Every store starts in **test mode**. Stripe's test keys 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.
- Only your **test orders** are visible in your dashboard.

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:

- **A connected Stripe account** with its setup complete – see [Connect Stripe to get paid](/help/payments/connect-stripe).
- **Your billing details** – see [Manage your plan & billing](/help/account/plan-and-billing).

You'll be asked to confirm. Going live enables real payments, and from then on your dashboard shows your **live** orders.

Work through your [setup checklist](/help/getting-started/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 your dashboard shows your test orders again. Your live orders aren't deleted – they're just not shown while you're in test mode.

> **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?

No. Each mode shows its own orders, which keeps your real sales figures clean.

### 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?

Almost always a missing Stripe setup or missing billing details. The dialog names which one and links you straight to it.

### Is test mode the same as an unpublished store?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](/help/getting-started/go-live).

## What's next

- Take real payments with [Connect Stripe to get paid](/help/payments/connect-stripe).
- Tick off the essentials in [Finish your setup checklist](/help/getting-started/setup-checklist).
- Put your storefront in front of the world with [Publish and go live](/help/getting-started/go-live).