Shopify draft order statuses and #D numbers explained

What are the three Shopify draft order statuses?

Shopify gives every draft one of three statuses: Open, Invoice sent or Completed. Open means nobody has paid and no invoice has gone out. Invoice sent means the invoice email went out to the customer. Completed means the draft was paid or turned into an order, which gets its own order number.

These definitions come from Shopify’s developer documentation. Since August 5, 2026, Shopify’s API counts draft holds as committed rather than reserved; what Committed inventory means on a draft covers that change.

Drafts created on or after April 1, 2025 are deleted after a year with no edits, as why Shopify deletes old draft orders explains. For every draft action at the counter, see Shopify POS draft orders.

What does “Invoice sent” mean on a Shopify draft order?

“Invoice sent” means Shopify has emailed the customer the draft’s invoice, with its checkout link. It isn’t a payment status. The customer hasn’t paid until the draft shows Completed and an order appears under Orders. Sending the invoice email is what moves a draft from Open to Invoice sent.

A draft at Invoice sent is waiting on the customer. If nothing arrived, work through what to do when a customer didn’t get the invoice. If it arrived and they haven’t paid, see how to chase an unpaid draft order invoice.

What happens when a Shopify draft order is completed?

When the customer pays through the invoice link, the draft becomes a regular order on your Orders page, marked Paid automatically. The draft stays in Orders > Drafts as Completed, and Shopify keeps a link from it to the order created from it.

That order’s number shows on the customer’s order status page. Deleting a completed draft doesn’t delete its order. To be told the moment a link is paid, see how to know when a draft order or payment link is paid.

Why does my draft order have a #D number instead of an order number?

#D numbers are draft numbers. Each draft gets an identifier with a #D prefix, such as #D14, unique in your store. Orders have their own sequence, which starts at #1001 by default. Shopify creates the order, with your normal order number, only when the draft is completed. The draft keeps its #D.

That’s why the same purchase can carry two numbers. Merchants have asked for drafts to keep one number from start to finish, so customers don’t see two.

Can I make Shopify draft numbers match my order numbers?

Drafts keep their #D numbers, and orders have their own sequence. In Settings > General > Order ID format, you can change the prefix and suffix of your order numbers, for example replacing the # with letters. You can’t change the starting number (1001).

A tip: if two numbers confuse your customers, reword the draft invoice email so it reads as a quote, so customers read the #D as a quote reference and the order number as their order. Editing the draft order invoice email shows where. If your books need invoices with their own numbering, read whether you need an invoice app or just a payment link.

Which number should staff give a customer who calls?

Before the customer pays, use the #D number: it’s the one on their invoice email. After they pay, use the order number, which is on their order status page. If a caller only has the #D number, open that draft in Orders > Drafts and follow its link to the order.

The order confirmation email shows the order number or, in some templates, a confirmation code such as XPAV284CT. Ask what the customer’s email says before you look it up.

For example: a caller reads out “#D14” from their invoice. Staff open #D14 in Orders > Drafts, see it’s Completed, follow it to order #1032, and use that number from then on. What the customer gets after paying a link covers the emails on their side.

What does Mark as paid do to a Shopify draft order?

Mark as paid turns the draft into an order without charging the customer; your payment provider doesn’t capture the amount you record. The customer gets an order confirmation email. Use it only when the money has already arrived another way, such as cash or a bank transfer, because it also stops the invoice link working.

To mark a draft as paid in the Shopify admin:

1. Go to Orders > Drafts and open the draft.
2. In the Payment section, click Collect payment > Mark as paid.
3. Optionally, enter the Amount received.
4. Click Create order.

If you mark a draft as paid before the customer pays, the link in their invoice won’t work and they can’t complete checkout. That’s one of the causes in why a customer can’t pay a draft order invoice. The Credit card option in the same menu charges a card you type in (Shopify Payments only) and also creates the order; Shopify’s answer to a virtual terminal explains it.

What does Payment due later do to a Shopify draft order?

Payment due later sets payment terms on the draft instead of taking money now. In the Payment section you select Payment due later, choose a term such as Due on receipt or Net term, and click Save. Saving applies the terms; it doesn’t create the order. After that, you can send an invoice or accept payment for the order.

If you create the order on those terms before the customer pays, it gets your normal order number and shows Payment pending, and an unpaid one past its due date shows as Due. What “Payment pending” means on a Shopify order explains those statuses, and how to send a payment link for an existing order covers collecting the money later.

How can staff see from the POS whether a payment link has been paid?

In Shopify, a paid draft shows Completed in Orders > Drafts and becomes an order under Orders; Invoice sent alone doesn’t tell staff whether the customer has paid. With Pay Link, from Countermade, Invenire Studios’ Shopify POS apps, staff can see whether a link has been paid. Staff build the order in the POS cart, and the customer pays on Shopify’s own secure checkout, so staff never see or type card details.

Before anything is sent, Pay Link shows staff the total up front, with a note when checkout will add shipping. A double tap makes one payment link, not two, so the customer doesn’t get two to choose between.

Pay Link needs Shopify POS Pro and takes full payment. Turn on local pickup at your store, so customers collecting in person can choose pickup at checkout instead of shipping.

Next step

Open Orders > Drafts and check any draft still at Invoice sent: it’s waiting on a customer who hasn’t paid yet.

Pay Link isn’t on the Shopify App Store yet. Join early access and we’ll email you when it’s ready to try in your store.