Going live is the moment your store opens to customers. When AI finishes building your first version, your store goes live automatically – there's nothing you need to click. From then on, you're in control: every further edit stays private in a preview until you choose to publish it.

## Your first version goes live automatically

Once you create a store and AI finishes building it, your store is published on its own – on your free address, with your real catalog and design, ready for the first visitor. You don't need to find a Publish button for this first launch.

While that first build is running, your dashboard shows **Going live…**. If a store was created before this and is still sitting unpublished, you'll see a **Go live** button instead – click it whenever you're ready to open it up.

> **Note:** Still want to work privately before anyone can see your store? Keep refining – your storefront isn't announced anywhere until you share the address, so an automatic first launch doesn't mean customers show up before you're ready.

## Preview your store

Take a look at your store the way a customer will see it. Browse your homepage, click into a few products, and add something to the cart to make sure it all feels right. Previewing lets you spot anything you'd like to fix before launch.

Preview on more than one device if you can. Most of your visitors will shop on a phone, so it's worth checking that your text reads clearly, your images look good, and the buttons are easy to tap on a small screen.

## Publish your changes

After you're live, you choose when further edits appear on your storefront. Publishing pushes your latest changes out so visitors see the up-to-date version. Until you publish, your work-in-progress stays private to you.

<img src="/help/getting-started/go-live.jpg" alt="The top-right of the dashboard showing the Publish button next to the preview (open store) icon" className="mx-auto my-6 block h-auto w-full max-w-xs rounded-xl border border-neutral-200 shadow-sm" />

The publish button sits in the top-right of your dashboard, and its label reflects where you are: **Go live** before your first publish, **Publish changes** once you're live and have unpublished edits, or **Try again** if a publish didn't go through. The arrow icon next to it opens a live preview of your store in a new tab, so you can check everything first.

> **Note:** Publishing isn't permanent. You can keep editing after you go live and publish again whenever you want – each publish simply updates what customers see.

## Your store address

Every store comes with a free web address ending in `.yns.store` that works right away – see [Your free store address](/help/domains/free-subdomain). When you're ready for a more personal address, you can [connect a custom domain](/help/domains/custom-domain) you already own.

## Final pre-launch check

Before you announce your store, run through a few quick checks:

1. **Place a test order** – go through checkout yourself to confirm the whole flow works. Your store starts in test mode, so nothing real is charged – see [Test mode and going live](/help/getting-started/test-mode).
2. **Confirm payments are connected** – make sure Stripe is set up so you can actually get paid. See [Connect Stripe to get paid](/help/payments/connect-stripe).
3. **Check shipping and taxes** – confirm the right delivery options and tax appear at checkout.
4. **Review your key pages** – look over your homepage, products, and [legal pages](/help/account/legal-pages).

A quick pre-launch checklist to confirm you're ready:

| Check | Why it matters |
|-------|----------------|
| Test order completes | Confirms customers can actually buy |
| Stripe connected | You can't receive money until it is |
| Shipping shows at checkout | Customers know what delivery costs |
| Tax calculates correctly | The right total is charged |
| Legal pages in place | Protects you and reassures customers |
| Store reads well on mobile | Most shoppers are on a phone |

> **Tip:** Not sure you've covered everything? Run back through your [setup checklist](/help/getting-started/setup-checklist) one more time before you publish.

## After you go live

Launching isn't the finish line – it's the start. Once you're live, keep an eye on a few things:

- **Watch your first orders** in your dashboard and ship them promptly. See [Manage orders](/help/orders/manage-orders).
- **Keep improving.** You can edit your store and publish again any time, so refine as you learn what customers respond to.
- **Spread the word.** Share your store address, set up your [social links](/help/marketing/social-links), and consider starting a [newsletter](/help/marketing/newsletters-and-subscribers).

Once you're confident, publish your store and share your address. You're live!

## FAQ

### Do I need to click something to launch my store?

Not for the first version. Once AI finishes building your store, it's published automatically – you'll see **Going live…** while that happens. After that, you're back in control: further edits stay in preview until you click **Publish changes**.

### What happens when I publish?

Publishing pushes your latest changes out so visitors see the up-to-date version of your store. Anything you haven't published stays private to you until you do.

### Can I keep editing after I go live?

Yes. Going live isn't a one-time event. You can edit your store as much as you like and publish again whenever you want – each publish updates what customers see.

### How do I test checkout before launching?

Place a test order yourself: add a product to the cart and go through checkout to confirm the whole flow works, including payments, shipping, and taxes. This is the best way to catch issues before customers do.

### Do I need a custom domain to go live?

No. Every store comes with a free `.yns.store` address that works immediately – see [Your free store address](/help/domains/free-subdomain). You can [add a custom domain](/help/domains/custom-domain) later whenever you're ready.

## What's next

- Double-check everything with your [setup checklist](/help/getting-started/setup-checklist).
- Manage your first sales in [Manage orders](/help/orders/manage-orders).
- Make your address your own with a [custom domain](/help/domains/custom-domain).
- Switch on real payments with [Test mode and going live](/help/getting-started/test-mode).