---
title: "Turn on order processing"
description: "The master switch that lets Filemonk act on your orders at all."
url: https://help.filemonk.io/process-digital-orders/
section: "Getting started"
last_updated: 2026-09-08
---

# Turn on order processing

> The master switch that lets Filemonk act on your orders at all.

**Process digital orders** decides whether Filemonk does anything when an order comes in. With it off, Filemonk ignores new orders completely: no download emails, no Download button on the Thank you page, nothing in your Orders list. Everything else in Filemonk depends on this one setting.

It is on by default, so most stores never touch it. Check it first whenever Filemonk seems to have stopped working.

## Before you begin

- Turning this on affects new orders only. Orders placed while it was off are not picked up retroactively.
- Order processing and sending email are two separate switches. Turning this one on does not, by itself, send anything.

## Set it up

1. Click **Filemonk** in the left menu of your Shopify admin.
2. Click **Settings** in the app's menu.
3. Open the **Email** tab.
4. Turn on **Process digital orders**.
5. To also email customers their download links, turn on **Send email** below it.

## What each switch does

| Switch | On | Off |
|---|---|---|
| **Process digital orders** | Filemonk records new orders, prepares downloads, and can show the Thank you page button | Filemonk ignores new orders entirely |
| **Send email** | Customers are emailed their download links automatically | Orders are still processed, but you send links yourself |

Leaving **Send email** off is a real setup: orders get processed and customers reach their files through the Thank you page, the customer account page, or an email you send by hand from the order.

## Check your setup

Place a test order for one of your digital products, then open **Orders** in the app's menu. If the order appears there, processing is working. See [Create a test order](https://help.filemonk.io/create-a-test-order/).

## Troubleshooting

### Processing is on but new orders still don't appear

Something else is filtering the order out. Check each in turn:

1. **Ignore old orders** is set to a date or order number that excludes it. See [Ignore orders before a date or order number](https://help.filemonk.io/ignore-orders-before-a-date/).
2. The product carries a tag you told Filemonk to skip. See [Skip products with certain tags](https://help.filemonk.io/skip-products-with-tags/).
3. The order status does not match what you require. See [Send email and show the button based on order status](https://help.filemonk.io/send-based-on-order-status/).
4. The product has no files linked, so there is nothing to deliver.

### Orders appear but customers get no email

**Send email** is off, or the sender address is not verified yet. Check both on the **Email** tab. See [Change the From address](https://help.filemonk.io/change-the-sender-address/).

### I turned it on. What about the orders I missed?

They stay untouched. Bring them in deliberately with an import, and decide whether those customers should be emailed. See [Import missing orders](https://help.filemonk.io/import-missing-orders/).

## FAQ

### Should I ever turn this off?

Rarely. It is useful while you are still setting up and don't want live orders processed, or if you are pausing digital sales. For a permanent stop, uninstalling is cleaner.

### Does turning it off stop existing customers downloading?

No. It only affects orders arriving from that point on. Customers with links already sent keep their access. To cut off a specific order, see [Disable access to downloads for any order](https://help.filemonk.io/disable-access-for-any-order/).

### Does it affect fulfilment in Shopify?

Only indirectly. If Filemonk is not processing an order, it cannot mark its digital items as fulfilled either. See [Fulfil digital products automatically](https://help.filemonk.io/fulfil-orders-automatically/).

### Where did this setting used to be?

It sits on the **Email** tab in Settings, alongside **Send email**, because the two are usually configured together.

## Related guides

- [Send download links automatically](https://help.filemonk.io/send-download-links-automatically/), the email side of the same screen.
- [Create a test order](https://help.filemonk.io/create-a-test-order/), to confirm processing works.
- [Import missing orders](https://help.filemonk.io/import-missing-orders/), for orders Filemonk skipped.