---
title: "Editing Time"
description: "Set how long customers can edit an order and when fulfilment can continue."
url: https://docs.orderediting.com/en/articles/14121908-editing-time
collection: "Editing Window & Order Holds"
updated: 2026-11-06
language: en
---

# Editing Time

Set how long customers can edit an order and when fulfilment can continue.

# What Editing Time controls

**Editing Time** sets the default period when customers can edit an order after checkout. The page itself is titled **Editing window**.

Open **App Settings**, select **Global settings**, then open **Editing Time**.

Your editing window should end before a warehouse, 3PL, or other system starts work that cannot safely be changed.

# Choose the default editing window

1.  Under **Editing window**, open **Editing window length**.
    
2.  Select the default time for new orders.
    
3.  Review the other sections on the page.
    
4.  Select **Save**.
    

The available choices include:

-   short windows from 2 to 55 minutes;
    
-   60 or 90 minutes;
    
-   hourly windows from 2 to 12 hours;
    
-   24 hours;
    
-   1 or 2 business days;
    
-   **Until order fulfilled**;
    
-   **Until** [**Shopify Flow**](/docs/en/collections/19326512-shopify-flow) **disables editing**.
    

Choose a fixed window when your fulfilment process has a predictable cutoff. Choose an open-ended option only when fulfilment status or Shopify Flow is the reliable source of truth.

> **Warning:** If you use a one-click post-purchase upsell, the page recommends an editing window of at least 60 minutes. Shopify can keep the post-purchase order pending when a customer leaves that page without continuing.

# Choose the expired message details

Under **Expired message**, choose the details customers see beside the expiry time on the Thank You and Order Status pages, then select **Save**.

<table style="min-width: 75px;"><colgroup><col style="min-width: 25px;"><col style="min-width: 25px;"><col style="min-width: 25px;"></colgroup><tbody><tr><th colspan="1" rowspan="1"><p>Setting</p></th><th colspan="1" rowspan="1"><p>When enabled</p></th><th colspan="1" rowspan="1"><p>Default</p></th></tr><tr><td colspan="1" rowspan="1"><p><strong>Timezone</strong></p></td><td colspan="1" rowspan="1"><p>Adds the customer's UTC offset beside the time, for example <strong>22:44 GMT+2</strong>.</p></td><td colspan="1" rowspan="1"><p>Off. Only the time is shown.</p></td></tr><tr><td colspan="1" rowspan="1"><p><strong>Expiry Date</strong></p></td><td colspan="1" rowspan="1"><p>Adds the expiry date beside the time, using the customer's language and regional date format.</p></td><td colspan="1" rowspan="1"><p>Off. Only the time is shown.</p></td></tr></tbody></table>

The time and date always use the customer's own timezone, so each customer sees when editing ended where they are.

Existing custom translations keep their wording. The **{time}** placeholder includes whichever date and timezone details you enable. A custom message without **{time}** does not show these details. Separate date or timezone placeholders are not supported.

These settings change the displayed message. Your editing window and rules still decide when editing closes.

# Preview the customer experience

Use the preview on the Editing window page to compare **Active** and **Expired** sample orders on the Thank You page.

The active countdown uses your selected editing window. The expired sample reflects the **Timezone** and **Expiry Date** choices immediately, before you save. Open-ended windows show their conditions instead of an invented countdown.

Individual order rules, including SLA rules, can produce a different customer experience. The preview does not change an order or prove its eligibility.

For a live check, open an existing controlled order whose editing window has ended and review its Thank You or Order Status page.

# Stop editing after payment capture

The **Authorized** [**Payment Capture**](/docs/en/articles/14153346-payment-capture) section includes **Disable editing after an authorized payment is captured**.

Turn this on when capturing an authorized payment means the order must stop accepting customer edits. This setting is especially relevant for stores that manually capture payments or use [Payment Capture](/docs/en/articles/14153346-payment-capture).

Test this setting with the same payment method and capture process used in production.

# Add editing window overrides

Use **Editing window overrides** when the default timer should remain open until additional conditions are complete.

