Shopify admin — how common store tasks work
How Shopify admin tasks work: add and organize products, fulfill orders, issue refunds, set staff permissions, read Shopify Payments payouts, manage domains.
Shopify admin — how common store tasks work
Product summary
Shopify admin is the back office of a Shopify store — Shopify's help center describes it as the central hub for managing all aspects of your store. Store owners and staff use it for order processing, product management, sales analysis, and store configuration. It runs at shopify.com/admin in a desktop browser and in the Shopify mobile app for iOS and Android, though some advanced settings require a desktop. Customers never see the admin; it sits behind the storefront and is reachable only by the owner and staff accounts.
Key concepts
| term | meaning |
|---|---|
| Orders page | Where orders are reviewed, prepared, marked fulfilled, and refunded. |
| Products page | Where products are added, edited, duplicated, archived, or deleted. |
| Collection | A group of products shown as a storefront page — curated manually or filled automatically by conditions. |
| Fulfillment | Processing and shipping an order: yourself, through an app, or through a fulfillment service. |
| Staff and roles | Extra user accounts whose admin access is limited by the permissions their role grants. |
| Shopify Payments payout | The scheduled transfer of captured sale funds to the store's bank account. |
| myshopify.com domain | The default web address every store starts with; a custom domain can replace it as the primary domain. |
How common tasks work
Add and organize products
| task | where | steps | notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Add a product | Products page | 1. Open Products. 2. Select "Add product". 3. Enter a title and details. 4. Select "Save". | Edits to products take effect immediately. |
| Duplicate a product | Products page | 1. Open an existing product. 2. Duplicate it, choosing which details to copy and its status (Active, Draft, or Unlisted). | 3D models and videos do not copy automatically. |
| Tag products | Product details | 1. Add comma-separated tags so products are searchable and filterable. | Up to 250 tags per product on standard plans, unlimited on Shopify Plus (as of August 2026). |
| Build a collection | Collections page | 1. Create a collection. 2. Add products manually, or define conditions that include matching products automatically. | Collections require the Basic plan or higher (as of August 2026). |
| Retire a product | Products page | 1. Archive it to hide it without losing it, or delete it permanently. | Deleting cannot be undone; archiving is the reversible route. |
Fulfill orders
| task | where | steps | notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fulfill one order | Orders page | 1. Open Orders. 2. Open the order. 3. Select "Mark as fulfilled". 4. Optionally add tracking numbers and send the customer a notification. | Not available when the order is assigned to a fulfillment service location — change the order location first. |
| Fulfill in bulk | Orders page | 1. Select several orders. 2. Select "Mark as", then "Fulfilled". | Tracking numbers can be added after fulfillment, including several per order. |
| Stage the work | Orders page | 1. Mark an order as in progress while picking and packing. 2. Mark it fulfilled once shipped. | Shipping labels can be bought and printed from the admin through integrated carriers. |
Refund orders
| task | where | steps | notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Refund all or part of an order | Orders page | 1. Open the order. 2. Select "Refund". 3. Choose items, quantities, and optionally shipping. 4. Issue the refund. | Partly refunded orders show "Partially refunded"; shipping refunds are capped at the amount actually charged. |
| Restock returned items | Refund screen | 1. Keep the restock option selected (the default for inventory-tracked items) or deselect it. | The customer gets an email notification by default; it can be turned off per refund. |
A refund can go to the original payment method, to store credit, or split across both — and it cannot be cancelled or reversed once initiated.
Manage staff and permissions
| task | where | steps | notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Add a staff member | User settings | 1. Create a user account for them. 2. Assign a role whose permissions match the tasks they perform. | The maximum number of users depends on the pricing plan. |
| Give an outside expert access | Collaborator accounts | 1. A Shopify Partner requests collaborator access to the store. 2. Restrict what they can reach with the same permissions system. | Collaborator access is permission-limited like staff access. |
Verify in the product: permission categories (store, organization, POS) and user limits vary by plan and organization setup.
Get paid with Shopify Payments
| task | where | steps | notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Check payouts | Payments settings | 1. View and export payout details from the admin's Shopify Payments area. | Payouts can be scheduled. |
| Understand the timing | — | 1. Funds settle in business days only — weekends and holidays do not count. 2. After settlement, banks may take 1-3 further days to display the money. | Most countries settle in about 3 business days; examples differ — Australia 2, Japan 5, Mexico 7, France 3 calendar days (as of August 2026). |
| Weekend sales | — | 1. Transactions captured Friday through Sunday are grouped and sent as one payout on the next business day. | Some countries set minimum payout amounts, e.g. small euro thresholds (as of August 2026). |
Verify in the product: payout timing, schedule options, and minimum payout amounts vary by country, risk level, and payment method.
Manage domains
| task | where | steps | notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Use the free domain | Domains page | 1. Every new store gets a myshopify.com address automatically. | The myshopify.com name can be changed only once (as of August 2026). |
| Add a custom domain | Domains page (under Settings) | 1. Buy a domain through Shopify, or connect one from a third-party provider. 2. Choose the primary domain customers see. | International domains for region-specific storefronts exist on some plans. |
Limits & gotchas
- A refund cannot be cancelled or reversed after it is initiated (as of August 2026).
- Deleting a product is permanent; archiving is the reversible alternative (as of August 2026).
- "Mark as fulfilled" is not offered on orders assigned to a third-party fulfillment service location (as of August 2026).
- Shopify Payments settlement counts business days only, and payouts for new merchants can take longer in some cases (as of August 2026).
- Tags cap at 250 per product on standard plans, with a 255-character maximum per tag (as of August 2026).
- The free myshopify.com domain name can be changed only once per store (as of August 2026).
- Some advanced settings are desktop-only; the mobile app covers most but not all of the admin (as of August 2026).
FAQ
Where do I refund an order?
Open the order on the Orders page and select "Refund". You can refund selected items or the whole order, optionally include shipping, and choose whether refunded items go back into inventory.
How long until Shopify Payments pays me out?
Settlement is counted in business days and depends on your country — about 3 business days in most regions (as of August 2026), plus up to 1-3 bank days before the money shows in your account. Verify in the product: your own payout schedule and any minimum amount depend on your country.
Can I limit what a staff member sees in the admin?
Yes. Staff get their own user accounts, and each account's role carries permissions that grant or restrict areas of the admin. How many users you can add depends on your plan.
Do I have to buy my domain from Shopify?
No. You can connect a domain you already own from a third-party provider, or buy one through Shopify — either way it is managed from the Domains page and one domain is set as the primary address.