Why is my Shopify tracking link not clickable?
Shopify builds the link from the carrier attached to the fulfillment, so a number saved with no carrier, or with the wrong one, has nothing to link to. Pick the carrier from the list on the fulfillment, or choose Other and enter the full tracking URL provided by your carrier. Clickable tracking links are then generated automatically for your customers.
Four checks, in order
Open the order and look at the fulfillment: is a carrier set, or is the number sitting alone?
If the carrier is missing or wrong, edit the fulfillment and select the right one from the list.
If your carrier is not in the list, select Other and enter the full tracking URL provided by your carrier.
Compare the number on the screen with the number on the label, digit by digit.
If the number is correct and hours old, wait for the carrier to scan the package before judging the link.
Editing tracking information sends the shipping update email, so fix it once rather than repeatedly.
Why the carrier guess goes wrong
Shopify might recognize the tracking number format and select a shipping carrier for you. That is pattern matching, not a lookup with the carrier, so a number whose format resembles another carrier's can be attributed to the wrong one.
The customer then gets a link to a site that has never heard of the shipment. Read the carrier field before confirming a fulfillment, every time.
Link works, page shows nothing
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Number is plain text | No carrier on the fulfillment | Set the carrier, or use Other with a URL |
| Link hits the wrong carrier | Format matched another carrier | Change the carrier on the fulfillment |
| Carrier page says not found | Number mistyped, or not scanned yet | Check the digits, then wait for the first scan |
| No delivery updates | Carrier events not recognized | Use a recognized carrier rather than a manual URL |
Where the customer is looking
After you add a tracking number to a fulfilled order, customers can follow their delivery through the order status page, shipping emails and the Shop app. The order status page is the primary place where customers track their shipments, and for supported carriers it displays updates on the location of the shipment. A manual URL still links out, but those in page updates are what you lose.
The version of this problem that never happens
Every one of these faults comes from a number being copied by a human. When the fulfillment is created by the system that bought the label, the number and the carrier arrive together and match by construction. There is no field to leave blank, no format to guess, and no digit to transpose.
Key takeaways
- The link comes from the carrier, not from the number.
- Shopify recognizes numbers from hundreds of carriers and guesses from the format.
- An unrecognized carrier needs Other plus the full tracking URL.
- A link that exists but shows nothing usually means the number is wrong or too new.
The number and the carrier arrive together
The Shopify connection is in early access. Labels are bought against USPS and UPS, and the fulfillment is created against the order's fulfillment order with the tracking number and the carrier already attached, so Shopify generates the clickable link and sends its own notification.
Nothing is retyped, so nothing is mistyped. Branded tracking pages are available on our side if you want customers landing on a page that carries your name.
Related questions
The fulfillment is built around the number, and the URL is how Shopify reaches the carrier's page for it when the carrier is not one it recognizes. Enter both: the number your customer will quote, and the full tracking URL from your carrier. A URL alone leaves the customer with nothing to reference if they call the carrier.
Shopify sends the shipping update notification when tracking information is updated, so a correction can reach the customer. That is usually what you want when the first link was broken. Make the fix once and check it, rather than editing the fulfillment several times and mailing the customer at each attempt.
Most often the package has not been scanned yet, so the carrier has nothing to show against a number that was only created when the label printed. The other cause is a wrong digit. Check the number against the label first, then give the carrier a scan event before deciding the label is bad.
Those notifications are sent from tracking events received from the carrier or fulfillment app, and Shopify notes that event sources, accuracy and timing vary by carrier. A manual tracking URL gives the customer a link but no event stream behind it. If those emails matter to you, fulfill with a carrier Shopify recognizes.