---
title: How to Automatically Cancel Unpaid WooCommerce Orders
description: Automatically cancel unpaid WooCommerce orders by moving them from Pending payment to Cancelled after a set time.
url: "https://wpfactory.com/docs/woocommerce-auto-cancel-unpaid-orders/"
updated: "2026-09-27"
category: How to
---

# How to Automatically Cancel Unpaid WooCommerce Orders

To automatically cancel unpaid WooCommerce orders, create a rule that moves orders from **Pending payment** to **Cancelled** after a set time. [Scheduled & Automatic Order Status Controller for WooCommerce](https://wpfactory.com/item/order-status-rules-for-woocommerce/) does this for you and releases the stock those orders were holding.

### Before you start

- WooCommerce, active.
- [Order Status Rules](https://wpfactory.com/item/order-status-rules-for-woocommerce/) installed. A single rule is enough, so the free version covers this.

### Set up the rule

Go to **WPFactory > Order Status Rules** (also reachable at **WooCommerce > Settings > Order Status Rules**) and open the **Rule #1** section.

![Rule set to cancel Pending payment orders after a time trigger](https://wpfactory.com/wp-content/uploads/woocommerce-auto-cancel-unpaid-orders-1.png)

1. Tick **Enable rule #1**.
2. Set **Status from** to **Pending payment**.
3. Set **Status to** to **Cancelled**.
4. Set **Time trigger** to the delay you want, for example `24`, and leave the unit on **hour(s)**. The order is cancelled 24 hours after it entered Pending payment.
5. Optionally add an **Admin title** such as "Cancel unpaid after 24h" for the order note.
6. Click **Save changes**.

### Narrow it down (optional)

Every condition below is optional and ignored when empty:

- Use **Payment gateways** to cancel only orders placed with offline gateways such as Direct bank transfer, while leaving instant-payment orders alone.
- Use **Order Minimum/Maximum Amounts** to skip cancelling very large orders you would rather chase manually.
- Use **Skip days** or **Skip dates** to avoid cancelling over weekends or holidays.

### Apply it to existing orders

New orders are handled automatically. To clear orders that are already pending, open the **Tools** section, tick **Run all rules now** and save.

### Make sure it keeps running

Rules run on order status changes and on a schedule. Confirm **Use WP cron** or **Use Action Scheduler** is enabled in the **Advanced** section so pending orders are re-checked over time. See the guide on automatic processing for the options.

### Do more with your automations

Cancelling unpaid orders is one rule, which is free. To also auto-complete paid orders or run other transitions at the same time, [Order Status Rules](https://wpfactory.com/item/order-status-rules-for-woocommerce/) Pro removes the single-rule limit. [See what Pro unlocks](https://wpfactory.com/item/order-status-rules-for-woocommerce/).

Related articles

- [How to Automatically Complete WooCommerce Orders](https://wpfactory.com/docs/woocommerce-auto-complete-orders/)
- [Run Order Status Rules Automatically: Cron and Action Scheduler](https://wpfactory.com/docs/automatic-order-status-processing-cron/)
- [How to Schedule Order Status Changes with Time Triggers](https://wpfactory.com/docs/schedule-order-status-changes-time-triggers/)
- [How to Copy and Reset Order Status Rule Settings](https://wpfactory.com/docs/copy-and-reset-order-status-rule-settings/)
- [Set the Default and Payment-Gateway Order Statuses](https://wpfactory.com/docs/extra-functionality-overview/)