How do I see which WooCommerce orders still need shipping?
Filter the Orders list by status. Processing means payment received and stock reduced, awaiting fulfilment, so the Processing link above the orders table is your shipping queue. Add On hold only if you ship before payment is confirmed, and leave Pending payment out of it, because those orders have not been paid.
Build the queue from statuses
Two statuses carry all the nuance. Processing is unambiguous work. On hold is a decision about risk, because stock is already reduced and the money is not confirmed.
| Status | Meaning | In the shipping queue |
|---|---|---|
| Processing | Paid, stock reduced, awaiting fulfilment | Yes |
| On hold | Awaiting payment confirmation, stock reduced | Only if you ship before funds clear |
| Pending payment | Received, no payment made | No |
| Completed | Fulfilled and complete | No |
| Cancelled, Refunded, Failed | Dead orders | No |
Filter the orders list
Go to WooCommerce > Orders.
Select the status link above the table, for example Processing, to narrow the list.
Use the Filter button to narrow further by date or customer.
Sort by a column heading to work oldest first.
Use the search box in the upper right to find one order by number, customer name or address.
Screen Options controls which columns appear and how many orders are listed per page, which is worth setting once if your queue is long.
The preview saves you a page load
The eye icon on a row opens a preview with the billing details, the payment method, the shipping information and the items, without opening the full order. For deciding box size and service, that is usually everything you need, and it keeps you on the list where the rest of the queue is.
Bulk actions on what you selected
Tick the rows, open the Bulk actions dropdown and apply. WooCommerce can change the status of several orders at once, including Processing, On hold, Completed and Cancelled, and can remove personal data from several orders. What bulk actions cannot do is attach a tracking number, so a bulk completion leaves the buyer with an email and no number.
Why the queue drifts
Two things quietly empty a Processing list. Orders made up only of virtual and downloadable products complete on their own and never appear. And anything already marked completed by hand or in bulk leaves the filter whether or not a label was ever bought. If the list looks short, check both before you assume a quiet day.
Key takeaways
- Processing is the shipping queue: paid, stock reduced, awaiting fulfilment.
- Status links above the table, plus Filter and the search box, are the whole tool.
- Bulk actions change status only, never tracking numbers.
- Virtual and downloadable-only orders never reach Processing.
The queue, with rates attached
I'd Ship That for WooCommerce is in early access. The scheduled sync pulls processing and on-hold orders into The Workbench with the buyer, the address and the line items, and skips pending payment. You batch the day's orders, rate shop USPS and UPS, print one merged PDF with pick lists and packing slips, and each label writes back to its order as completed with the tracking number, the provider and a customer-visible note.
Related questions
That is a policy call. On hold means awaiting payment confirmation with stock reduced, which is common for offline payment methods. Stores that ship against bank transfers include them, and stores that do not wait for the status to move to Processing.
The status links and the Filter button rebuild the view each time, and Screen Options remembers your columns and page length. In practice most sellers bookmark the Processing view and start there every morning.
Use the search box in the upper right of the orders list. It looks up orders by number, customer name and address details, which is the fastest route when a buyer emails about a package and quotes any one of the three.
Because nothing moved it. Processing means awaiting fulfilment until something sets the order to completed, and if you bought the label elsewhere and never came back to the order, it stays in your queue and the buyer never gets the completion email.