Rules Not Applying
Why Are My Rules Not Working?
If customers can still place orders when they should be blocked, work through this checklist to find the issue. The most common cause is that checkout validation has not been enabled.
Check 1: Is Checkout Validation Enabled?
This is the number one reason rules do not apply. Without checkout validation, all your rules are visual only -- banners and badges appear, but nothing actually blocks the order.
How to fix:
- Go to Shopify Admin > Settings > Checkout
- Scroll to the "Order limit rules" section
- Find "OrderRules Validation" and toggle it to ON
- Click Save
Return to the OrderRules dashboard and confirm you see a green checkmark next to "Checkout rule enabled."
Check 2: Are Your Limits Actually Configured?
Go to the Order Limits page and verify that the fields contain numbers. A blank field means that limit type is not active.
Daily Limit: 50 (active)
Weekly Limit: (blank = not active)
Monthly Limit: 1200 (active)
Check 3: Is the Schedule Set Correctly?
Go to the Schedule page and confirm:
- The current day is toggled ON
- The open and close times are correct
- Your timezone in Settings matches your actual location
If your timezone is wrong, your "9 AM to 6 PM" schedule may actually be running on a different clock.
Check 4: Is a Special Date Overriding Your Schedule?
Go to the Calendar and check if today has a special date configured. Special dates override your weekly schedule. A custom capacity day or custom hours entry might be keeping the store open when you expect it closed.
Check 5: Has Shopify Propagated the Setting?
After enabling checkout validation, Shopify can take two to three minutes to propagate the change. Wait a few minutes, then test in an incognito or private browser window to rule out caching.
Check 6: Are Other Apps Conflicting?
If you have other checkout validation or store hours apps installed, they may conflict with OrderRules. Try disabling other apps one at a time and testing after each.
The six checks, in order
| # | Check | Why it's usually the cause |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Is checkout validation enabled? | Without it rules are visual only β the single most common cause |
| 2 | Are the limits actually configured and saved? | An empty field is not a limit |
| 3 | Is the schedule set correctly? | Wrong timezone makes hours land in the wrong place |
| 4 | Is a special date overriding the schedule? | Calendar entries always beat the weekly schedule |
| 5 | Has Shopify propagated the setting? | Changes can take a moment to reach checkout |
| 6 | Is another app conflicting? | A second checkout app can compete for the same step |
Work down the list in order β the early checks are both the most likely and the fastest to rule out.
Still Not Working?
If you have gone through every check above and rules still are not enforcing:
- Clear your browser cache completely
- Test in a different browser
- Contact support at support@orderrules.com with your store URL, a description of the issue, and screenshots of your settings