An override can keep editing available beyond the normal window while its configured conditions are still outstanding. Any unpaid upsell edits are removed when the editing window finally closes.

Use overrides carefully. A longer customer window must still finish before fulfilment or downstream processing makes further changes unsafe.

For different cutoffs based on the order, customer, destination, products, or purchase journey, use [Editing Rules and Automations](/docs/en/articles/14121935-editing-rules-and-automations) instead of repeatedly changing the store-wide default.

# Allow older unfulfilled orders

Expand **Advanced** to review **Pre-orders with unfulfilled items**. This option can keep editing available for older unfulfilled orders, including orders more than 60 days old.

Shopify's `read_all_orders` permission is required to read orders older than 60 days. Only enable this if the store intentionally keeps pre-orders or other orders unfulfilled for a long period.

# Flash Sale behaviour

Flash Sale mode prioritizes customer editing by reducing background analytics and processing during a high-volume period. It does not lock customer editing or replace the configured editing window.

Customers can continue to edit eligible orders while a Flash Sale window is active. Editing can still be unavailable because of the normal editing deadline, an editing rule, fulfilment, payment capture, or another order restriction.

# Adjust one order's deadline from Shopify admin

Use the **Adjust Editing Deadline** order action when one customer's order needs more or less time without changing the store-wide **Editing Time** setting.

1.  In Shopify admin, open the order.
    
2.  Select **More actions**.
    
3.  Select **Adjust Editing Deadline**.
    
4.  Review the current deadline.
    
5.  Choose a future date, hour, AM or PM, and timezone, then select **Apply selected deadline**.
    

You can also use the quick actions to **Extend editing by +1 hour**, **Extend editing by +1 day**, **Enable editing for 1 day**, or **Disable editing**, depending on the order's current state.

The date and time are interpreted in the timezone selected in the action. A past date and time cannot be applied. This changes only the opened order; it does not update the default for future orders or an Editing Rule.

# Test the cutoff

1.  Use a controlled order created after you saved the Editing Time setting, with the same sales channel and payment method as a normal customer. If an existing order meets those conditions, reuse it; otherwise create one low-value order.
    
2.  Open the Thank You page or Order Status page and confirm editing is available.
    
3.  Make and complete an edit before the window ends.
    
4.  Check the order again after the selected window.
    
5.  Confirm editing is closed and any configured hold or payment-capture workflow has continued correctly.
    
6.  Reuse representative orders to check any override, Flow-controlled, until-fulfilled, or rule-based path you use.
    
7.  For the per-order action, open the Shopify order again and confirm the displayed deadline reflects the selected date, time, and timezone.
    

The default is assigned to new orders, so an order created before the setting changed may not prove the new cutoff. That creation-time dependency is the reason a new controlled order can be required here.

# Frequently asked questions

## Does changing the default affect every order in the same way?

The default applies when no more specific editing rule or override changes the result. Review active rules if a controlled order receives a different cutoff.

## Should I use Until order fulfilled?

Use it only if fulfilment status changes before the order becomes operationally unsafe to edit. A fixed timer is easier to predict for many fulfilment workflows.

## Why is editing unavailable before the timer ends?

Check for an active editing rule, authorized payment capture, fulfilment, or another order restriction. Also confirm the customer-facing extension is installed. Flash Sale mode by itself does not close editing.

## Can support extend one customer's editing time?

Yes. Open the order in Shopify admin and use **More actions > Adjust Editing Deadline**. The action can extend, enable, disable, or set a specific future deadline for that order.

## Related

- [Fulfillment Conditions](https://docs.orderediting.com/en/articles/14121910-fulfillment-conditions.md)
- [Pre-Orders Order Editing](https://docs.orderediting.com/en/articles/14153813-pre-orders-order-editing.md)
- [Order Holds](https://docs.orderediting.com/en/articles/14153293-order-holds.md)
- [Preparing Order Editing for Flash Sales](https://docs.orderediting.com/en/articles/15323712-preparing-order-editing-for-flash-sales.md)
