{"id":1210,"date":"2026-03-09T06:46:51","date_gmt":"2026-03-09T06:46:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/spelldot.com\/?p=837"},"modified":"2026-07-01T19:58:40","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T16:58:40","slug":"find-orders-missing-tracking-numbers-and-build-a-missing-tracking-queue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/presta.site\/blog\/en\/find-orders-missing-tracking-numbers-and-build-a-missing-tracking-queue\/","title":{"rendered":"Find Orders Missing Tracking Numbers (and Build a &#8220;Missing Tracking&#8221; Queue)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Finding <strong>woocommerce orders missing tracking number<\/strong> details can be a nightmare. A customer emails: &#8220;My order shipped three days ago. Where&#8217;s my tracking number?&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You check the order. No tracking. You check five more completed orders. Three of them are missing tracking too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Default WooCommerce gives you no way to filter orders by tracking status. There&#8217;s no &#8220;show me what&#8217;s missing&#8221; option. So gaps slip through until customers start asking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This post shows you how to find every order missing a tracking number in about ten seconds, then turn that search into a permanent queue you can check every morning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What you need<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">OrderFusion reads tracking data from major shipping plugins, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>WooCommerce Shipment Tracking<\/li>\n<li>Advanced Shipment Tracking (AST)<\/li>\n<li>AfterShip<\/li>\n<li>YITH WooCommerce Order &amp; Shipment Tracking<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If your tracking plugin isn&#8217;t on this list, you can still build the same setup. OrderFusion lets you create custom filters and columns from any order meta field, so you&#8217;d point it at whatever meta key your plugin uses for tracking numbers. The steps below work the same either way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step 1: Enable the tracking number filter<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Open your WooCommerce orders screen. Click <strong>Screen Options<\/strong> in the top-right corner. Under <strong>Filters<\/strong>, check <strong>Tracking Number<\/strong>. Close Screen Options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A new filter field appears in the row above your orders list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/presta.site\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/twentyfifteen-child\/assets\/orderfusion\/1.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Screen Options panel showing Tracking Number column and filter checkboxes enabled\" src=\"https:\/\/presta.site\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/twentyfifteen-child\/assets\/orderfusion\/1.png\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step 2: Search for empty tracking numbers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Type a single hyphen (<code class=\"codecolorer text default\"><span class=\"text\">-<\/span><\/code>) into the Tracking Number filter field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In OrderFusion, <code class=\"codecolorer text default\"><span class=\"text\">-<\/span><\/code> means &#8220;show me orders where this field is empty.&#8221; The list updates immediately. Every order without a tracking number appears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That&#8217;s it. One character, and you have your answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/presta.site\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/twentyfifteen-child\/assets\/orderfusion\/2.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Orders list filtered by empty tracking number using the hyphen symbol\" src=\"https:\/\/presta.site\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/twentyfifteen-child\/assets\/orderfusion\/2.png\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The opposite works too. Type <code class=\"codecolorer text default\"><span class=\"text\">*<\/span><\/code> (asterisk) to see only orders that <em>do<\/em> have tracking numbers. Useful when you want to verify that tracking was entered correctly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step 3: Narrow it down by status<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Not every order needs tracking. Pending orders haven&#8217;t shipped yet. Cancelled orders never will. You care about orders that <em>should<\/em> have tracking but don&#8217;t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the <strong>Order Status<\/strong> filter (already visible above your orders list), select <strong>Processing<\/strong> and <strong>Completed<\/strong>. OrderFusion lets you pick multiple statuses at once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now the list shows only active orders that are missing tracking. These need attention right now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If your store has orders that never need tracking (local pickup, digital products), see &#8220;Handling orders that don&#8217;t need tracking&#8221; below for how to exclude them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step 4: Save this as a view<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You&#8217;ll use this filter combination every day. Save it so you don&#8217;t re-enter the criteria each morning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Click <strong>Create custom view<\/strong> above the orders list (or the <strong>+<\/strong> button if you already have views)<\/li>\n<li>Name it something clear: &#8220;Missing Tracking&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>Pick a color (red works well for &#8220;needs attention&#8221;)<\/li>\n<li>Click <strong>Save<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The view stores everything: filters, columns, sort order. Load it anytime from the views dropdown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/presta.site\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/twentyfifteen-child\/assets\/orderfusion\/3.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Create custom view dialog with Missing Tracking name and red color selected\" src=\"https:\/\/presta.site\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/twentyfifteen-child\/assets\/orderfusion\/3.png\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\t<div class=\"pst-app-cta pst-app-cta--woocommerce\">\r\n\t\t<p class=\"pst-app-cta-label\">WooCommerce Plugin<\/p>\r\n\t\t<p class=\"pst-app-cta-title\">Want to filter orders, add custom columns, and export CSV from your WooCommerce admin? Try <a href=\"https:\/\/presta.site\/en\/wordpress-woocommerce\/42-orderfusion-filters-and-columns-manager-for-woocommerce.html\">OrderFusion<\/a> \u2014 free Lite on WordPress.org, Pro on WooCommerce.com.