Migrating PrestaShop 1.7 to 8 or 9 : timeline, steps and pitfalls to avoid

Where does your PrestaShop version stand?

Two things decide the future of an online store: the updates published by PrestaShop, and those of PHP, the language that runs the store on the server. Each one fixes its security holes for a few years, then stops. And each PrestaShop version only works with certain PHP versions.

Sources: official PrestaShop announcements and documentation, official PHP schedule, checked in September 2026.

In practice:

• Your store runs on 1.7: neither PrestaShop nor PHP publishes fixes for it anymore. Newly found security holes will not be repaired, and sooner or later your host will stop offering these old PHP versions. You need to migrate.
• Your store runs on 8.2: PrestaShop still publishes security fixes, until PrestaShop 10 comes out. However, 8.2 only works with PHP 8.1 at most, whose developers stopped updating it at the end of 2025. Some hosts extend that support, not all of them. No emergency, then, but the move to 9 should be planned.
• Your store runs on 9: it works with PHP versions supported until 2028 or 2029. Just install updates as they come.

If your store still runs on 1.6, the verdict is the same as for 1.7, only harsher: that version has not been updated for a long time, and the longer you wait, the bigger the step.

PrestaShop 8 or 9: which version to aim for?

If you are starting from 1.7, aim for PrestaShop 9 as soon as your modules allow it. Released on 10 June 2025, it is the main version, the one that gets new features, and the only one that works with PHP versions that are still updated.

Version 8.2 remains a perfectly valid step if an essential module does not exist for 9 yet: it is still supported by PrestaShop for security. You will simply need to plan the move to 9 afterwards, before PrestaShop 10 comes out and ends that support.

And if your store already runs on 8.2? There is no rush. Install the latest security fix, then prepare the migration to 9 at a quiet time for your sales.

PrestaShop says it itself: 9 is a major version, and some modules and themes must be updated to work properly. That is exactly what the initial audit is for.

7 steps to a successful migration

A well-run migration goes unnoticed: your customers keep ordering, and one morning the store runs on the new version. Here is how to get there.

1. The audit. We list everything that makes up your store: its exact version, the installed modules and the ones really in use, the theme and its customisations, changes made to the core of PrestaShop, and every connection with the outside world: payment, carriers, management software, marketplaces. We also check what your hosting offers. This inventory is what makes a reliable timeline and price possible.
2. A working copy. The whole migration is prepared on a copy of the store, protected by a password so that neither customers nor Google can reach it, with e-mails and real payments turned off. Your store keeps selling normally.
3. Updating PrestaShop. PrestaShop provides an official tool, the Update Assistant, formerly called “1-Click Upgrade”. It accepts stores on 1.7 as a starting point and offers to back up the store before acting. On a heavily customised store, it is safer to move in stages, checking each one. From 1.6, the move has to happen in two steps: first to 1.7, then to the target version.
4. Modules and theme. Each module is updated, replaced or rewritten, and the ones no longer used are removed: a chance to lighten the store. The theme is adapted to the new version, and custom developments are brought over one by one.
5. Testing. We redo everything your customers and your team do: search, product page, cart, payment in test mode, delivery, e-mails, customer account, invoices, order management, exchanges with the management software. For search rankings, we check that page addresses do not change.
6. The switch-over. Once everything is approved, the new version goes live at the quietest moment for your sales. There are two methods: replaying on the live store the update already rehearsed on the copy, during a short maintenance window, or bringing into the new version the orders and customers recorded in the meantime. Either way, a full backup makes it possible to roll back if anything unexpected happens.
7. Follow-up. In the following days, we monitor orders, errors, speed and Google Search Console reports, to fix the slightest issue as quickly as possible.

How long does a migration take?

Updating PrestaShop itself is quick. What takes time is everything added around it over the years. Four points make the difference:

• Modules: how many there are, and above all whether their vendor offers a compatible version.
• Custom developments: in-house modules, changes to the core of PrestaShop, connections with management software or a marketplace.
• The theme: an up-to-date commercial theme adapts quickly, a heavily customised theme takes more work.
• The starting point: 8.2 is simpler to migrate than 1.7, which is itself simpler than 1.6, which requires an extra step.

That is why a serious timeline can only be given after the audit. Be wary of durations announced without seeing the store: depending on the provider, they range from a few days to several months, and mean nothing until the inventory has been done.

The 6 most common pitfalls

• Payments that no longer go through

  Since PrestaShop 8, an extra cart check happens just before the order is created. Payment modules must take it into account: an old module can block orders without anyone noticing straight away. Test every payment method.

• Broken links to registration

  PrestaShop 8 separated customer login from registration, and the address of the registration page changed. Links and buttons pointing to it must be updated.

• Changes to the PrestaShop core

  Changes made directly in PrestaShop’s files, such as “overrides”, are overwritten by the update or stop working. They must be identified before the migration, then redone properly.

• The working copy visible in Google

  A copy open to everyone ends up in Google’s results, as a duplicate of your real store. Protect it with a password from day one.

• Page addresses that change

  If the addresses of product or category pages change, your search rankings suffer. They must stay identical, or be redirected one by one to the new ones.

• No backup, no way back

  PrestaShop’s documentation is clear: without a full backup of the files and the database, you cannot roll back if the update fails.

What your hosting must provide

For PrestaShop 9, the official documentation requires:

• PHP 8.1 to 8.4 for 9.0, and up to 8.5 for 9.1. Preferably choose PHP 8.3 or newer, which still receives security updates;
• MySQL 5.7 or MariaDB 10.2 at least, a recent version being recommended;
• at least 512 MB of memory for PHP, the setting called “memory_limit”;
• an Apache 2.4 or Nginx web server.

If your host does not offer these versions, now is the time to switch, and to do it together with the migration rather than in two goes.

A real example: PhytoQuant

PhytoQuant is a PrestaShop store I have supported for years. I have developed more than fifteen custom modules for it, including a bridge with Dafi, its management software. Its migration from PrestaShop 1.7 to version 8, carried out together with a complete redesign, happened without losing a single day of sales.

See the PhytoQuant project

The checklist before you start

• I know the exact version of my store and the PHP version on my server.
• I have the list of my modules, and I know which ones are really in use.
• I know what was custom-developed, and by whom.
• My accesses are in my name: hosting, domain name, back office, accounts for purchased modules.
• A full, recent backup exists, and I know where it is.
• I have chosen a quiet period for the switch-over.

Check your version in 30 seconds

Before anything else, note the exact version of your store and of PHP. Both are shown in your PrestaShop back office:

1. Open the back office. Log in to your store’s administration.
2. Go to Advanced Parameters, then Information. The page shows the PrestaShop version, the PHP version and the database version.
3. Compare with the table above. On 1.7: migrate. On 8.2: prepare 9. On 9: install updates as they come.

Prefer to hand it over?

Migration to PrestaShop 8 or 9, custom modules, connection with your management software: I take care of everything, and you talk directly to the person who writes the code.

Let’s talk about your store → See my PrestaShop services

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Frequently asked questions

Sources

• PrestaShop 8.2 enters extended support (official PrestaShop blog)
• End of support for PrestaShop 1.7 when 9 is released (official PrestaShop blog)
• PrestaShop 9 announcement (official PrestaShop blog)
• System requirements for PrestaShop 9 (official documentation)
• System requirements for PrestaShop 8 (official documentation)
• System requirements for PrestaShop 1.7 (official documentation)
• Notable changes in PrestaShop 8.0 (official documentation)
• Update Assistant, the official update tool (PrestaShop on GitHub)
• Supported PHP versions (php.net)
• PHP versions no longer supported (php.net)