How to cancel an order
How to cancel a WooCommerce order, what happens to inventory and payment, and what the customer sees.
- Difficulty
- Beginner
Occasionally you need to cancel an order — because stock ran out, the customer changed their mind, or something went wrong. This guide shows you how to cancel an order correctly and what to watch out for.
Quick summary
Open the order, change its status to Cancelled, and click Update. If you track stock, WooCommerce puts the items back into stock automatically. Cancelling does not refund the customer: if they paid, you need to issue a refund separately. WooCommerce only emails the customer about a cancellation if that email is switched on.
Before you cancel
Ask yourself two questions before cancelling:
- Has the customer already paid? If yes, cancelling alone won't return their money. You'll need to issue a refund after cancelling. See the guide on refunding an order.
- Has the order already shipped? If the goods are on their way, cancellation doesn't stop delivery. Contact the carrier and arrange a return.
How to cancel an order
Open the order. Go to WooCommerce → Orders and click the order number.
Change the status dropdown from the current status (e.g., "Processing") to Cancelled.
Click Update in the Order actions panel on the right. WooCommerce saves the change.
Check the stock. If stock management is turned on, WooCommerce returns the cancelled items to your inventory automatically. There is no separate restock prompt.
Refund separately if the customer paid
Changing the status to Cancelled does not send money back to the customer. If they paid, go back into the order and use the Refund button to return their payment. See How to refund an order.
Notifying the customer
WooCommerce does not email the customer about a cancellation unless that email is switched on (see below). If you want to notify them, you have two options:
- Add a customer note. On the order page, go to the Order notes panel, write a message, choose Public note to customer, and click Send note to customer. WooCommerce emails your note straight away.
- Email them directly. Use the customer's email address shown on the order to send a personal message.
Enable a cancellation email
WooCommerce includes a customer Cancelled order email under WooCommerce → Settings → Emails. It is usually switched off, and it only goes out when a Processing or On hold order is cancelled. (The list also has a Cancelled order email for your store's own inbox. That one goes to you, not the customer.) If you cancel orders regularly, ask us and we'll set up the customer email.
Can customers cancel their own orders?
Only while the order is unpaid. In My account → Orders, orders with a "Pending payment" or "Failed" status can show a Cancel action. The cancellation happens straight away, and the customer can't undo it from their account. Customers cannot cancel paid orders, such as "Processing" orders, themselves. Only you can do that.
Bulk cancelling orders
To cancel several orders at once:
Go to WooCommerce → Orders.
Tick the checkboxes next to the orders you want to cancel.
Select "Change status to Cancelled" from the Bulk actions dropdown at the top of the list.
Click Apply. All selected orders are set to Cancelled. Remember to process any refunds manually for paid orders.
Common questions
What's the difference between cancelling and deleting an order?
Cancelling changes the status, and the order stays in your records. (WooCommerce Analytics leaves cancelled orders out of its figures by default.) Deleting (moving to trash) removes it from your main orders list. We recommend cancelling, not deleting, so you keep a full audit trail.
Will the customer be notified automatically?
Not unless the customer Cancelled order email is switched on, or you add a customer note yourself. Always let the customer know through one of the methods above.
I cancelled an order but the stock didn't go back up. Why?
WooCommerce only restocks when stock management is turned on both store-wide (WooCommerce → Settings → Products → Inventory) and on the product itself. If the product doesn't track inventory, there's nothing to restock. Open the product and check the Inventory tab in the Product data panel.
Can I un-cancel an order?
Yes. Open the cancelled order, change the status back to the one that fits (for example "Processing"), and click Update. Afterwards, check your stock levels and the order notes to make sure everything looks right.
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