How to export only unfulfilled Shopify orders
You will have a CSV holding only the Shopify orders that still need a parcel, with fulfilled and held orders left behind.
Checked against Shopify: exporting orders on September 13, 2026.
Before you start
- Staff access to Orders in the Shopify admin
- A decision on whether held and scheduled orders ship today
Steps
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Open the unfulfilled queue
In your Shopify admin, go to Orders and select the Unfulfilled tab.
You should see only orders with an outstanding fulfilment, newest first by default.
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Sort by the oldest order
On the Unfulfilled tab, sort so the oldest order sits at the top.
You should see the orders closest to their delivery promise at the head of the list.
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Select the rows you will ship today
In the list, select the orders you are packing in this batch rather than the whole tab.
You should see a selection count that matches the parcels on your bench.
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Export the selection
On the Orders page, select Export, choose Selected orders, then select Export orders.
You should see a CSV in your browser for up to 50 orders, or an email for a larger batch.
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Check the count before you buy anything
In the CSV, count distinct values in the Name column and compare that with the parcels you packed.
You should see the same number in both places, or a row you now know to investigate.
If it goes wrong
- The tab shows fewer orders than you expected
Orders with an active hold sit outside the Unfulfilled list until the hold is released, and orders scheduled for a later date behave the same way. Neither appears in an export you take from this tab. Our guide on orders that are on hold, in progress or scheduled covers how to clear both states.
- All orders ignored the tab
All orders exports the whole store, not the filtered view you are looking at. Selected orders is the option tied to the rows you ticked, so pick the rows first and the scope second.
- Partly shipped orders come back
An order with one line already fulfilled and one line outstanding is still unfulfilled work. Check Fulfillment Status per row and Lineitem quantity before packing it as a whole order.
What happens next
You have a file whose scope is a queue rather than a date range, which keeps a label run to 1 parcel per waiting order. Two numbers still decide how the file reaches you: 50 orders or fewer downloads to your device, and anything above that is emailed to you and the store owner.
Skip the queue-to-file step
Upload the CSV to The Workbench, which is part of Pro, and rate USPS and UPS across the whole batch at once, then print one merged PDF. Connected stores skip the export entirely: paid orders arrive on a 10 to 15 minute sync and land in the same grid, and cancellations after a label is bought raise an alert.
Related questions
It can, because payment status and fulfillment status are separate in Shopify. Check the payment column before you buy postage for anything, or filter to paid orders as well. An unpaid order that ships is a parcel you gave away.
Use the header checkbox to take the page, then export Current page of orders, or export All orders and filter Fulfillment Status in the spreadsheet afterwards. Current page is capped by your page size, so a long queue needs more than one pass. Our guide on shipping every unfulfilled Shopify order walks the same queue from the admin side.
No. Nothing about an export changes fulfillment status, and the same orders will appear in tomorrow's export until they are fulfilled. Keep a note of which batch you exported, or work strictly oldest first so the overlap is obvious.