Use WooCommerce > Settings > Emails to preview a notification on desktop or mobile and send a test message to an address you control. That checks the template and basic sending, but it does not prove that order-specific details are correct or that the message will render and land in the inbox for every customer. For those checks, use sample or controlled order data, then inspect the received email in the mail clients and devices your customers use.
Preview a WooCommerce email in the admin
- In WordPress admin, open WooCommerce > Settings > Emails.
- Select the email notification you want to check.
- Use the desktop and mobile preview controls to inspect the layout.
- Select Send a test email and enter an email address you can access.
- Open the message you receive and inspect it in the relevant desktop and mobile mail clients.
The preview is a rendering aid; receipt and inbox placement are separate checks. WooCommerce documents the preview and test-send controls in its Email Settings documentation.
Know what the preview does—and does not—show
WooCommerce core’s Email Preview uses dummy data rather than actual database records. It is useful for checking the general template and styles, but it cannot confirm that a particular customer’s name, products, taxes, shipping details, refund information, or extension-generated fields appear correctly. WooCommerce explains this behavior in its email developer documentation.
Use a sample order for dynamic content
If your email design depends on populated order details, use a customizer that supports sample-order data. WooCommerce’s official Email Customizer documentation describes a Sample order to show selector, shortcodes, a live preview, and one-click test sending. Check that the sample includes the fields and products your template uses.
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For an order-specific or subscription-specific rendering, the Email Previewer for WooCommerce extension adds a Preview Email column under WooCommerce > Settings > Emails. Select its icon, enter a valid Order ID or Subscription ID, then select Preview. This method uses the record you identify rather than core preview’s dummy data. See the extension’s Email Previewer documentation.
Choose the right test for the question
| Method | Data shown | Best use | Important limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core email preview | Dummy data | Quick layout and style review; desktop and mobile preview | Does not verify actual order or customer data |
| Core “Send a test email” | Test message from the selected notification | Check that a message can be sent to an address you control | Does not by itself verify every dynamic value or inbox placement |
| Customizer with sample order | Selected sample-order data | Review dynamic content while editing a customized template | Depends on the customizer and sample data covering the fields in question |
| Email Previewer with an ID | Specific order or subscription record | Inspect a particular order- or subscription-based email | Requires a valid Order ID or Subscription ID |
| Controlled test order | Data generated by the order and its state | Verify a notification triggered by an order status or workflow | Test orders can affect analytics; extension behavior may differ |
The first-party documentation for core previews, sample-order customization, and order-specific preview is linked in the sections above. WooCommerce’s guidance on troubleshooting email issues recommends checking logs and creating a test order or triggering the notification being investigated.
Test the parts customers actually experience
Rendering on real clients and devices
Compare the admin preview with the received message in Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail, and a representative mobile mail app used by your audience. HTML email clients can render the same markup differently, so a good-looking admin preview is not a substitute for checking received mail. WooCommerce recommends testing across clients and devices in its Email HTML best practices.
Content and data
- Check the subject line and email heading.
- Verify the logo, links, and any images.
- Review product names and variations, order items, totals, addresses, taxes, and shipping.
- For refund or extension notifications, confirm the relevant refund details and extension-generated fields using suitable sample or test-order data.
Format, size, and responsiveness
WooCommerce email settings support HTML, plain-text, or multipart email types. Check the format your store sends; plain-text fields can be truncated when product names or variations are long. WooCommerce also recommends keeping the total email size under 100KB and checking multiple clients and devices. This is a size recommendation, not a guarantee of delivery or rendering.
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Delivery and usability
Confirm that the message arrives, the sender and reply-to details are correct, links work, and the message is not clipped or routed to spam. Logs can help distinguish a message WooCommerce attempted to send from one that failed or was never triggered. They do not, on their own, establish inbox placement at the recipient’s provider.
Use a controlled test order for status-triggered emails
When a notification depends on an order state, test it on a staging site where possible, or create a clearly labeled test order and follow its status through the relevant workflow. WooCommerce notes that test orders can trigger order emails and appear in analytics. Before testing in production, check whether any payment, shipping, subscription, or other extension has its own test behavior; a test order may have effects beyond the email itself. See WooCommerce’s test orders guidance.
Troubleshoot a WooCommerce test email that did not arrive
- Confirm the notification settings. In WooCommerce > Settings > Emails, open the relevant email and check that it is enabled and that its recipient address is correct where applicable.
- Repeat a controlled send. Use Send a test email with an address you can access. If the notification depends on an order event, reproduce it with a controlled test order or trigger the email being investigated.
- Check WooCommerce email logs. Use the logs to determine whether WooCommerce sent, failed, or never attempted the message. Follow the troubleshooting steps in WooCommerce’s email troubleshooting guide.
- Inspect the received message, if present. Compare it with the admin preview on desktop and mobile, then check whether links or images fail, the message is clipped, or it is in spam.
- Isolate recent changes. If the output or sending behavior changed unexpectedly, temporarily test without the email customizer or email-delivery extensions, one at a time, so you can identify whether an extension is involved.
A log entry can help locate the failure in the sending process, but successful sending by WooCommerce does not guarantee delivery to the inbox. Check the recipient mailbox and spam folder as part of the test.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Notes for developers extending WooCommerce emails
An extension that adds email types should integrate with WooCommerce’s preview system and provide realistic placeholder values, register style and content settings that affect rendering, and test multiple email types and responsive behavior. WooCommerce 9.8’s April 9, 2025 release announcement also identifies modernized email designs and preview support as extension-development concerns; see the WooCommerce 9.8 release announcement.
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