Upgrading PrestaShop 1.6 or 1.7 without closing the shop

Why it has to be done

Old PrestaShop versions are tied to old PHP versions. The official documentation gives these limits:

• PrestaShop 8 runs on PHP 7.2 to 8.1;
• PrestaShop 9.0 runs on PHP 8.1 to 8.4, PrestaShop 9.1 up to 8.5.

PrestaShop 1.7 stops at PHP 7.4, which has had no fixes since November 2022, and 1.6 at even older versions. According to php.net, PHP 8.1 also dropped off the security calendar on 31 December 2025. So PrestaShop 8 needs a look too, if you want to stay on a PHP version that still gets fixes.

You feel the problem in daily work as well: payment and shipping modules that no longer come out for your version, payment providers changing their APIs, product pages that load slowly.

Which version you start from

From 1.7 you move with the official Update Assistant module, which exists for this. Theme and modules have to be checked first: the upgrade is the easy part, they are what breaks.

From 1.6 the jump is big. The theme has changed, as have many modules and part of the back office. It is usually better to create a new shop and migrate the data: products, combinations, customers, orders, addresses. This avoids carrying years of code changes along, and the theme has to be redone in exchange.

What usually breaks

• The theme: 1.6 and 1.7 templates are written differently.
• Overrides, meaning changes to PrestaShop's code made over the years, often undocumented.
• Payment modules, which have to be tested again with real transactions.
• Modules bought on Addons: some have a new paid version, others have none.
• Product addresses, if the format changes: redirects are needed to keep your Google positions.

How I work

1. I make a copy of the shop on a test server, without touching the real one.
2. I list modules, overrides, theme and connections to business software and couriers, and write what stays and what changes.
3. I send price and timing in writing after the analysis, which is free.
4. I upgrade the copy, test an order from start to finish and let you try it.
5. I move the real shop at a time with few orders, and check payments, emails and invoices.

If the shop is connected to a program, see also connecting your online store. The rest of the service is on the E-commerce page.

Frequently asked questions

Will I lose orders and customers?

No. Orders, customers and products live in the database and move to the new shop. The shop stays open while I work on the copy, and at the final switch I bring over the orders that came in meanwhile.

Do I have to redo the theme?

From 1.6, yes: a 1.6 theme doesn't work on 1.7 and later. From 1.7 it depends: it has to be tested, and a heavily changed theme often needs reworking.

Should I move to WooCommerce or Shopify instead?

Sometimes, for instance if the shop is small and full of modules you don't need. We talk about it in the analysis, and if changing platform is the better road I will tell you.

When does the switch happen?

At a time with few orders, which we pick together from your data. The shop is in maintenance mode only for the final switch.

Read more

• The service: Online shops
• More pages like this: Websites with a problem