> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://staylime.com/docs/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://staylime.com/docs/theme-companion/theme-updates/resolving-conflicts.md).

# Resolving conflicts

A conflict is a place where your customization and the new theme version changed the same code. Everything else is resolved automatically — conflicts are the only places that need you.

### The screen at a glance

* **Files with conflicts** (left) — every file with its remaining conflict count. A resolved file gets a checkmark.
* **Conflict area** (top) — one conflict at a time, side by side: **Current** shows this area with your code kept, **Updated** shows the same area with the new version's change. Current is read-only; Updated is the side you can edit.
* **Full file preview** (bottom) — the whole file, so you can see each conflict in its context. The **Merged result** tab shows the file as it stands, with your decisions applied — in conflicts you haven't decided yet, it shows the new version's code. The **Before update** tab shows what your customizations were — see below.

<figure><img src="https://1681854268-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FUyDyU30RpMsjQtm2Gbnm%2Fuploads%2FmVVY3fIxdvW3UAc8X3hb%2FScreenshot%202026-08-19%20at%2018.40.37.png?alt=media&#x26;token=e9fc7e32-dd35-4a5f-986f-dacb3bffcbac" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

### Deciding a conflict

* **Keep my current** — keep your code in this area.
* **Keep updated** — take the new version's code.
* **Apply as edited** — edit the code on the Updated side first — for example, to combine your change with the new one — then apply your edited version.

{% hint style="warning" %}
If you've edited the code on the Updated side, apply it with **Apply as edited**. **Keep updated** takes the new version's original code — any edits you made in the panel are discarded.
{% endhint %}

Every decision is explicit and visible: each conflict shows its status, and once a conflict is decided, **Mark as unresolved** becomes available — so you can revisit any decision and make it again, right up until you finish the update.

{% hint style="info" %}
When your decisions change the file's code (**Keep my current**, **Apply as edited**), Shopify's **Save / Discard** bar appears — press **Save** before closing the screen; **Discard** undoes only the changes made since you last saved. Decisions that keep the new version's code don't change the file, so the bar may not appear — your progress is still saved.
{% endhint %}

### Seeing what your customizations were

If you don't remember what you changed in a file, open the **Before update** tab in the Full file preview. It shows two versions of the file, both from the theme version you're updating from — **Original vX.X**, the file exactly as the theme vendor shipped it, and **Your vX.X**, the same file with your customizations — so the highlighted additions are exactly your customizations. The tab is read-only.

{% hint style="info" %}
The tab highlights **all** your customizations in the file, not just the ones related to the current conflict. A highlighted change may already be carried over automatically — the highlighting is a reference for understanding what was yours, not a list of things to act on.
{% endhint %}

<figure><img src="https://1681854268-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FUyDyU30RpMsjQtm2Gbnm%2Fuploads%2FxFsyq6w3wlD8w3W8pP0v%2FScreenshot%202026-08-19%20at%2018.40.54.png?alt=media&#x26;token=5ef4342f-19a4-46bf-ba99-5aff65dbb756" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

### Previewing and finishing

The preview reflects your choices; in conflicts you haven't resolved yet, it uses the updated theme version's code. **Preview theme** isn't always available: right after the merge, the preview theme is still being created in your Online Store; some conflicts block the preview until they're resolved — those files carry the **Blocks preview** badge on the [update summary](/docs/theme-companion/theme-updates/understanding-your-update-summary.md); and any rejected files must be fixed first.

While you work, notices can appear above the file list — for example, when a file is rejected by Shopify. They tell you what happens next: rejected files are fixed after the conflicts are resolved, on a dedicated screen — see [Fixing rejected files](/docs/theme-companion/theme-updates/fixing-rejected-files.md).

When every conflict is decided, close the screen to return to the [update summary](/docs/theme-companion/theme-updates/understanding-your-update-summary.md) — that's where you finish the update. Your live theme stays untouched until you publish the result yourself — see [How theme updates work](/docs/theme-companion/theme-updates/how-theme-updates-work.md).


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