Removing personal data from orders

WooCommerce has several settings that allow you to remove customer data from orders:

  • Via bulk editing, useful if you need to manually anonymize orders in bulk.
  • Via account erasure requests, a core WordPress function.
  • Via personal data retention settings which automatically clear personal data after a chosen amount of time.

Remove personal data using bulk editing

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Once this option is activated, you can use bulk editing to manually anonymize many orders at once.

To enable this option:

  1. In your store’s WP Admin dashboard, navigate to WooCommerce > Settings and click the Accounts & Privacy tab.
  2. From this page, select the checkbox marked Allow personal data to be removed in bulk from orders.
  3. Click Save changes.

The option to remove personal data will then be available for orders.

  1. Navigate to WooCommerce > Orders in your store’s WP Admin dashboard.
  2. Select the orders that need personal data removed.
  3. From the Bulk actions dropdown field, choose Remove personal data.
  4. Click the Apply button.

Once personal data has been removed, orders will appear on the Orders screen with removed information replaced with [deleted], as shown in the image below.

On an individual order, personal data is removed as shown in the image below:

  • The order is assigned to a Guest customer.
  • Billing details are replaced with [deleted].
  • The email address is now deleted@site.invalid.
  • The phone number has changed to + 0 000 000 0000.

Orders are anonymized this way so that sales stats are unaffected.

Account erasure requests

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WordPress permits user detail deletion upon request via Tools > Erase Personal Data. This data removal can also be associated with the orders of this user.

WooCommerce includes a setting for whether personal data within orders should be retained or removed when processing account erasure requests. For details, review accounts and privacy settings in WooCommerce.

Personal data retention settings

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WooCommerce lets you decide how long to keep order data on your store. You should specify how long your site will retain data in your privacy policy; consider what makes sense for local laws.

For details on the scheduled personal data removal options in WooCommerce and how to use them, review personal data retention options in WooCommerce.

Questions and support

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Do you still have questions and need assistance? 

This documentation is about the free, core WooCommerce plugin, for which support is provided in our community forums on WordPress.org. By searching this forum, you’ll often find that your question has been asked and answered before.

If you haven’t created a WordPress.org account to use the forums, here’s how.

  • If you’re looking to extend the core functionality shown here, we recommend reviewing available extensions in the WooCommerce Marketplace.
  • Need ongoing advanced support or a customization built for WooCommerce? Hire a Woo Agency Partner.
  • Are you a developer building your own WooCommerce integration or extension? Check our Developer Resources.

If you weren’t able to find the information you need, please use the feedback thumbs below to let us know.