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GUIDE

How to set up the Facebook pixel on Shopify

You run Meta ads, and either your Shopify store has no pixel or you are not sure it counts purchases. On Shopify you do not paste pixel code into your theme: you connect the Facebook & Instagram app, pick a data sharing level and check it in Events Manager. The steps are below, then why the pixel alone misses some purchases.

The Meta pixel (Meta also calls it a dataset; "Facebook pixel" is its old name) is code that runs in your shopper's browser and tells Meta what visitors do in your store: the pages they view, what they add to cart, and what they buy. Meta's ads use those events to measure results and to learn who buys.

Before you start

Shopify's requirements for the Facebook & Instagram app include:

  • an online store that is live, not behind a password;
  • a personal Facebook account with full control of your business portfolio and your business's Facebook Page;
  • a published Facebook Page for the business, linked to a business portfolio;
  • an ad account in that portfolio before you create Meta ad campaigns.

Remove old pixel code first. If Meta pixel code was pasted into your theme, Shopify says to delete it from theme.liquid, between the <head> and </head> tags, before you add the pixel through the app. If an old pixel ID is set under Online Store > Preferences, remove it there too. Shopify warns that more than one pixel can give duplicate or incorrect data.

Step 1: Install the Facebook & Instagram app

  1. 1In your Shopify admin, go to Settings > Sales channels and open the Shopify App Store.
  2. 2Search for Facebook and add the Facebook & Instagram app.
  3. 3Click Start set up on the feature you want first, then Connect account and log in to Facebook.
  4. 4Connect the Meta assets the setup asks for: your business portfolio, Facebook Page, ad account and pixel.
  5. 5Accept the terms and click Finish setup.

Step 2: Connect the pixel and choose a data sharing level

  1. 1In your Shopify admin, go to Sales channels > Facebook & Instagram and click Settings.
  2. 2Click Data sharing settings. (Shopify's pixel article calls the same section Share data settings.)
  3. 3In the Customer data sharing section, turn data sharing on.
  4. 4Under Choose level, select Standard, Enhanced or Maximum.
  5. 5Click Connect on an existing pixel, or Create new to make one, then confirm.

Once connected, Shopify says the pixel tracks seven events: PageView, ViewContent, Search, AddToCart, InitiateCheckout, AddPaymentInfo and Purchase. The order value it reports is the checkout total.

What each data sharing level does

LevelWhat Shopify says it uses
StandardThe Meta pixel, which collects data from browsing in your online store
EnhancedMeta's Conversions API as well as the Meta pixel, and shares customer details (name, location, email, phone) to match people on Meta
MaximumThe Conversions API and the Meta pixel, updated with Meta's latest advertising technology

Shopify adds that data sharing is your choice and that you must tell customers how you share their data, in an up-to-date privacy policy.

Option: a custom pixel in Customer events

Shopify's own advice is to use an app pixel, such as the Facebook & Instagram app, and a custom pixel only when no app pixel meets your needs. A custom pixel is JavaScript you write or paste yourself. Shopify calls it an advanced feature it does not support, and runs it in a sandbox where not all pixel features work.

If you still need one:

  1. 1Remove any existing pixel code first, so events are not counted twice: in theme.liquid, in checkout.liquid (Shopify Plus only) and in Additional scripts in your checkout settings.
  2. 2Go to Settings > Customer events, add a custom pixel and give it a unique name.
  3. 3Under Customer privacy, set Permission (Required means the shopper's permission is needed for the purposes you select) and Data sale. To ask shoppers for consent, your store needs a cookie banner.
  4. 4Paste the code, click Save, then Connect pixel.

A custom Meta pixel next to the app's pixel, for the same events, sends Meta each event twice.

Step 3: Check that the pixel works

  1. 1Visit your store. Meta's pixel guide says to load a page with the pixel, then look for a new PageView in your pixel's details in Events Manager. If none shows, wait a few minutes and refresh.
  2. 2Use Meta Ads Data Advisor, Meta's free extension for Chrome and Edge, formerly Meta Pixel Helper. It lists the pixels on the page, whether they loaded, each event with parameters such as value and currency, and errors such as duplicate events.
  3. 3Test server events with Test events. At Enhanced or Maximum, some events come from a server. Meta says server events appear in Test events (Events Manager > your pixel > Test events) once they carry the test code shown there.
  4. 4Compare purchases with orders. After a few days, compare Meta's Purchase count for one day with your paid online orders in Shopify for the same day, in your store's time zone.

Why the pixel alone does not report all purchases

The pixel sends a purchase from the shopper's browser after checkout. Shopify notes that a browser ad blocker can stop the pixel from sharing data. Meta says the browser can also drop events through network connectivity issues or page loading errors. A shopper who declines your cookie banner should not be tracked at all. Each time, Meta misses that purchase, and its reports and campaign learning work from fewer purchases than your store had.

Meta's answer is a redundant setup: use the Conversions API in addition to the pixel and share the same events through both. With matching event names and event IDs, Meta keeps one copy of each purchase.

