Test mode and going live

Use test mode to rehearse checkout with fake payments, then switch to live mode when you're ready for real customers.

Every store starts in test mode. Stripe's test keys and your payment add-ons' sandbox accounts are used, so you can walk through your whole checkout – add to cart, pay, get the confirmation email – without a single real charge. It's a rehearsal with the safety net on.

Test mode

While your store is in test mode:

  • Payments use Stripe test keys, so no real money moves.
  • You can place practice orders and see exactly what a customer sees.
  • Your Orders list shows test orders faded, with a Test badge, alongside any live orders you already have – toggle Show test orders in the sort menu (the ⇅ icon) to hide or bring them back.
  • Search engines are asked not to list your storefront. Shoppers with the link can still visit it, but a half-finished store – or a copy of the shop you're moving from – won't turn up in Google next to your current one.

Use it to check the things that are awkward to fix after launch: does checkout look right, does the confirmation email make sense, do your shipping options and taxes come out as you expect.

Tip: Place at least one full test order before you launch, and read the confirmation email as if you were the buyer. It catches more problems than any amount of clicking around the dashboard.

Switching to live mode

Use the mode switch in your dashboard to launch. Before it will let you through, two things need to be in place:

Stripe is not required. A store that sells only through PayNow can go live without connecting Stripe at all.

You'll be asked to confirm. If a payment add-on – PayNow, Montonio, or PayPal – takes test payments but has no production keys, or has them but is switched off in production, the dialog names it and warns that shoppers won't see it once you're live, with a link straight to its Production tab.

If none of your payment methods would work in live mode, the switch won't let you through. It lists what to fix, for example "Turn on PayNow in production" or "Finish setting up Stripe". Going live enables real payments and lets search engines list your storefront, and from then on your Orders list defaults to hiding test orders – tick Show test orders in the sort menu any time you need to check a test checkout.

Work through your setup checklist before you flip the switch – it's the short list of everything a store needs to be ready to sell.

Switching back to test

You can go back to test mode at any time. Real payments stop, and Orders defaults back to showing everything – test and live side by side, with test orders faded and marked by a Test badge. Your live orders are never hidden or deleted; the Show test orders checkbox in the sort menu still lets you hide the test ones again.

Caution: Some add-ons have their own test and live modes. After switching, check anything connected – carriers, marketplaces, payment providers – as they may need reconfiguring for the mode you're now in.

FAQ

Do my test orders show up once I'm live?

Not by default. Once you're live, Orders defaults to showing only live orders, so your real sales figures stay front and center. Tick Show test orders in the sort menu (the ⇅ icon) to bring them back alongside your live orders; they sit faded with a Test badge so they're never mistaken for a real sale.

Can I test a change after I've gone live?

Yes – switch back to test mode, try it, then switch back. Just remember that real payments are paused while you're in test mode.

Why won't the switch let me go live?

Either no payment method would work in live mode, or your billing details are missing. The dialog says which and links you straight to the fix. The most common cases are a payment add-on that is switched off in its Production tab, and a Stripe account whose setup isn't finished yet.

What if my store is live but checkout can't take payments?

A red banner appears at the top of every dashboard page, for example when a payment add-on gets switched off in production or Stripe pauses your account. It says what's wrong and links to the fix. Until then, checkout shows shoppers a "checkout unavailable" message instead of a payment form that would fail, unless bank transfer or cash on delivery is on.

Why isn't my store showing up in Google?

While your store is in test mode, search engines are asked to stay away, so nobody finds an unfinished store – or two copies of your shop while you move over from another platform. Once you switch to live mode, search engines can list it. New sites usually take a few days to a few weeks to appear in results.

If you switch back to test mode later, search engines are asked to drop your store again.

Is test mode the same as an unpublished store?

No. Test mode is about payments; publishing is about whether your storefront is visible. See Publish and go live.

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