<\/p>\r\n\t\t<p class=\"pst-app-cta-link\">\r\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/plugins\/sdc-orderfusion-lite\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Install OrderFusion Lite (free)<\/a>\r\n\t\t\t&nbsp;\u00b7&nbsp;\r\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/woocommerce.com\/products\/sdc-orderfusion\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">View OrderFusion Pro on WooCommerce.com<\/a>\r\n\t\t<\/p>\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n\t<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step 5: Pin it for daily monitoring<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pin the view so it shows as a badge at the top of your orders screen with a live order count.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Open the custom views dropdown<\/li>\n<li>Click the <strong>pin icon<\/strong> next to &#8220;Missing Tracking&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now you see something like <strong>(7) Missing Tracking<\/strong> above your orders list. That number updates every time the page loads. Zero means every order has tracking. Anything higher tells you exactly how many need attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/presta.site\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/twentyfifteen-child\/assets\/orderfusion\/4.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Pinned Missing Tracking view badge showing 7 orders need attention\" src=\"https:\/\/presta.site\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/twentyfifteen-child\/assets\/orderfusion\/4.png\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A real workflow: daily tracking audit<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here&#8217;s how a fulfillment team at a mid-size store uses this setup:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Morning:<\/strong> Open the orders screen. The badge says &#8220;(12) Missing Tracking.&#8221; Click it to load the view.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Work through the list:<\/strong> Open each order, paste the tracking number from your carrier&#8217;s system, save. Or use a bulk tracking import if your plugin supports it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>End of day:<\/strong> Check the badge again. Zero means you&#8217;re clear. If it shows (3), three late-day shipments still need tracking from the carrier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Finding the orders takes three seconds. Compare that to clicking into each order one by one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Add the tracking number column too<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While you&#8217;re setting up, enable the <strong>Tracking Number<\/strong> column. Go to <strong>Screen Options<\/strong>, scroll to <strong>Columns<\/strong>, and check <strong>Tracking Number<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now tracking numbers appear directly in the orders list. When you load your Missing Tracking view, orders without tracking show a blank cell in that column. Fill it in, and the order drops out of the view on next refresh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Handling orders that don&#8217;t need tracking<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Digital products, local pickup, in-store transactions. These orders will never have tracking numbers, and they&#8217;ll keep appearing in your Missing Tracking view.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Two fixes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\n<p><strong>Filter by shipping method.<\/strong> Add the Shipping Method filter to your view and select only shipped methods (Standard, Express, Free Shipping, etc.). Leave Local Pickup unselected. Pickup orders drop out of the queue automatically.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p><strong>Filter by status.<\/strong> If you use a custom order status for pickup or digital orders (like &#8220;Ready for Pickup&#8221; or &#8220;Download Sent&#8221;), leave those statuses unselected in your Order Status filter. Only select statuses that apply to shipped orders.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tune the view until it shows only orders that genuinely need tracking. Then save the updated configuration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Try it yourself<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"> &#8211; type <code class=\"codecolorer text default\"><span class=\"text\">-<\/span><\/code> in the tracking filter, save a view, and pin it. Takes about two minutes to set up, and you&#8217;ll use it every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For the full filter reference, check the <a href=\"https:\/\/woocommerce.com\/document\/sdc-orderfusion\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">OrderFusion documentation<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Finding woocommerce orders missing tracking number details can be a nightmare. A customer emails: &#8220;My order shipped three days ago. Where&#8217;s my tracking number?&#8221;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1402,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[232],"tags":[187,197,203,193,195],"class_list":["post-1210","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-orderfusion","tag-filters","tag-orders","tag-tracking","tag-views","tag-workflow"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/presta.site\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1210","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/presta.site\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/presta.site\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/presta.site\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/presta.site\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1210"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/presta.site\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1210\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1408,"href":"https:\/\/presta.site\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1210\/revisions\/1408"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/presta.site\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1402"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/presta.site\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1210"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/presta.site\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1210"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/presta.site\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1210"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}