---
title: "Process orders placed before you installed Filemonk"
description: "Send download links to customers who bought before Filemonk existed on your store."
url: https://help.filemonk.io/process-orders-placed-before-install/
section: "Orders"
last_updated: 2026-09-08
---

# Process orders placed before you installed Filemonk

> Send download links to customers who bought before Filemonk existed on your store.

Filemonk starts with orders placed after it is installed. If you are migrating from another app, or you have been selling digital products by hand, this brings your existing customers across in one run so they can download from Filemonk too.

## Before you begin

Read this section properly, because the run cannot be undone.

- Set up first: upload your files, and link each one to the relevant Shopify products. The import matches orders to products that already have files, so anything unlinked imports empty.
- Consider updating your email template first, so customers understand why they are hearing from you. See [Customize the email template](https://help.filemonk.io/customize-the-email-template/).
- The import is limited to 5,000 orders. Contact support if your store has more.
- It runs in the background and can take up to an hour depending on volume.
- Imported orders count towards your plan's limit only when a customer actually downloads.

## Set it up

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. Find **Import orders**.
4. Decide about **Suppress emails to customers for imported orders**. Checked, nobody is emailed. Unchecked, every customer with a digital order receives a new download link.
5. Click **Import orders**, read the confirmation, and click **Proceed**.

Progress is shown as it runs, with a count of orders processed.

## The email decision

This is the part to get right. Filemonk scans every order in your store containing products that now have files linked, which can be years of history. Leaving emails on means all of those people hear from you at once.

Send emails when you are migrating and customers need working links, because their old app's links are about to stop working. Suppress them when you are setting up quietly, or when customers have no reason to expect an email from you today.

## Check your setup

When it finishes, open **Orders** in the app's menu and spot-check a few imported orders: right products, right files. If you sent emails, check one order's email history to confirm where it went.

## Troubleshooting

### Customers received unexpected emails

The suppress option was unchecked. Sent emails cannot be recalled. Tell affected customers the links are genuine and valid, which is better than leaving them wondering.

### Imported orders show no files

Their products had no files linked when the import ran. Link the files, then re-sync those orders. See [Import orders](https://help.filemonk.io/import-orders/).

### The import seems stuck

It runs in the background and can take up to an hour. Leave it. If it has clearly failed, the app reports an error and you can contact support with it.

### My store has more than 5,000 orders

The tool stops there. Contact support and they will help with the rest.

### I only want recent orders, not everything

This tool takes everything it can match. For a specific set, use bulk import with a list of order numbers instead. See [Import orders](https://help.filemonk.io/import-orders/).

## FAQ

### Can I run it more than once?

It is designed as a one-off migration step. For orders missed afterwards, use bulk import or Find order.

### Will it duplicate orders already in Filemonk?

No. Orders already present are recognised.

### Do imported orders eat my plan's order limit immediately?

No. They count only when a customer downloads, so importing history does not consume your allowance on its own.

### What if a customer's product no longer exists?

That order cannot be matched and is skipped. There is nothing to deliver.

## Related guides

- [Switch from another app to Filemonk](https://help.filemonk.io/switch-from-another-app/), the migration this belongs to.
- [Import orders](https://help.filemonk.io/import-orders/), for a specific list of orders.
- [Ignore orders before a date or order number](https://help.filemonk.io/ignore-orders-before-a-date/), the opposite choice.