Custom Attributes
Custom Attributes lets your customers edit order metafields and order attributes directly from the order editing block on the thank you page and order status page. This is useful when customers need to update information they entered at checkout, like delivery instructions, gift messages, or other custom fields you've set up on your store.
⚠️ This is a niche feature. Most merchants won't need this. It's designed for stores that capture custom data at checkout (through metafields or order attributes) and want to give customers the ability to update that data after placing their order. If you don't use metafields or order attributes, you can skip this block.
Toggle Allow customers to edit custom order attributes to enable this block. Once enabled, you'll see two sections to configure: Order Metafields and Order Attributes.
Order Metafields
Order metafields are custom data fields attached to orders in Shopify. They're commonly used by apps and custom checkout setups to store things like delivery preferences, special instructions, or any other order-level data that doesn't fit into Shopify's standard fields.
In this section, you select which metafields your customers are allowed to edit after checkout. Only the metafields you add here will appear as editable fields in the order editing block. Any metafields not listed here will remain read-only.
Adding metafields
Click + Add more metafields to select from your existing Shopify order metafields. Each metafield entry shows:
Field | What It Shows |
Name | The display name of the metafield (e.g. "Shop name test"). Custom metafields are labelled with a "Custom" badge. |
Namespace:Key | The technical identifier for the metafield (e.g. |
Type | The data type of the metafield (e.g. |
Each metafield entry has an edit icon to modify the field settings and a delete icon to remove it from the editable list. You can also click Remove all metafields to clear the entire list.
Common use cases for editable metafields
- Delivery instructions: Customer originally typed "Leave at front door" but needs to change it to "Leave with building concierge."
- Gift messages: Customer wants to update the personalised message included with a gift order.
- Custom engraving or personalisation text: Customer noticed a typo in their engraving request right after checkout.
- Preferred delivery date notes: Customer needs to update a scheduling preference stored in a metafield.
Order Attributes
Order attributes are custom fields that can be added to orders to store additional information. They work similarly to metafields but are stored as Shopify order attributes (also known as cart attributes or note attributes).
Click + Add order attributes to set up which order attributes your customers can edit. Like metafields, only the attributes you add here will be editable by customers in the order editing block.
How It Works for Customers
- Customer completes checkout and lands on the thank you page (or returns to their order status page).
- Within the order editing block, they see an option to edit their custom details.
- They see text fields displaying the current values of each editable metafield or attribute.
- They update the fields with new information and confirm the changes.
- The metafield and attribute values update in Shopify immediately.
⚠️ Important: Customers can only edit these fields during the editing window you've set. Once the window closes, the fields become read-only again. Make sure your editing deadline gives customers enough time to catch and correct any mistakes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What types of metafields can customers edit?
Customers can edit text-based metafields (like single line text fields). The input type they see in the order editing block depends on the metafield's data type in Shopify.
Will my fulfilment team see the updated values?
Yes. When a customer updates a metafield or order attribute, the new value is saved directly to the Shopify order. Your fulfilment team, warehouse, and any apps that read order data will see the updated information.
Can I control which metafields are editable?
Yes. Only metafields you explicitly add to the Order Metafields list will be editable. Any metafields not in the list remain hidden from customers in the editing block.
What's the difference between order metafields and order attributes?
Order metafields are Shopify's structured custom data system with defined types, namespaces, and keys. Order attributes (also called cart attributes) are simpler key-value pairs that are commonly added through checkout customisations. Both can be made editable through this block.
Do I need this if I already use Contact Information?
The Contact Information block handles email and phone number changes. Custom Attributes is for everything else, like delivery notes, gift messages, custom fields from checkout apps, or any other order-level data stored in metafields or attributes. They serve different purposes and can both be enabled at the same time.
