duplicate!) The same declaration gets output twice From now on: you can turn auto-generation OFF <link hreflang="ja"> ← only your own implementation remains Automatic hreflang: OFF A single output source keeps things clean
Turning this OFF is strictly an option that assumes "you manage hreflang yourself". If you turn it OFF without preparing an alternative hreflang output, the language and region declarations disappear entirely. The only reason the original post gives for turning it OFF is when you want to manage it yourself and avoid duplicate tags.

4Keeping it ON vs. turning it OFF

ItemON (default)OFF (self-managed)
hreflang output Automatic Generated from your Markets language and domain settings Self-managed Output it yourself via your theme, an app, etc.
Best suited for Stores running multilingual, multi-region setups on Shopify's built-in features Stores that want to manage hreflang to their own requirements
Duplicate tag risk Can duplicate if combined with your own implementation Avoidable by consolidating to a single output source
Work required None Enabled by default Change the setting in Online Store > Preferences

5Setup steps (3 steps)

1

Open Online Store > Preferences

From the Shopify admin, go to "Online Store" > "Preferences."

2

Go to the Social sharing and SEO section

Find the "Social sharing and SEO" section on the page.

3

Change the automatic hreflang setting

Turn it OFF to switch to self-management. You can turn it back on from the same place.

ON by default. If you do nothing, auto-generation continues as before, so existing stores are unaffected. OFF is a setting only for those who want to manage hreflang themselves.

65 key points for engineers

1. The source of generation is Markets settings

Automatic hreflang tags are generated from thelanguage settings and domain settingsin Markets. When the output looks wrong, check the Markets side, not the theme.

2. Default ON = behavior does not change

This change adds the option to turn it OFF. Existing stores' hreflang output stays as-is if left alone. No migration work is required.

hreflang hreflang

3. The main purpose of OFF is removing duplicates

In stores that output their own hreflang tags via a theme or SEO app, they can duplicate the auto-generated ones.Consolidating output into a single sourceis the rule, and this switch exists for exactly that.

4. Turn it OFF only together with a replacement

Turning it OFF without an alternative hreflang output removes the declarations, which can affect multilingual SEO. Prepare your own output before switching, and check the page source after switching.

API ?

5. No mention of API control or eligible plans

The original post only describes the flow in the admin (Online Store > Preferences). Whether it can be toggled via the Admin API, or whether there are plan restrictions, isnot documented. If you want to automate switching across multiple stores, verify this separately.

73 use cases you can apply at work

hreflang="ja" hreflang="ja" SEO audit report
USE CASE 1

Resolving duplicate hreflang tags in stores that also use an SEO app or custom implementation

Challenge
The store outputs its own hreflang tags via an SEO app or theme customization, duplicating Shopify's auto-generated ones, so SEO audit tools keep flagging duplicate warnings.
Approach
Turn off automatic hreflang under Social sharing and SEO in Online Store > Preferences, and consolidate output into your own implementation.
Impact
Duplicate tags are eliminated. Audit reports come back clean, and responsibility for managing hreflang is consolidated in one place.
Technical note
After turning it OFF, check the page source to confirm only your own hreflang tags remain. The opposite choice is also valid — drop your own output and rely on Shopify's auto-generation (pick one or the other).
Shopify In-house CMS, etc. Manage hreflang across sites Auto: OFF
USE CASE 2

A corporate site setup that wants unified hreflang design across sites, including those outside Shopify

Challenge
With ecommerce on Shopify and the corporate site and blog on a separate CMS, the SEO team wants to centrally manage hreflang design across language and regional versions of the entire site portfolio.
Approach
Turn off Shopify's auto-generation and output hreflang tags yourself following the SEO team's design, unifying the policy across all sites.
Impact
Free from Shopify's auto-generation rules, you can build a consistent multilingual SEO design across the entire site portfolio.
Technical note
Before turning it OFF, be sure to capture what the auto-generation is outputting, and only switch after confirming your own implementation is at least as complete.
USE CASE 3

Adding an "hreflang policy check item" to multilingual store build projects

Challenge
In new builds and migration projects, hreflang handling tends to go unaddressed, and after launch the question of "should we rely on auto-generation or a custom implementation?" becomes a problem.
Approach
Add a "hreflang: Shopify auto-generated (keep ON) / self-managed (OFF)" choice to your requirements checklist, and settle the policy together with the Markets language and domain design.
Impact
Projects covered by the standard feature get multilingual SEO with zero extra implementation. Projects that need self-management have a lightweight switchover procedure (admin only), which is easy to factor into estimates.
Technical note
The switch is a single setting under Online Store > Preferences, so changing course is cheap. Starting with ON and turning it OFF only when needed is the safe default strategy.

8One-line summary you can use in proposals

"The hreflang tags that Shopify auto-generates from your Markets settings can now be turned OFF from the admin (Online Store > Preferences).
The default is ON, so existing stores need no action. Only stores that manage hreflang themselves and want to avoid duplicate tags need to turn it OFF."