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How to install & set up Content Vault

Updated October 5, 2026

This guide walks you through installing Content Vault and getting everything set up so customers can:

  • Subscribe on your product page
  • Manage their subscription
  • Access downloads from their customer account (Vault), or, with a Content Pass, from the Download button on the product page

By the end, you’ll have:

  • Content Vault installed
  • The app blocks added to your theme
  • Customer accounts + subscription management enabled
  • Your first subscription created and active

Step 1: Install Content Vault from the Shopify App Store

  1. Visit the Shopify App Store
  2. Search for Content Vault (the listing is titled Digital Product Subscriptions), or open the listing directly
  3. Click Install
  4. Approve the requested permissions

Once installed, you’ll be redirected to your Shopify admin.

Content Vault Setup Guide card with the Add App Block button for the product page (opens full size)

The Setup Guide sits on the app’s Home page and ticks off each step as you finish it. See Home page overview.

Step 2: Add the Subscription Widget (App Block) to Your Product Page

This is where customers subscribe. In most themes the app embed in Step 3 shows the widget even without this block, so don’t skip Step 3.

  1. Go to: Online Store → Themes → Customize
  2. At the top dropdown (where it may say “Home page”), switch to Products → Default product (or select the product template you’re using)
  3. Click Add block
  4. Click Apps
  5. Select Subscription widget
  6. Place it where you want it to appear (usually near the Add to Cart area)
  7. Click Save

Shopify theme editor with Add block open on the product information section and the Apps tab listing the Subscription widget app block (opens full size)

✅ After this is added, the widget will appear once you create + activate a subscription for that product.

To change the widget’s text and appearance, see Customizing the subscription widget.

Step 3: Enable the Content Vault Theme Extension

  1. In Shopify, go to: Online Store → Themes
  2. Click Customize
  3. Click App embeds (left sidebar)
  4. Find Subscription widget and toggle it On
  5. Click Save

This is the step that matters most: in most themes the embed alone shows the widget on product pages, and if it’s switched off the widget can disappear.

Shopify theme editor App embeds panel with the Content Vault Subscription widget toggled on (opens full size)

Step 4: Enable Customer Accounts

Content Vault uses Shopify’s new customer accounts so customers can log in and access their content.

  1. Go to Shopify Admin → Settings → Customer accounts
  2. Turn on Show sign-in links, so customers can sign in from your store’s header and at checkout
  3. Make sure you are using new customer accounts (not legacy). On many stores the new version is the only one, so there’s nothing to choose. If your store offers a choice between Customer accounts and Legacy, pick Customer accounts (Shopify marks it Recommended).

Shopify Customer accounts settings with Show sign-in links switched on, above the customer accounts configuration, authentication, store credit and URL settings (opens full size)

Step 5: Add the Required Blocks in Checkout & Customer Accounts

After clicking Enable customer accounts extension in the Setup Guide (the Enable Customer Accounts & Subscription Management step):

  1. Click Checkout at the top of the Theme Editor.
  2. Open the Apps panel (the icon after the gear, at the top left). You’ll see Content Vault’s blocks, listed under Digital Subscriptions (the app’s name in your Shopify admin):
    • Subscription management
    • Order action button
    • Order status page
    • Order thank you page

Shopify checkout editor Apps panel listing the Content Vault checkout blocks, with the Add to menu open on the Order thank you page block (opens full size)

To add a block:

  1. Click the + icon next to the block.
  2. Select the page (for example: Thank You).
  3. The block will automatically be added to the correct page.

You do not need to manually place it in the right section — Shopify automatically inserts it into the proper location for:

  • Customer account / subscription management page
  • Order page
  • Thank You page
  • Order Status page

Just repeat this process for each required block.

Once added and saved, customers will be able to:

  • Manage subscriptions from their account
  • Take actions on subscription orders
  • See confirmation details after checkout

Step 6: Create Your First Subscription

  1. Go to Content Vault → Subscriptions
  2. Click Create new Subscription
  3. Choose a subscription type:
    • Content Drip (scheduled delivery)
    • Library Access (access-based library)
    • Content Pass (a download allowance that refills on a schedule)

Content Vault Select subscription type dialog listing Content Drip, Library Access and Content Pass (opens full size)

Step 7: Configure Subscription Basics

After selecting your subscription type, you can configure the basic settings for your subscription.

