Add an order for a customer manually from the dashboard, and understand the drafts flow.
Last updated: 2026-09-08
🔧 Steps to create an order manually
From the sidebar, go to Orders, then click Create order at the top right of the page.
Add a product by searching or by clicking Browse, or use Add custom item to add an item that isn't actually in your inventory.
As soon as you add any product, the order is automatically saved as a draft — it appears under Orders → Draft, the page title changes to "Edit draft," and the Complete order button stays disabled (grey) until you select a customer.
In the Customer section, search for an existing customer or create a new one with a name, email, and phone number.
After selecting the customer, the Complete order button becomes active (turns green) — click it to convert the draft into a real order ready to be processed.
💡 Any order you start creating and don't finish stays saved automatically as a draft under Orders → Draft, and you can go back to it and finish it at any later time without losing any data you entered.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Why does the order get saved as a draft before I finish it?
So you can build the order in stages — add products, review the price — without creating an actual empty order in your records, and the draft turns into a real order only when you click Complete order.
Can I complete an order without selecting a customer?
No, the Complete order button stays disabled until you select a customer (existing or new) from the Customer section.
Can I delete a draft order I don't need?
Yes, from Orders → Draft, open the draft and delete it from the actions menu, or leave it as is without affecting anything else in your store.
