Import orders

Use this guide if you’re moving to Filemonk from another digital download app and want to bring in the orders customers placed before you installed it. By the end, those orders have Filemonk download links, so earlier customers keep access to their files.

To bring in a few specific orders instead of your whole store, use Import missing orders.

Before you begin

• Filemonk only imports orders that contain digital products, meaning products with files linked to them in Filemonk. Set these up first:
  1. Upload your files. See Upload files.
  2. Link each file to the right Shopify products. See Create a digital product.
  3. Optional: update your email template to tell customers about their new download link. See Customize the email template.
• If you’ve set a cutoff in Ignore old orders, orders before that cutoff aren’t imported. Clear the cutoff first if you want them. See Ignore orders before a date or order number.
• An import brings in up to 5,000 orders and can’t be undone. Imported orders stay in Filemonk.
• The 5,000 is counted in store orders looked at, not digital ones. Filemonk works through your orders oldest first and stops at 5,000, so on a large store it is your most recent orders before the install that get left out.
• Imported orders don’t count towards your plan when you import them. An order counts only once the customer opens their download page. This only matters on the Start plan, which includes 50 orders a month; Lite and Plus have unlimited orders. See Filemonk pricing and plans.

What customers will see

Nothing, until you choose. Filemonk doesn’t email customers automatically for imported orders. You send their download links yourself once the import has finished.

Customers can also reach their files from the download page, and from their customer account if you’ve set that up. See Let customers download from the account page.

Set it up

Import the orders

1. Click Filemonk in the left menu of your Shopify admin.

2. Click Settings in the app’s menu, then open the Orders tab.

3. Scroll to the Import orders section and click Import orders.

   

4. Read the Confirm import window and click Proceed.

5. In the Import orders and send download links window, check that Suppress emails to customers for imported orders is ticked, and tick it again if it is not. It is ticked when the window first opens, but it clears if you close the window and reopen it.

6. Click Import orders.

The import runs in the background and can take up to an hour, depending on how many orders you have. You can keep using Filemonk while it runs. The Import orders section shows Processing orders with a progress bar and an order count, and the Import orders button is unavailable until it finishes. When it’s done, you’ll see “Order processing completed successfully!” with the number of orders processed. That number counts every order it looked at, including ones with no digital products and ones that failed, so it is usually higher than the number of customers who got files. Click Dismiss to clear the message.

Send download links to customers

1. Click Orders in the app’s menu and check your imported orders.
2. Select the orders you want to email.
3. Click Send emails, then click Send to confirm.

What gets imported

• Only new orders: Filemonk skips orders that are already in Filemonk and leaves them unchanged. It’s safe to run the import again later.
• Only digital orders: orders without any products linked to files in Filemonk aren’t imported.
• Up to 5,000 orders: counted in store orders scanned, oldest first, whether or not they contain digital products. If your store has more, contact support after the import and we’ll help you import the rest.
• Orders after your cutoff only: orders before your Ignore old orders cutoff are skipped.

Check your setup

When the import finishes, click Orders in the app’s menu and open a few imported orders. Confirm each one carries the right products and files. After you send emails, check one order’s email history to confirm the link went out.

Troubleshooting

Some orders weren't imported

Their products had no files linked when you ran the import. Link files to those products, then run the import again. Only orders not already in Filemonk are imported.

Older orders are missing after the import

They’re before your Ignore old orders cutoff. Clear or lower the cutoff on the Orders tab in Settings, click Save, then import again.

Only part of my order history was imported

Your store has more than 5,000 orders. Contact support and we’ll help you import the rest.

The import failed because my store is blocked from sending email

The message reads “We were unable to process the import. Your store is blocked from sending email”. Your store’s email content was flagged as spam. Contact support to review your email template.

Order processing failed

The import stopped because of an error. Click Contact support in the message. You can run the import again, and orders already imported are skipped.

Customers didn't get an email after the import

Filemonk doesn’t email customers automatically for imported orders. Click Orders in the app’s menu, select the orders, and click Send emails.

Customers on the Start plan can't download

Your 50-order monthly limit was reached as imported orders were used. Upgrade to Lite or Plus, or wait for your limit to reset.

FAQ

Can I run the import more than once?

Yes. Once an import finishes, the Import orders button is available again. A new import brings in only orders that aren’t already in Filemonk, and it doesn’t update the ones already there. To refresh a specific order from Shopify, use Re-sync. See Import missing orders.

Will old download links from my previous app still work?

That depends on your previous app. Filemonk gives each imported order its own download link, so send customers their new link.

How long does the import take?

Usually up to an hour. Stores with many orders can take longer.

Can I stop an import once it's started?

No. Let it finish. Contact support if something looks wrong.

What happens to new orders placed during the import?

They’re processed as normal and customers get their downloads as usual.

What's the difference between this and ignoring old orders?

They do opposite jobs. Importing brings older orders into Filemonk. Ignore old orders keeps orders before a cutoff out of Filemonk, including out of imports.

Related guides

• Switch from another app to Filemonk, for the migration this belongs to.
• Import missing orders, to bring in specific orders with Find order or Bulk import.
• Ignore orders before a date or order number, to keep older orders out.
• Send emails with links for orders, for sending download links yourself.