When you run a Shopify store, understanding and managing cookies is important. Cookies are small pieces of data your website uses to remember visitor preferences, track user activities, and improve customer experience. But knowing exactly which cookies your store uses and keeping them organized isn’t always easy.
That’s why Complianz for Shopify provides a helpful tool called the Site Scanner. This scanner automatically checks your website, identifies all active cookies, and clearly lists important details about each one—like the cookie’s name, how long it stays active (duration), and its purpose.
In this detailed guide, you’ll learn exactly how to use the Complianz Site Scanner, step-by-step. You’ll also discover how to add and manage cookie information easily.
Let’s get started!
What is the Site Scanner and How Does It Work?
The Complianz Site Scanner is a useful tool that automatically scans your Shopify store to find cookies and tracking services in use. After the scan, it gives you a clear list showing each cookie and the service it belongs to.
This list includes third-party services and their cookies and trackers that you use to collect data. Remember, you should disclose these in your cookie policy to clearly inform visitors about the cookies your site uses.
Keep in mind the Site Scanner is still in beta, this means, it may occasionally detect cookies or services that aren’t actually on your site. For this reason, so we recommend to carefully review the scan results each time to make sure they are correct.
Regularly running the scanner and updating your cookie list helps keep your store compliant with privacy regulations.
How to Use the Complianz Site Scanner
Step 1: Getting Started (Onboarding)
- After installing Complianz from Shopify’s App Store, you’ll see a welcome screen.
- Click “Get started”. This opens the onboarding wizard.
- Follow the easy prompts to tell Complianz about your store:
- Select your business location.
- Choose your target regions or countries. This helps Complianz understand privacy rules that apply to you.
- After answering these quick questions, click “Confirm and go to dashboard”. And now you will then see the Complianz dashboard.
Step 2: Using the Site Scanner Automatically
By default, Complianz will scan your Shopify store automatically to detect all the cookies and trackers running on your site. This saves you time and helps create an accurate cookie list without manual work.
What Happens During the Scan?
The scanner visits your website pages, identifies cookies, records their details (like name and duration), and adds them to your cookie declaration.
✅ If the Scan Is Successful:
You’ll see a summary of detected cookies in your dashboard. You can then review or add any cookies manually if needed.
⚠️ If the Scan Can’t Complete:
Sometimes the scanner may not be able to access your site. In this case, you will see an alert like this:
This message means the scanner couldn’t reach your website to find cookies. Don’t worry—there are two options to move forward:
- Re-launch the Scanner
If possible, temporarily remove any restrictions like password protection from your Shopify store and then click “Re-launch scanner”. This allows the scanner to run again and detect cookies automatically. - Proceed with Manual Configuration
If you prefer not to remove restrictions or if the scan still doesn’t work, click “Proceed with manual configuration” to add cookies and services yourself. Simply continue with the step 3 below.
Step 3: Manually Adding Cookies and Services
Whether you chose “Proceed with manual configuration” because the automatic scanner couldn’t run, or you want to add cookies manually after a scan, this is how you manage your cookies and services in Complianz.
To manually set your cookies and third-party services:
Access the Consent Declaration
From your Complianz dashboard, click “Go to consent declaration.”
This section shows all the third-party services and cookies that Complianz has detected or that you have added manually.
Adding New Cookies and Services Manually
If you want to add a cookie or service that the scanner missed or if you started with manual configuration:
- Click the “Add new” button at the top right corner.
- Use the search bar to find the service or cookie you want to add.
- Check the box next to each relevant service or cookie.
- Click “Save” to add them to your consent declaration.
This lets you keep your cookie list complete and up-to-date even if the scanner misses something.
Step 3: Managing and Exporting Your Cookie List
From the consent declaration, you can also:
- Repeat Site Scan: Click the button to scan your site again at any time.
- Export Your Cookie List: Download your cookie data as CSV, HTML, or JSON to keep records. This exported list can be a helpful resource when creating or updating your cookie policy.
Important Notes for Using the Site Scanner
- Always update your cookie list regularly.
- Run a new scan whenever you add new apps or services to your Shopify store.
- Your cookie declaration must reflect the actual cookies you use to stay compliant.
Stay safe, stay compliant, and manage your cookies easily with Complianz!
No, you cannot modify the name, purpose or other details of a service or cookie. These details are fixed to ensure accuracy and compliance with privacy regulations.
If the cookie or service you’re using isn’t listed in our database, you can manually pre-block it via prior-blocking. Please consider, while this will prevent the cookie from being set before user consent is given, it won’t automatically add it to your Consent Declaration.
To learn how to manually pre-block scripts or cookies via prior-blocking, please refer to our guide on manual tagging for Complianz for Shopify.
