Order statuses explained
A plain-English guide to every WooCommerce order status and what each one means for you and your customer.
WooCommerce uses statuses to track where each order is in its journey — from the moment a customer clicks "Place order" through to delivery. This guide explains every status so you always know what's happening.
Quick summary
The most common statuses you'll deal with are Processing (paid, needs fulfilling), Completed (done), and Refunded. Each status triggers different automated emails to your customer. You can change a status manually at any time from the order detail page.
The full list of order statuses
| Status | What it means | Customer email sent? |
|---|---|---|
| Pending payment | Order created but payment not received yet | Order received (no payment) |
| Processing | Payment confirmed — ready to fulfill | Yes — "Thank you for your order" |
| On hold | Payment uncertain (e.g., bank transfer awaiting) | Yes — instructions to pay |
| Completed | Order fulfilled and finished | Yes — "Your order is complete" |
| Cancelled | Order cancelled (by you or the customer) | Optional |
| Refunded | Full refund issued | Optional |
| Failed | Payment failed or was declined | No |
| Trash | Order deleted (moved to trash, not shown in reports) | No |
What each status means in practice
Pending payment
The customer went through checkout and submitted the order but has not paid yet. This happens most often with bank transfer (BACS) payment methods, or if a customer's connection dropped mid-checkout.
Orders stay "Pending" until you receive payment and manually update the status, or until the payment gateway confirms the charge.
Processing
This is the main working status. It means:
- Payment was received and confirmed.
- The order is waiting for you to pack and ship it (or fulfill it digitally).
- You need to take action on this order.
Most of your day-to-day order management happens here.
On hold
Payment has been submitted but is not yet confirmed. This is common with:
- Bank transfer / BACS — the customer says they've transferred money, but it hasn't cleared yet.
- Cheques — awaiting receipt and clearance.
Once you confirm receipt, manually change the status to Processing.
Completed
The order is finished. You've shipped the goods (or the customer has downloaded their digital files). No further action is needed. WooCommerce sends the customer a completion email.
Cancelled
The order was cancelled before fulfillment. Stock is automatically restored if you have stock management enabled. Cancelled orders are not deleted — they stay in your records.
Cancellation does not refund automatically
Changing an order to "Cancelled" does not automatically issue a refund if the customer already paid. You need to process the refund separately. See the guide on refunding an order.
Refunded
A full refund has been issued. WooCommerce records this status after you process a refund through the order page. Partial refunds keep the order in its previous status.
Failed
The payment attempt failed or was declined by the payment gateway. The customer has not been charged. They typically need to try again with a different card or payment method.
How to change an order's status
Open the order. Go to WooCommerce → Orders and click the order number.
Find the status dropdown. It's in the upper section of the order detail page, labeled "Order status."
Choose the new status from the dropdown.
Click Update to save. WooCommerce may send an email to the customer depending on the status you chose.
Common questions
Related guides
- Understanding orders
- How to process & fulfill an order
- How to refund an order
- How to cancel an order
- Store emails to customers explained
Need a hand?