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How long after checkout can a customer change their shipping address?

Set the edit window: how long customers can change their own order after checkout, what they see when it closes, and which tools it does not apply to.

Written by Joseph Odera

You decide. Tacey gives every order an edit window: a set amount of time after the order is placed during which the customer can fix their own delivery address (and use your other editing tools). Once it closes, the customer is asked to contact you instead.

Where to set it

  1. In Tacey, open Editing Tools.

  2. Open the Global settings tab.

  3. In the Edit window section, turn on Let customers edit their own order.

  4. Choose a length under How long the window stays open.

  5. Click Save.

Customer editing is off until you turn it on. A new store starts with this switch off, so even if you have switched on the Edit delivery address tool, customers see nothing until the edit window is on. The tool's own settings page reminds you of this with a "Customer editing is off" notice and an Open edit window settings link.

The lengths you can choose

15 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, 6 hours, 12 hours, 24 hours, 48 hours (2 days), 72 hours (3 days) or 168 hours (7 days). If you have never picked one, the window is 24 hours.

The window is counted from the moment the order is placed, not from when the customer first opens their order page. A 24-hour window on an order placed at 9am on Monday closes at 9am on Tuesday, whether or not the customer ever looked.

What the customer sees when it closes

While the window is open, the address tool is available on the Thank you page and the Order status page. After it closes, the tool is still listed but refused, with this message:

> The time to make changes to this order has passed. Reply to your order confirmation email if you still need a change.

Nothing is hidden without an explanation, so a customer who comes back late knows why they cannot edit and what to do next.

One window for every tool

The edit window is shared. It applies to Edit delivery address, Update contact details, Order notes & gift messages and every other tool that changes the order. You do not set a separate window per tool.

Ask for help is the exception. It stays available after the window closes, and even while customer editing is switched off, because asking you a question is not a change to the order.

Choosing a length

  • Short windows (15 minutes to 6 hours) suit stores that ship the same day. Most address typos are noticed within minutes of checkout, on the Thank you page itself.

  • 24 to 72 hours suits most stores that pick and pack the next day or later.

  • 7 days makes sense only if your orders genuinely sit that long before they ship, for example made-to-order products.

If your warehouse might ship before the window closes, see How do I stop an order shipping while the customer can still change the address?.

What this does NOT do

  • It does not restart when a customer makes a change. Every edit happens inside the same window, measured from when the order was placed.

  • It does not stop your own staff editing the order in Shopify admin at any time. It only governs what customers can do themselves.

  • It does not hold fulfillment by itself. That is a separate switch, off by default.

Frequently asked

I shortened the window. Does that affect orders already placed?

Yes. The window is worked out when the customer opens the tool, using your current setting, so a shorter window can close earlier on orders that are already open.

Can I give one customer extra time?

Not from Tacey. Make the change for them yourself in Shopify admin.

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