Where server-side sending fits

The Conversions API sends events from a server to Meta. On Shopify there are three ways to add it:

  • The Facebook & Instagram app at Enhanced or Maximum. Shopify says these levels use the Conversions API as well as the pixel.
  • Meta's own setup in Events Manager. Meta's developer documentation says pixel owners can set up the Conversions API for website events from Events Manager, with no code or setup fees.
  • An app or your own server container that sends purchases from a server you choose.

Keep one server sender for purchases, or Meta can count each one twice. The options, deduplication with event IDs and Event Match Quality are covered in Meta Conversions API on Shopify.

Where Tikra fits

Tikra does not install the Meta pixel. Tikra is a Shopify app that sends your paid online orders to Meta through the Conversions API as Purchase events, as the buyer's consent allows, and the same orders to Google Analytics 4, Google Ads, TikTok, Pinterest, Snapchat, Klaviyo and ChatGPT Ads. Tikra adds its own Shopify web pixel; where it is on for your store, that pixel sends a browser copy of the purchase to Meta with the same event ID as the server purchase, so Meta can count the two as one.

One trade-off to know first. To keep Meta from counting purchases twice, the last step of connecting Meta in Tikra is to switch the Facebook & Instagram app's data sharing off; the app stays installed. The app has no switch for purchases alone, so its page views, product views, add to cart and checkout events stop too. Tikra then sends the purchases, and with a plan it collects store events for Meta from visitors who allow marketing; the Meta card and the Events page say whether they are sent for your store. Tikra asks you to tick a box confirming this before Meta goes live.

What else Tikra adds:

  • A record for each order: what was sent to Meta, when, and Meta's answer.
  • A check before sending: Meta gets no purchases from Tikra until Tikra has confirmed that nothing else sends them.
  • Consent: you choose Strict, Standard or My store manages consent.
  • Price: from $99 a month with 500 orders, setup by our team included. See Plans and billing.
  • A free diagnosis on install that shows what Meta and your other platforms count and sends nothing; the 14-day free trial starts when you choose a plan.
  • A guarantee: a written guarantee for eligible orders: at least 97 % reach each platform, fixed within 12 hours or a month's fee credited (Terms, section 8). Terms apply

To test the connection, Tikra sends a test event to Meta with the code from Events Manager's Test events; it shows there as ConnectionTest and does not count as a sale.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to add pixel code to my Shopify theme?

No. Connect it in the Facebook & Instagram app and remove old pixel code from your theme first.

Which data sharing level should I choose?

Standard uses the browser pixel only; Enhanced and Maximum add the Conversions API and customer details. Choose the level your privacy policy describes, with one server sender for purchases.

Where is the data sharing setting in Shopify?

Sales channels > Facebook & Instagram > Settings > Data sharing settings (also called Share data settings).

Can I have two Meta pixels on my store?

Avoid it. Shopify warns that more than one pixel can give duplicate or incorrect data.

How do I know the pixel fires?

Look for PageView in Events Manager after loading a store page, or use Meta Ads Data Advisor. For purchases, compare a day of Meta's Purchase count with your paid online orders.

Does Tikra replace the Meta pixel?

No. Tikra does not install the Meta pixel. It sends purchases, and the store events you choose, through the Conversions API; its own web pixel can send a browser copy with the same event ID. See Meta Conversions API on Shopify.

Check your store

Install Tikra from the Shopify App Store

Check that your tracking works

Related: Meta Conversions API on Shopify · Meta shows fewer purchases than Shopify

Sources, checked 2026-11-08

  • Shopify Help Center, Facebook data sharing (steps, levels, Meta pixel events): https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/promoting-marketing/analyze-marketing/meta-data-sharing
  • Shopify Help Center, Meta pixel (add, change or remove; theme code; Online Store Preferences): https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/promoting-marketing/analyze-marketing/meta-pixel
  • Shopify Help Center, Setting up Facebook and Instagram by Meta: https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/online-sales-channels/social-commerce/facebook-instagram-by-meta/setup
  • Shopify Help Center, Requirements and considerations for Facebook and Instagram by Meta: https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/online-sales-channels/social-commerce/facebook-instagram-by-meta/requirements-and-considerations
  • Shopify Help Center, Custom pixels: https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/promoting-marketing/pixels/custom-pixels
  • Shopify Help Center, Managing custom pixels: https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/promoting-marketing/pixels/custom-pixels/manage
  • Meta for Developers, Meta Pixel get started: https://developers.facebook.com/docs/meta-pixel/get-started
  • Meta for Developers, Meta Ads Data Advisor (formerly Meta Pixel Helper): https://developers.facebook.com/docs/meta-pixel/support/pixel-helper
  • Meta for Developers, Conversions API: https://developers.facebook.com/docs/marketing-api/conversions-api
  • Meta for Developers, Conversions API best practices: https://developers.facebook.com/docs/marketing-api/conversions-api/best-practices
  • Meta for Developers, Using the Conversions API (Test events): https://developers.facebook.com/docs/marketing-api/conversions-api/using-the-api
  • Tikra help: Connect Meta, Turn off the store's own tracking, Consent modes, Check that Tikra works, Get started.