> 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/volume-themes/faq/theme-setup-and-updates/where-should-i-put-custom-css-so-an-update-does-not-wipe-it.md).

# Where should I put custom CSS so an update does not wipe it?

Where to put custom CSS in Volume so that it survives a theme update, and what to avoid editing.

Use the **Custom CSS** fields in the theme editor. They are stored with your theme settings rather than in a theme file, which means Shopify carries them into the updated copy automatically.

There are two of them, and the difference matters.

### Store-wide CSS

**Customize → Theme settings → Custom CSS** applies to every page. Use it for anything global — a font tweak, a colour override, spacing that should be consistent everywhere — and for any rule that has to target `body` or `html`.

### Section-level CSS

Every section and block has its own **Custom CSS** field at the bottom of its settings. Shopify scopes those rules to that one section automatically, so you can restyle a single banner without writing a long selector and without risking anything else on the page.

One limitation: a section's **Custom CSS** cannot target the wrapping `.shopify-section` element or anything above it. Rules that need to reach outside the section belong in the store-wide field.

{% hint style="warning" %}
Do not paste custom styles into `assets/base.css` or any other theme file. Those edits live only in the theme copy you edited and are lost the moment you publish an updated version of Volume — see [Will updating Volume erase my customizations?](/docs/volume-themes/faq/theme-setup-and-updates/will-updating-volume-erase-my-customizations.md).
{% endhint %}

### Writing rules that hold up

Target classes rather than generated markup. Selectors built from deep element chains (`div > div > span:nth-child(3)`) break the next time a section's markup changes; a class-based selector usually survives.

If a rule refuses to apply, it is normally specificity rather than the field — the theme's own stylesheet is more specific than your one-class selector. Add the parent class to the selector rather than reaching for `!important`.

Be careful with colours in particular. Volume paints almost everything from CSS variables fed by the colour schemes, so a hard-coded colour in custom CSS sticks to one value while the rest of the section keeps following the scheme — and it will look wrong the moment you change the scheme or a customer's browser switches theme. Change the colour scheme instead.

{% hint style="success" icon="lightbulb" %}
Many things merchants reach for CSS to fix already exist as settings. Check [Colors](/docs/volume-themes/theme-settings/colors.md), [Typography](/docs/volume-themes/theme-settings/typography.md) and [Layout](/docs/volume-themes/theme-settings/layout.md) first. If you need extra markup rather than extra styling, use a **Custom Liquid** or **Custom HTML** section — those are settings too, so they survive updates as well.
{% endhint %}


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