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— Setup walkthrough

Add downloads to the Shopify customer account page

Alva Digital Downloads ships a customer-account UI extension that renders a Downloads section on the new Shopify customer account page (the shop.account flow at customer-accounts.shopify.com). Every customer signed into their account sees a list of every digital file they have bought from your shop, each with a fresh download link.

Why install this extension

The single most common support ticket in digital downloads is "I lost the email — can you resend my files?" Customers archive the delivery email, switch devices, or simply cannot find it months later. Pointing them to their Shopify customer account page resolves the request without merchant action: the Downloads section is there whenever they log in, regardless of email state.

Install the extension

1. Confirm the extension is installed

The customer-account extension ships as part of the Alva app and is registered automatically when merchants install Alva Digital Downloads from the Shopify App Store — there is no separate enable toggle. To confirm, open SettingsApps and sales channelsAlva Digital Downloads, and check the extension list — alva-digital-downloads-account appears there.

Screenshot needed

Shopify admin → Settings → Apps and sales channels → Alva Digital Downloads detail screen, with the alva-digital-downloads-account extension visible in the extension list. No real customer data visible.

The Alva app detail screen showing the customer-account extension registered.

2. Open the new customer account page

Place a test order against a digital product (a $0 draft order works), sign into the customer account email, and open the order confirmation. Click View order — Shopify routes you to the new customer account UI at customer-accounts.shopify.com or your shop's account subdomain.

3. Verify the Downloads section renders

On the account home view, confirm that a Downloads section appears beneath the order list. Each row shows the product title, a thumbnail, and a Download button. Click one — the file streams from R2 via a presigned URL, the same path the email links use.

Screenshot needed

A Shopify customer account page on customer-accounts.shopify.com with the Downloads section rendered. Show 2–3 example product rows, each with a title, thumbnail, and Download button. Demo customer data only.

The Downloads section on a logged-in customer account page.

4. Brief your support team

Add a one-line saved reply: "Sign into your account at your-shop.com/account and open the Downloads section to grab your files again." This deflects the "lost email" ticket without manual resending and keeps your fraud, expiry, and download-cap rules intact.

What customers see

The Downloads section lists every File, Pack, and Link the signed-in customer has access to across every order, most recent first. Each Download button calls Alva's /api/files/purchases endpoint and routes through the same access-checking pipeline as the email links — so per-customer download caps, IP-based rules, and expiry windows still apply. Pending personalized files show a "We are preparing your file" notice until the merchant uploads them.

Customise

The customer account page inherits its theme styles from the Shopify customer account configuration in your store admin — fonts, colours, and layout follow whatever Shopify renders for the rest of that surface. Alva Digital Downloads does not expose per-merchant style overrides here. For a branded download experience, customise the delivery email or the download page instead — both support per-shop logos, colours, and copy.

Frequently asked questions

Does the customer account page bypass download limits and expiry?

No. Each Download click on the customer account page goes through the same access-checking pipeline as the email links, so per-customer download caps, IP rules, and expiry windows still apply.

Does the customer need to be logged in?

Yes. The Shopify customer account page requires customers to authenticate with the email address attached to the order. The extension reads the logged-in customer ID and only lists purchases tied to that customer.

Can I customise the colours or layout of the Downloads tab?

No. The customer account UI inherits styles from the Shopify customer account theme — Alva Digital Downloads does not ship per-merchant style overrides for this surface. For branded download surfaces, customise the delivery email or the download page instead.

See also

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Last updated 2026-05-06