- Short answer
- Yes, on POS Pro locations: Point of Sale > Settings > Recent carts changes the 24-hour default, with the expiry permission.
- Permission
- Manage recent carts expiration: Allowed lets staff change the window; Denied blocks the change.
- Menu options
- The recent carts and POS permissions pages we read on September 25, 2026 don't list the Delete after durations.
- Carts already saved
- The pages we read on September 25, 2026 don't say whether a new window reaches carts saved earlier.
- Holding stock
- Recent carts reserve no inventory; a draft order holds stock only after you Reserve inventory.
Where do you change how long a recent cart lasts?
By default, a recent cart automatically deletes after 24 hours. You can change the amount of time that a recent cart remains available on Shopify POS.
In your Shopify admin, and only for locations that are currently on the Shopify POS Pro subscription:
- From your Shopify admin, go to Point of Sale > Settings.
- In the Register section, click Recent carts.
- Open the Delete after dropdown menu and select how long recent carts remain before they're automatically deleted.
The recent carts and POS permissions pages we read on September 25, 2026 don't list the options in that menu or say whether a new window reaches carts saved before the change, so check the menu in your own admin.
A recent cart is also deleted automatically after a successful checkout.
Who can change the recent cart window?
To change it, "staff members need the Manage recent carts expiration permission." Allowed lets staff change the timeframe; Denied blocks the change.
A separate permission, Manage saved carts, controls whether staff save, view and share carts at all; when it is Denied, staff can't view the recent cart list. To grant either one, see who can manage POS staff and their roles.
Does a longer window hold the items for the customer?
No. "Recent carts don't reserve inventory. Only draft orders reserve inventory." While a cart waits, its items stay on sale to other customers.
Reserving stock on a draft order is a separate step: Reserve inventory moves the units to Committed, where they "can't be purchased by other customers." The product needs inventory tracking, and the reserve has its own expiry date and time, separate from Delete after.
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