The edit window is the period of time after checkout during which your customers can make changes to their order. You can set a short fixed window to balance flexibility with fast fulfillment, or you can leave editing open right up until the order ships.
What the edit window is
The window opens the moment a customer completes checkout and closes when either:
The configured amount of time runs out, or
The order is fulfilled (shipped), whichever happens first
While the window is open, customers see the full Edit your order section on both the Thank You page and the Order Status page. Once it closes:
The Thank You block is hidden completely.
The Order Status block stays in place but shows "This order cannot be edited." instead of the edit options.
Choosing a fixed duration
On the settings page, open the Edit window section by clicking Manage. You'll see an editable duration with two parts:
A number (how many)
A unit — Minutes, Hours, or Days
The main settings page shows the current value as a badge, for example After 30 minutes.
Typical choices:
Fast-moving DTC: 15–30 minutes. Long enough for customers to catch mistakes, short enough that orders keep moving.
Standard ecommerce: 1–2 hours. Comfortable buffer for people checking order confirmation emails.
Slower fulfillment or B2B: 1–3 days. Useful when warehouses don't pick same-day.
Extending the window until fulfillment
If your fulfillment isn't time-sensitive — for example, made-to-order, print-on-demand, pre-orders, or B2B with longer lead times — you can let the window stay open all the way until the order actually ships.
Turn on the Keep edit window open until order is fulfilled option. When this is on:
The time-based countdown is disabled
The badge on the main settings page changes to Until fulfilled
Customers see a "you can edit this order until it ships" message instead of a countdown
Note: Even with "until fulfilled" on, the window still closes instantly the moment the order is marked as fulfilled in Shopify. Customers cannot edit an order that has already shipped.
How the window shows up for customers
On the Thank You page and in their account, customers see either:
A live countdown (for example, "You have 23:47 to edit this order") — when you're using a fixed duration, or
A static message ("You can edit this order until it ships") — when "until fulfilled" is on
Once the time runs out or the order ships, the message and edit options are replaced with a friendly closed-window message.
What happens when an order is fulfilled early
If you ship faster than the configured window, that's fine — Order Editing automatically closes the window the instant the fulfillment is marked in Shopify. Any fulfillment hold is released and any edit-window tag is removed. Customers don't need to do anything.
Overriding the window for specific orders
The window you set here applies to every order by default. But you don't have to use one fixed value for everyone — with Editing Rules you can override the window (and other settings) on a per-order basis based on conditions you define.
Common examples:
Extend the window to 7 days for orders over $500
Use "until fulfilled" for made-to-order SKUs, but keep a 30-minute window for everything else
Disable editing entirely for orders tagged
wholesaleKeep the window open until 6 PM local time for VIP customers
See Creating Editing Rules for Special Scenarios for how to set those up.
You can change this any time. Start short — you can always extend once you see how customers are using it.
What's next
Placing Orders on Hold During the Edit Window — keep orders from shipping before the window closes
Restricting When Editing Is Available — exclude specific orders from editing