Quick Summary #

• Enable Paid Status to treat an order with this status as paid.
• Enable Download Access to allow customers to download digital files when this status is applied.
• Use these only if they match your store’s business logic.

Open the status editor #

Go to WooCommerce → Orders → Order Status → Edit (choose a status) or Add New (create one). Scroll to the advanced options section.

ALT: Status editor showing Paid Status and Download Access toggles.
Caption: “Advanced options for treating a status as paid or granting downloads.”

Paid Status #

When this toggle is ON, WooCommerce will treat the order as paid when moved into this status.

• Use it for statuses that come after payment (e.g., Awaiting Shipment).
• Avoid enabling it on pre-payment stages (e.g., Pending Deposit).

ALT: Toggle ON for Paid Status.
Caption: “Enable Paid Status if this stage confirms payment.”

Effects of enabling Paid Status #

• Marks the order as paid in WooCommerce logic.
• Stock is reduced for the items if not already reduced.
• Status can appear in reports as part of completed sales (if reporting is enabled).

Download Access #

When this toggle is ON, customers gain access to digital downloads linked to their order once it enters this status.

• Useful for statuses like Ready for Download or Delivered.
• Do not enable if the order should not yet grant access (e.g., Awaiting Review).

ALT: Toggle ON for Download Access.
Caption: “Grant customers download rights when this status is applied.”

Effects of enabling Download Access #

• Customer receives permission to download files tied to the order.
• If combined with Paid Status, it fully mimics WooCommerce’s Completed behavior.
• Can trigger download email notifications if configured.

Best practices #

• Only enable Paid Status for workflow stages where payment is confirmed.
• Use Download Access for digital stores to control exactly when downloads unlock.
• If both are ON, the status behaves almost like Completed but retains your custom label.
• Test with a dummy order before rolling out to production to avoid giving early access.

Troubleshooting #

• Download links not appearing: ensure Download Access is ON and the order contains digital products.
• Stock not reduced: verify that Paid Status is ON and WooCommerce stock management is active.
• Reports not updating: check if the status is also set to Display in Reports (another option in the editor).