How to Remove Region Prefixes from Shopify URLs (Easy Fix Using Redirect Ninja)

Why You Might Want to Remove Region Prefixes from Shopify URLs

If you’ve been using Shopify Markets to sell internationally, you’ve probably noticed URLs on your store that look like this: `/en-us/products/blue-shirt or /fr-ca/collections/winter-sale.

These region or language prefixes (/en-us/, /fr-ca/) help Shopify serve localized content to customers around the world. But what happens if you decide to simplify your setup?

👉 Maybe you consolidate back to one main domain.

👉 Maybe you disable international domains altogether.

Unfortunately, Shopify does not automatically clean up your old URLs. Visitors to your old region-prefixed URLs will end up hitting 404 errors — bad for customer experience and SEO.

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How to Automatically Redirect Shopify Market URLs

With Redirect Ninja, you don’t have to manually redirect each region-prefixed URL one-by-one. Instead, you can use our built-in Template Rules to automatically:

• Remove region prefixes from your URLs, or
• Change the region prefix to something else (if needed).

This means that anytime someone visits an old URL like: /en-us/products/blue-shirt → they’ll automatically be sent to → /products/blue-shirt

✅ No manual redirects

✅ No coding

✅ Fully SEO-safe with 301 redirects

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Step-by-Step: Remove Region Prefixes Using Redirect Ninja

Here’s exactly how to set it up:

1. Open Redirect Ninja

• Go to your Shopify admin.
• Open the Redirect Ninja app.

2. Go to Template Rules

• In the sidebar, click on Template Rules.
• Click Create Template Rule.

3. Select "Edit or Remove Region Prefix"

• Choose the template called Edit or Remove Region Prefix.
• This template is specifically designed to handle Shopify Markets URL prefixes.

4. Configure Your Rule

• Choose whether you want to remove the prefix completely or replace it with something else.
• Example:
  • Removing /en-us/ would turn /en-us/products/blue-shirt into /products/blue-shirt.
  • Replacing /en-us/ with /us would turn /en-us/products/blue-shirt into /products/blue-shirt into /us/products/blue-shirt.

5. Save Your Rule

• After setting up your rule, click Save.
• Redirect Ninja will immediately start applying the rule to matching URLs.

6. (Optional) Test Your Rule

• Use the built-in URL Tester inside Redirect Ninja.
• Paste an example URL (e.g., /en-us/products/blue-shirt) to make sure it matches and redirects correctly.

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What Happens Behind the Scenes?

When you set up a Template Rule:

• Redirect Ninja instantly redirects matching visitors at the app level.
• Permanent 301 redirects are automatically created inside your Shopify admin.
• This ensures that search engines like Google update your site indexing properly — protecting your SEO performance.

No lost traffic. No broken bookmarks. No headaches.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Removing Region Prefixes in Shopify

What is a region prefix in Shopify URLs?

What is a region prefix in Shopify URLs? In Shopify, a region prefix is a folder-style part of the URL that identifies a customer's country or language.

For example:

• /en-us/products/blue-shirt for English-speaking customers in the United States
• /fr-ca/collections/winter-sale for French-speaking customers in Canada

This structure is automatically created when you use Shopify Markets to sell internationally with subfolders for different regions. Shopify Markets offers two options for international domains:

• Subfolders (e.g., yourstore.com/en-us/)
• Subdomains (e.g., us.yourstore.com)

This guide is specifically for stores using subfolder prefixes (/en-us/, /fr-ca/, etc.).

If you're using subdomains (like us.example.com), you would need to manage redirects at the domain level instead of modifying folder structures.

Does Shopify automatically remove region prefixes when I disable Markets?

No. Even if you disable international domains or adjust your Shopify Markets setup, Shopify does not automatically remove or redirect old URLs with region prefixes. This can result in broken links if not handled properly.

How can I automatically redirect old region-prefixed URLs?

Using Redirect Ninja, you can set up a Template Rule called Edit or Remove Region Prefix. This rule will automatically redirect visitors from old URLs like /en-us/products/product-name to clean URLs like /products/product-name — without needing to manually create hundreds of individual redirects.

Are these redirects SEO-friendly?

Yes! Redirect Ninja creates 301 permanent redirects inside your Shopify admin. This tells search engines that the page has moved permanently, helping preserve your SEO rankings and ensuring proper reindexing of your updated URLs.

Will customers still be able to access my products if they use old links?

Yes. With the region prefix removal rule active in Redirect Ninja, anyone who tries to visit an old URL will be automatically redirected to the correct, updated URL — ensuring they land on the right product page without errors.

Can I change a region prefix instead of removing it?

Yes! Redirect Ninja’s template also allows you to replace a region prefix with a different value if needed. For example, you could change /en-us/ to just /en/ if you still want a language indicator without the full region code.

Still Have Questions?

If you need personalized help with setting up your redirects, reach out through the Support tab inside Redirect Ninja — we're happy to assist!

And if you haven’t installed Redirect Ninja yet, you can get started here.

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