Shopify Order Status Explained: Every Payment and Fulfillment Status
Quick answer: Every Shopify order carries several statuses at once. The order status (Open, Archived, Canceled) says whether there is work left; the payment status (Pending, Authorized, Paid, Refunded…) says whether you have the money; and the fulfillment status (Unfulfilled, In progress, On hold, Scheduled, Partially fulfilled, Fulfilled) says whether the items have shipped. A healthy order goes Open → Paid → Unfulfilled → Fulfilled → Archived.
This guide is written for Shopify merchants. If you are a shopper wondering why your order says “pending”, see what pending fulfillment means.
The four types of Shopify status
| Status type | What it answers | Example values |
|---|---|---|
| Order status | Is there still work to do on this order? | Open, Archived, Canceled |
| Payment status | Has the customer paid? | Pending, Authorized, Paid, Refunded |
| Fulfillment status | Have the items shipped? | Unfulfilled, On hold, Fulfilled |
| Return status | Is a return open? | Return requested, Return in progress, Returned |
You will see the payment and fulfillment statuses as badges on the Orders page, and you can filter by any combination of them.
Order status
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Open | The order was placed or created and still needs work: payment, fulfillment or a return. |
| Archived | The order was archived manually or automatically. It disappears from the default Open view but nothing is cancelled. |
| Canceled | The order was cancelled. If it was not fully refunded, there may still be a refund to process. |
Tip: turn on automatic archiving in Settings → Checkout so fulfilled and paid orders leave your Open list automatically. What stays open is then a to-do list.
Payment status
| Status | Meaning | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Pending | Payment has started but is not complete, for example a slower payment method, payment terms or cash on delivery. | Wait, or follow up on payment terms before shipping. |
| Authorized | The card was validated but the money has not been captured. Only shown if you capture payments manually. | Capture before the authorization expires. |
| Expiring | A badge shown two days before an authorization expires. | Capture now. |
| Expired | The authorization was not captured in time. | Contact the payment provider or ask the customer to pay again. |
| Due | Payment terms have reached the due date. | Collect payment. |
| Paid | Payment was captured or the order was marked as paid. | Ready to fulfill. |
| Partially paid | You captured less than the order total. | Collect the balance. |
| Refunded / Partially refunded | All or part of the payment was returned. | None, unless items still need restocking. |
| Voided | An authorization was released before capture. The order can still be open. | Cancel the order if it will not be paid. |
As a rule, only ship orders that are Paid. An order stuck on Pending or Authorized should usually stay Unfulfilled until the payment clears.
Fulfillment status
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Unfulfilled | Nothing has shipped. Every new order starts here. |
| In progress | The order has been marked as being prepared, for example picked and packed in the warehouse. |
| On hold | Fulfillment is paused by you or an app, or briefly while post-purchase upsell offers are shown. It cannot be fulfilled until the hold is released. |
| Scheduled | A prepaid subscription order waiting for its fulfillment date. It turns Unfulfilled on that date. |
| Partially fulfilled | Some items have shipped and some have not. |
| Fulfilled | All items have shipped. |
| Fulfillment not required | Nothing is left to ship, for example the order was cancelled, fully refunded before shipping or edited to remove all items. Shown as “Not required” on the Orders page. |
Two points cause most confusion:
- Fulfilled is not delivered. Fulfilled means the parcel was handed to a carrier. Delivery shows up later in the tracking information.
- Unfulfilled is not a problem by itself. It only becomes one when an order stays unfulfilled longer than your promised processing time. See why Shopify orders stay unfulfilled and how to fix it.
Return status
Orders without returns have no return status. Once a return exists, the order shows Return requested (approve or decline it), Return in progress (restock and refund), Inspection complete (review and refund) or Returned (done).
How an order moves through the statuses
- Customer checks out: Open, Paid (or Pending/Authorized), Unfulfilled.
- Your fulfillment app or warehouse picks it up: the order may show In progress while it is picked and packed.
- The parcel is handed to the carrier: you or your app adds the tracking number, the order becomes Fulfilled and Shopify sends the customer a shipping confirmation email.
- Everything is done: the order is archived manually or automatically.
If an order ships in more than one parcel, it shows Partially fulfilled until the last item ships.
Let a fulfillment partner update the statuses for you
Updating statuses and copying tracking numbers by hand works for a few orders a day. After that it causes late shipments and “where is my order” emails. With the free Honest FulPhilment app:
- Paid orders sync automatically from Shopify.
- We source the products, inspect them and pack each order with your branding.
- Stocked orders are dispatched within 24 hours, and the tracking number is written back to Shopify, so the order turns Fulfilled and your customer gets the shipping email automatically.
Read how it works on our Shopify fulfillment page, or see how third-party fulfillment works on Shopify.
FAQ
What are the order statuses in Shopify?
Every Shopify order has several statuses at once: an order status (Open, Archived or Canceled), a payment status (such as Pending, Authorized, Paid or Refunded), a fulfillment status (Unfulfilled, In progress, On hold, Scheduled, Partially fulfilled, Fulfilled or Fulfillment not required) and, if a return exists, a return status.
What does unfulfilled mean on Shopify?
Unfulfilled means none of the items in the order have been shipped yet. Every new order starts as Unfulfilled and stays that way until you, your staff or a fulfillment app marks items as fulfilled, usually with a tracking number.
What does On hold mean on a Shopify order?
On hold means you or an app has paused fulfillment. Shopify also puts orders on hold briefly while post-purchase upsell offers are shown. You can reserve inventory for an order on hold, but you cannot fulfill it until the hold is released and the status returns to Unfulfilled.
What is the difference between fulfilled and delivered in Shopify?
Fulfilled means the items were shipped and handed to a carrier. Delivered is shipment tracking information that appears later, once the carrier confirms the package arrived. A fulfilled order can still be in transit.
Why does my Shopify order say partially fulfilled?
Partially fulfilled means some, but not all, of the items in the order have been shipped. It is common when one item is out of stock, when items ship from different locations or suppliers, or when a pre-order item ships later.
When does Shopify archive an order?
You can archive orders manually, or turn on automatic archiving in your checkout settings so orders are archived once they are fulfilled and paid. Archiving only hides the order from the Open view; it does not cancel or refund it.