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Delete abandoned checkouts on Shopify (2024 Update)

Last updated: November 06 2024

Written and researched by experts at Avada Learn more about our methodology
Sam Nguyen Avatar
By Sam

Running an online store on Shopify comes with its challenges, and one of the most frustrating ones is abandoned checkouts. Customers often add items to their cart but leave before completing the purchase, which creates abandoned checkouts. These incomplete transactions can clutter your dashboard and provide inaccurate data about your sales performance.

So, how do you delete abandoned checkouts on Shopify, and why should you do it in the first place? Let’s discover all in this article.

What are abandoned checkouts on Shopify?

An abandoned checkout occurs when a customer adds items to their cart and enters contact information but doesn’t complete the purchase. Shopify recognizes this and allows merchants to send recovery emails, but only for online store and Buy Button sales channels, not for third-party platforms or POS.

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How to find abandoned checkouts on Shopify?

  • Go to Orders from your own Shopify admin panel and select Abandoned checkouts.
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How to delete abandoned checkouts on Shopify?

Unfortunately, Shopify doesn’t offer a direct option to manually delete abandoned checkouts due to data retention policies and potential legal considerations. However, there are still several ways you can manage or remove abandoned checkout data effectively:

1. Automatic Removal

Shopify automatically deletes abandoned checkouts that are older than three months. This process happens every Monday, ensuring that old, irrelevant data doesn’t clutter your store’s dashboard over time. This automatic cleanup helps keep your store organized without requiring manual intervention.

2. Archiving Abandoned Checkouts

If you prefer to retain abandoned checkout data for a specific period but want to remove them from your main view, archiving is a good solution. By archiving unrecovered checkouts, you can still access the information when needed without it being visible in your main orders section. Here’s how to archive abandoned checkouts:

  • Log in to your Shopify admin and navigate to Orders > Abandoned Checkouts.
  • Filter the abandoned checkouts by Recovery Status: Not Recovered to show only those that haven’t been converted.
  • You can save the search with a name like “Open Carts” for easy access later.
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  • Use the saved search tab to bulk select the unrecovered checkouts.
  • Click Archive to remove them from your main view while retaining the data for future reference.
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3. Erasing Personal Data (GDPR Compliance)

For stores that operate in the European Union or serve EU customers, complying with GDPR regulations is essential. Shopify allows you to request the erasure of personal data from abandoned checkouts to ensure your store meets these data protection requirements. Here’s how to erase personal data for GDPR compliance:

  • Go to Customers.
  • Select the customer whose checkout data you want to remove.
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  • Click Erase personal data at the bottom right.
  • Shopify will process the request and notify any apps that have access to the customer’s data.
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Which Shopify orders can be deleted?

Order history and all associated records will be removed from your personal Shopify admin when an order is removed. The following order types are ones that Shopify allows you to delete:

Test Orders – Orders created in test mode (using the Bogus Gateway or Shopify Payments) can be deleted without issue.

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Manual Payment Orders – Orders paid via manual methods like bank transfers are eligible for deletion.

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Drafts Converted to Orders – Draft orders that have been marked as paid can also be deleted if needed.

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Canceled Orders – Any canceled order, whether by you or the customer, can be deleted.

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Archived Orders – Fulfilled or outdated archived orders are also removable.

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Remember that every order must first be archived or removed before it may be deleted. Orders that have been paid for using Shopify POS or your online checkout will be stored but not deleted.

FAQs

An abandoned checkout is like that unfinished novel you started but never quite completed. It happens when a potential customer adds items to their cart and dances with the idea of buying without completing the purchase.


Each abandoned cart represents a missed opportunity. Abandoned checkouts hold secrets, and analyzing them reveals insights leading to better conversions.


You can send gentle reminders to those wayward carts. Craft emails that say, “Hey, your cart misses you!”. You can also create discount codes (like “Welcome back” or “CartMagic”) and sprinkle them in your recovery emails.


Unfortunately, Shopify doesn’t grant us a direct “Delete” button for these lost souls. But fear not! You can archive them; they’ll still exist but won’t clutter your active list. Or, If you’re in the EU, consider data erasure requests.


While it won’t drastically improve site performance, deleting old abandoned checkouts can help keep your store organized and your data accurate.

To sum up

Abandoned checkouts are inevitable in e-commerce, but managing them efficiently can improve your store’s performance and enhance customer experience. By deleting old abandoned checkouts and preventing future occurrences through a streamlined checkout process, you can keep your Shopify store running smoothly.

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Sam
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Sam Nguyen is the CEO and founder of Avada Commerce, an e-commerce solution provider headquartered in Singapore. He is an expert on the Shopify e-commerce platform for online stores and retail point-of-sale systems. Sam loves talking about e-commerce and he aims to help over a million online businesses grow and thrive.