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Paid Status & Download Access Guide | Bright Plugins Docs

2 min read Updated April 20, 2026 By the Bright Plugins team

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.”

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).

Updated on April 20, 2026 · Need help? Open a support ticket