- Short answer
- The reason you pick in Set to becomes the Activity text; with no reason it shows Manually adjusted.
- Adjust by
- Activity shows the movement, such as Moved from Safety stock, even with a reason selected.
- Automatic rows
- Data correction, Transfer created and Reservation rows come from system processes or third-party apps.
- Apps via quantity mutations
- 17 reason codes, such as shrinkage; the pages we read don't describe how they show in Activity.
Which reason fits which change?
Both Set to and Adjust by let you select one of seven reasons, though not in the Shopify mobile app.
| Reason | Use when | Activity (Set to) |
|---|---|---|
| Correction | Errors, or a general reason | Inventory correction |
| Count | Counting physical stock finds a discrepancy | Inventory manually counted |
| Received | Stock from a supplier or external source | Inventory received |
| Return restock | A returned item can be resold | Items restocked |
| Damaged | Damaged items | Damaged |
| Theft or loss | Stolen or lost stock | Theft or loss |
| Promotion or donation | Promotional or donated items | Promotion or donation |
Shopify calls Correction the “default option when no other reason is selected”, yet the adjustment history page shows a Set to change with no reason as “Manually adjusted”. In Set to, select Correction to get Inventory correction.
- Products
- Product
- Inventory
- Add reason
Why does a row show something you didn't pick?
With Adjust by, even with a reason selected, Activity shows the movement, such as Moved from Safety stock.
System processes or third-party apps also write rows. The most common:
- Data correction: an automatic error correction.
- Transfer created: an incoming transfer marked as received.
- Removed from location: the location was unassigned from the product.
- Reservation created, Reservation updated, Reservation deleted: stock held for a draft order (Committed) or an app (Unavailable), changed, or released.
How do reports and apps use reasons?
Apps that change stock with the GraphQL Admin API's set, adjust or move quantity mutations must send one of 17 reason codes, against the admin's seven; shrinkage is “Used when actual inventory levels are less than recorded due to theft or loss.” The pages we read in October 2026 (help on adjustment history, quantities and inventory reports; developer docs on inventory quantities) don't describe how those codes appear in Activity.
The Inventory adjustment changes report can filter by adjustment reason, so consistent picks separate damage and theft from corrections. A product's history shows only the last 180 days.
- How do you see the inventory adjustment history of a Shopify product, and for how long?
- How do you run a Shopify stocktake, and when does inventory update?
- What do Shopify's unavailable inventory states do?
- What happens when you cancel a Shopify inventory transfer?
- Shopify Multi-Location Inventory Management After Stocky
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