- Short answer
- Partly: add a prefix or suffix in Settings > General, but the #1001 start number can't be changed.
- Where
- Settings > General, Order ID format section: Prefix and Suffix fields
- Characters
- A-Z, 0-9 or symbols; the default # can be deleted
- Starting number
- Starts at 1001 and can't be changed; not guaranteed to be consecutive
- Emails
- The order_number variable leaves out the #, prefix and suffix
- Draft orders
- Identifiers like #D1223
Where do you add a prefix or suffix?
Both sit in the Order ID format section of your general settings: a Prefix field before the number and a Suffix field after it.
- Settings
- General
- Order ID format
Each field takes any characters A-Z, 0-9 or symbols, and you can delete the default #. Shopify's developer documentation shows results such as EN1001 or 1001-A.
Can you change the starting number 1001?
No. Your orders begin at 1001, shown as #1001 by default, and Shopify's Help Center is explicit about the start number:
You can't change the number that your orders begin at (1001), but you can customize the format of your order IDs by adding or editing an order ID prefix or suffix.
Don't build an invoice sequence on order numbers: the Help Center says each new order adds 1, but Shopify's developer documentation says the number isn't guaranteed to be consecutive, or unique even within one store.
Deleting test orders: none of the Help Center pages we read on October 19, 2026 (canceling and deleting orders, business settings, draft orders, order details) says it frees a number or resets the count. Which orders you can delete is a separate question.
Where does the new format show up?
Shopify adds the prefix and suffix to the order's name, not its number, so documents that print the number skip them:
- Admin order page and Order status page show the full name.
- Packing slips offer the number with your prefixes and suffixes, or without them.
- Notification emails: the order_number variable leaves out the #, prefix and suffix.
- Draft orders use identifiers like #D1223 (how drafts work).
The pages we read on October 19, 2026 (business settings, notification and packing slip variables, the Order object, order management) don't say whether a new prefix renames existing orders. After saving, open an older order and check its ID.
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