Quick checks

Run through these common causes before diving into the detailed steps below.

The editing window has closed

This is the most common reason. The editing window is the time after checkout when a customer can change their order. Editing is available straight away after checkout and stays open until the window closes. There's no waiting period before it starts.

Once the window closes, the editing options disappear for the customer and the order locks.

1. Open App Settings, then select Global settings.

2. Open Editing Time and check the default editing period. The available fixed periods run from a few minutes to two business days. You can also keep editing available until fulfilment or until a Shopify Flow action closes it.

3. If you need longer, increase the window. Future orders will use the new length.

Note: Changing the window length doesn't reopen orders that have already closed. It only applies to orders placed afterwards.

If you use editing rules or service level agreements to set different windows for different orders, those can also close an order earlier or later than your default. For more on the window, see Editing Deadline.

Order Editing is in draft mode

In draft mode, the customer experience is limited to approved staff email addresses and domains. This lets your team test without making editing visible to every customer.

1. Open App Settings, select Global settings, then open Organization.

2. Check the staff email addresses and domains allowed to test the app.

3. Make sure the order you are checking uses an approved customer email address.

4. When testing is complete, use the app status control to set Order Editing live.

The order is fulfilled, cancelled, or archived

Some order states stop editing automatically. You can't change these from the Order Editing settings.

Fulfilled orders. Once an order is marked as fulfilled, it can no longer be edited. The order has already been sent to ship.

Cancelled orders. A cancelled order can't be edited, whatever the cancellation reason.

Archived orders. By default, archiving an order closes it to editing. If you need to edit it, un-archive the order first.

A fulfillment provider has locked the order

If you use a third-party logistics provider (3PL) such as ShipHero or ShipBob, that system can lock an order once it starts processing it. After the lock, Order Editing can't change the order.

The order locks as soon as the provider starts picking, packing, or batching it. The customer will see that the order can no longer be edited.

A provider can also place a fraud hold or a hold until a set date. Both block editing until they're cleared in that system.

To resolve a lock, you'll need to release or cancel the order inside your provider's system, not in Order Editing. For more on how providers handle this, see Order Editing and 3PLs.

You've chosen to stop editing after payment is captured

Order Editing has an optional setting that closes editing once a payment is captured, even if the window is still open. If a customer can't edit a paid order, check whether you've turned this on.

1. Open App Settings, then select Global settings.

2. Look for the option to disable editing after a payment is captured.

3. Turn it off if you want paid orders to stay editable until the window closes.

The order has a tag that blocks editing

You can set Order Editing to restrict editing on orders that carry certain tags. If an order has one of those tags, the customer's editing options are limited or removed.

Check your restricted-tag setting in the app, and review the order's tags on its order detail page. Remove the tag, or update your setting, if the order shouldn't be restricted.

A return has been started on the order

If a return has been opened on the order, for example through a returns app, Order Editing closes editing on it. This avoids changes clashing with the return that's in progress.

Editing stays closed while the return is active. This happens automatically and isn't something you configure.

The change you want isn't turned on

Sometimes the order is editable, but the specific change a customer wants to make isn't available. Each type of edit is a separate block you switch on in editing blocks.

Some blocks are off by default, including order cancellations, switching payment methods, and removing products for a refund. If a customer can't make a particular change, check that its block is enabled.

For more on enabling and configuring these, see Understanding Editing Features.

The customer sees a loading or error message

Ask the customer to refresh once and try again. If the same order still does not load, do not assume the problem will clear by itself. Check the order timeline and confirm that the app block or customer account extension is installed on the surface the customer is using.

Still not working?

A few less common causes can also block editing, such as a missing Shopify permission or a Shopify Flow action that closed editing. These need a closer look.

To check exactly what happened on a specific order, look at its timeline in the Shopify admin. See Understanding Order Editing Timeline Events.

Start a live chat from within the Order Editing app. Include your store URL, the order number, and a description of what the customer is seeing.