Why Shopify Abandoned Checkouts Matter
Many Shopify store owners are shocked when they encounter this:
You open your Orders page and you see your Shopify abandoned checkout report for the first time. You’ll find dozens — sometimes hundreds — of abandoned checkouts.
The first reaction is usually:
“Something is wrong with my store.”
In most cases, nothing is broken.
But before you can fix or recover these orders, you need to know where Shopify keeps this information and what it actually means.
What Shopify Means by “Abandoned Checkout”
Shopify does not track abandoned carts the way most people expect. (If you’re unclear on the difference, here’s what an abandoned cart actually means in Shopify and why the distinction matters.)
A checkout is only created after a customer:
• clicks the checkout button
• enters an email address or phone number
Once a shopper enters contact details, Shopify treats them as a real customer. If they leave without paying, Shopify records an abandoned checkout.
This explains a common confusion:
Some visitors add products to the cart and disappear, but never show up in your abandoned list.
They never started checkout–that’s the difference, and why we talk about where to find abandoned checkouts in Shopify, not just abandoned carts.
Step-by-Step: Where to Find Abandoned Checkouts in Shopify
Step 1 — Log in to Shopify
Sign in to your Shopify admin dashboard.
Step 2 — Open Orders
In the left sidebar, click:
Orders
Or visit this link: https://admin.shopify.com/orders
Step 3 — Click “Abandoned checkouts”
At the top of the Orders page, you will see:
Abandoned checkouts
Click it.
This page shows every checkout a customer started but did not finish.
Step 4 — Open a Checkout
Click any entry in the list.
You are now viewing the checkout record.
This page contains much more than a lost order.
What Information Shopify Shows
Inside each checkout you can see:
- customer email (if entered)
- items added to cart
- cart total
- location
- time the customer left
Shopify keeps these records for about three months.
What You Can Learn From an Abandoned Checkout Record
When you open an abandoned checkout in Shopify, you won’t see a full step-by-step activity history anymore.
Older Shopify documentation and tutorials sometimes mention a “timeline” showing each checkout step. Shopify no longer displays that detailed session log in most stores.
Instead, Shopify shows information focused on recovery.
From the checkout page you can still see:
• customer contact information
• items in the cart
• order value
• shipping address (if entered)
• marketing consent
• recovery email status
This is enough to understand what type of shopper this was even if you can’t see the exact moment they left.
Here’s how to interpret it:
Email present
The customer seriously considered purchasing. They entered checkout and can be recovered.
Shipping address present
They reached late checkout. Abandonment was likely caused by cost, delivery time, or hesitation.
No address, only email
Early-stage abandonment. Often comparison shopping.
Recovery email not sent
Shopify did not automatically follow up. You must trigger recovery manually or use automation.
Shopify now focuses the abandoned checkout page on helping you recover the order rather than diagnosing each individual step.
Why Some Visitors Don’t Appear Here
You may notice Google Analytics reports more abandoned carts than Shopify shows.
This is normal.
Shopify only records a checkout after the shopper enters contact information. If they leave earlier, Shopify has no customer record and cannot save the cart.
What to Do With This Data
Now that you know where to find abandoned checkouts in Shopify, the data is only useful if you act on it. Here’s where to go next depending on what you’re seeing.
If you’re wondering whether your abandonment numbers are normal: Most Shopify stores see abandonment rates between 60-80%, and a large portion of those are comparison shoppers who were never going to buy in the first session. Before you panic, read why you’re getting abandoned checkouts in Shopify — it breaks down the real causes so you can separate the noise from the actual problems.
If you noticed “Recovery email not sent” on most records: Shopify’s built-in recovery email has significant limitations — it only sends one email, on a fixed delay, and skips certain cases entirely. Understanding how Shopify’s default checkout email works will help you decide whether it’s enough for your store or whether you need something more robust.
If you want to start recovering these checkouts: Finding the data is step one. Step two is building a recovery system that actually brings shoppers back. Our guide to recovering abandoned carts in Shopify walks through a step-by-step system — from first reminder timing to the final discount nudge.
If you’re ready to pick a recovery tool: Once you understand the patterns in your data, you’ll want a tool that can act on them automatically. We tested the most popular options on pricing, features, and real recovery results — see our comparison of the best Shopify abandoned cart apps.
Or go back to the hub: → Shopify abandoned cart guide
For a complete overview of recovery across all platforms: → Abandoned Cart Recovery guide
