FIX A SEND PROBLEM
Why is my Shopify cart email not sending?
Check the send log first. Your email may be off, still waiting, or skipped by a rule. Also check which email you set up: leaving a cart and leaving checkout are two different steps.
In this guide
1. Find the send log
- In Shopify, open Apps → Messaging → Automations.
- Open your checkout email.
- Under Workflow, choose View recent activity.
- Open the run. Read Results to see what happened.
A “run” is one time the rule was used. Its result tells you what happened to this send.
If you use the older setup, go to Orders → Abandoned checkouts. Open the checkout and check its email status.
If another app sends your cart emails, start in that app’s send log. A Shopify email log will not explain a send from a different app.
Sources: Shopify: check why a checkout email did not send · Shopify: older checkout email settings
2. Did your test reach checkout?
A cart email starts when someone adds an item, then leaves before checkout. A checkout email starts when they begin checkout, then leave before they buy.
For example, you added a tote and closed the tab. That is a cart test. It does not test the checkout email.
Check the rule’s name and what starts it. Then use the same steps in your test.
Source: Shopify: cart emails, checkout emails and send controls
3. Read the reason it did not send
| What you see | What to check |
|---|---|
| Still waiting | Has the full wait time passed? Did a new checkout start a new wait? |
| Skipped | Read which rule left this person out. They may have bought or the item may be out of stock. |
| Sent | Check the test email address, inbox and spam folder. |
Check the wait time. A newer checkout can start a new wait. Check the “To” group too. The buyer must fit the group you chose.
Did the buyer place an order before the email was due? Are all the items out of stock? Shopify can skip the email in those cases. Check the log for the exact reason.
An email left out by a rule is different from one sent but not found. If the log says it sent, check the test address and its spam folder next.
Do not change several rules at once. Fix the one that explains your test. Keep a note of what you changed.
4. Test the whole path
Shopify’s checkout test starts in your store. Add an item, start checkout and enter your test details. Then leave before you pay.
Use an inbox you own. If the rule needs a person on your email list, make sure your test address is on it. Use an item that is in stock.
Write down when you left and how long the rule waits. Wait for that time to pass. Then check the send log and your inbox.
A test sent from the email editor checks the email itself. To check the send rules too, use the store test above. Look for one clear result in the log.
Source: Shopify: test a checkout that is left before payment
5. Still stuck? Keep the proof
Copy the note below. Fill it in while the log is open. It gives support one case they can trace.
Say what you did, what you expected and what happened. Include the time and time zone. Copy the error text if there is one.
Share the note with the app that sends this email. Keep customer email addresses and checkout links out of public posts. A screen with private details hidden is enough to show the issue.
A send check you can copy
Copy this into your notes. Fill in each line as you test.
My checkout email test
App that sends the email: [name]
Cart or checkout email: [which one]
Rule name: [name shown in the app]
Test steps: [what I did in the store]
Time I left, with time zone: [date and time]
Wait time in the rule: [time]
Test address is in the right send group: [yes / no]
Send log result: [copy the status or error]
What I changed: [one change, or none]
What happened on the next test: [result]
Use a test inbox you own. Share private logs only with the support team.