1. Set Subscription Name

Enter the internal name of your subscription.

This is for your reference inside Content Vault: customers don’t see it. Emails and PDF stamps that use [subscriptionName] show the plan’s name instead (for example Basic), so give your plans names customers can read.

Subscription name card with Premium Library Membership entered as the internal name (opens full size)

2. Select the Subscription Product

Choose the Shopify product that will power this subscription.

This is the product customers will purchase on your storefront.

Click Select product, search for the product, tick it and click Add.

Add product dialog searched for Premium Library, with the Premium Library Membership product ticked and 1/1 product selected (opens full size)

3. Create Tiers (Optional)

Tiers allow you to offer multiple plans under one subscription product.

For example:

  • Basic vs Pro
  • Monthly vs Annual
  • Standard vs Premium access

Each tier can have its own:

  • Price
  • Billing frequency
  • Access behavior
  • File delivery settings

Customers choose their tier directly on the product page.

Plan tabs for a subscription with Basic and Pro tiers, the add-tier button and the activation checklist (opens full size)

If you only need one plan, simply keep a single tier. For monthly and yearly options, and what each tier can change, see How subscription tiers work.

4. Configure Subscription Frequency

Set how often customers are billed:

  • Frequency – how often the charge repeats (e.g. every 1, 3, 12)
  • Interval – the billing unit: Week(s), Month(s) or Year(s)

For example, every 1 month bills monthly, and every 1 year bills yearly.

This controls recurring billing for each tier.

Subscription frequency panel billing every 1 month, with minimum and maximum billing cycle fields (opens full size)

5. Configure File Delivery Settings

For Content Drip and Library Access, choose where customers receive their download links. You can enable more than one:

  • A download email when they purchase
  • Links on the Thank You / Order Status page
  • Links in their customer account

Whether customers keep access after they cancel or pause is a separate setting, under Customer subscription options (for a Content Pass, under Content pass settings).

File delivery panel with the download email, Thank You page links and customer account links all enabled (opens full size)

For a Content Drip, set the release schedule in the plan’s own Drip schedule panel, not in File delivery.

Drip schedule settings releasing every month, with a 9:00 AM delivery time in the America - New York timezone and the first-drip checkbox ticked (opens full size)

6. Save the Subscription

Once your subscription structure is complete, click Save subscription.

💡 This is the short version. Each subscription type has its own settings — drip schedules, download allowances, file delivery, download protection and customer tagging. For the full walkthrough of the type you picked:

Step 8: Attach Content (Files / Drip Schedule / Downloads)

After saving, you’ll be able to configure content depending on the subscription type:

  • Content Drip: build your drip schedule and assign files
  • Library Access: assign files to each tier
  • Content Pass: link products/files and configure download limits

Each tier is configured independently.

Configure Drip Content page with three named releases, Autumn Soups, Holiday Baking and Winter Warmers, and a PDF attached to the first (opens full size)

Step 9: Activate and Test

  1. Click Set active on each plan and confirm (each plan is activated separately)
  2. Visit your product page and confirm the widget appears
  3. Do a quick test checkout (use a discount code if needed)
  4. Confirm:
    • Customer receives the expected emails
    • Customer can log in and access content via the Vault (with a Content Pass, through the Download button on the product page: the account page shows the allowance and Download History, with no file links)
    • Subscription management controls appear

If a test email doesn’t arrive, see Why aren't customers receiving emails?

Storefront product page with the Content Vault subscription widget offering a yearly and a monthly subscription, above the Add subscription to cart and Buy it now buttons (opens full size)

Next Steps

The app’s Tutorials page has an onboarding video and answers to common questions: see Video tutorials & in-app help.

If anything looks off during setup, reach out in live chat — we’re happy to help you get it dialed in.