---
title: "When Invoice Falcon creates an invoice"
description: "What creates an invoice and its number, how it stays in step with Shopify, and what counts toward your plan."
url: https://help.invoicefalcon.com/when-invoices-are-created/
section: "Getting started"
last_updated: 2026-10-28
---

# When Invoice Falcon creates an invoice

> What creates an invoice and its number, how it stays in step with Shopify, and what counts toward your plan.

Use this guide to understand when an order gets its invoice in Invoice Falcon. An invoice isn't made the moment an order is placed. It's created the first time the order needs one, and from then on it follows changes to the order in Shopify.

## Before you begin

- An order with no invoice shows **-** in the **Invoice #** column on the **Orders** page. That's normal. It gets an invoice as soon as one of the actions below happens.
- Draft orders work the same way, with a quote instead of an invoice.

## What creates an invoice

Any of these creates the invoice for an order, if it doesn't have one yet:

| What happens | Where |
|---|---|
| You open the order | Click the order on the **Orders** page. See [Find your way around the Orders page](https://help.invoicefalcon.com/the-orders-page/). |
| You print, download or email it | The row icons on the **Orders** page, or the order page. See [Print or download an invoice](https://help.invoicefalcon.com/print-or-download-an-invoice/). |
| You run a bulk action on it | **Print invoices**, **Download invoices** or **Send emails** on selected orders. See [Print or download invoices in bulk](https://help.invoicefalcon.com/bulk-print-and-download/). |
| You print it from Shopify | The order's **Print** menu in your Shopify admin. See [Print invoices from your Shopify admin](https://help.invoicefalcon.com/print-from-shopify-admin/). |
| Automatic sending sends it | When a new order comes in, or when it reaches the status you chose. See [Send invoices automatically](https://help.invoicefalcon.com/send-invoices-automatically/). |
| A customer downloads it | The download link in Shopify's order confirmation email, or the download button in the customer account. See [Add an invoice link to the order confirmation email](https://help.invoicefalcon.com/invoice-link-in-order-confirmation-email/). |

If none of these is turned on or used, a new order has no invoice until you open it.

## How the invoice number is set

The number is given once, when the invoice is created, and doesn't change after that.

- **Using the order number** (the default): the invoice number follows the Shopify order number, with your prefix in front if you set one. It comes out the same whenever the invoice is created.
- **Using your own sequence**: each new invoice takes the next number in your sequence. Because invoices are created when they're first needed, the sequence follows the order you create them in, not the order date. Quotes for draft orders don't use up a number.

To choose between the two, see [Set invoice numbers and prefixes](https://help.invoicefalcon.com/set-invoice-numbers/).

## How the invoice stays in step with Shopify

Once an invoice exists, Invoice Falcon updates it when the order changes in Shopify: an edit, a refund, a cancellation, a new payment or a fulfillment. The next time you open, print or send the invoice, the PDF shows the latest details. There's nothing to refresh by hand.

There are three exceptions:

- **You edited the invoice.** After you change an invoice yourself, it shows an **Edited** badge and stops following Shopify, so your edits aren't lost. To pull in the latest order details, use **Regenerate**, which replaces your edits. See [Edit an invoice](https://help.invoicefalcon.com/edit-an-invoice/) and [Regenerate an invoice](https://help.invoicefalcon.com/regenerate-an-invoice/).
- **You lock issued invoices.** With **Lock invoices once they're issued** turned on, an invoice stays exactly as it was first created, and later changes in Shopify don't reach it. See [Keep issued invoices unchanged](https://help.invoicefalcon.com/lock-issued-invoices/).
- **Refunds.** A refund updates the invoice. It doesn't create a credit note unless you create one yourself or turn on automatic credit notes. See [Create credit notes](https://help.invoicefalcon.com/create-credit-notes/).

Updating the invoice never emails the customer again. Automatic sending sends each invoice once.

## What counts toward the Free plan's limit

On the Free plan, an order counts toward your monthly limit of 50 the first time in the month that its invoice is printed, downloaded, emailed (by you, in bulk or automatically), or downloaded by the customer. Opening an order to preview its invoice doesn't count. Each order counts once a month, however many times you print or send it. See [How the monthly invoice limit works](https://help.invoicefalcon.com/monthly-invoice-limit/).

## Check your setup

1. Click **Orders** in the app's menu and find an order whose **Invoice #** shows **-**.
2. Click the order to open it. The invoice preview appears.
3. Go back to **Orders**. The order now has an **Invoice #**.

## Troubleshooting

### An order has no invoice number

Nothing has created its invoice yet. Open the order, or print, download or email it. To have every new order get an invoice straight away, turn on [automatic sending](https://help.invoicefalcon.com/send-invoices-automatically/).

### The invoice doesn't show a change I made in Shopify

Check the invoice for an **Edited** badge. An edited invoice no longer follows Shopify. Click **Regenerate** in the **Other** menu on the order page to pull in the latest details, but note this replaces your edits. If **Lock invoices once they're issued** is on, issued invoices don't change by design.

### My sequential invoice numbers aren't in order date order

Invoices are numbered when they're created, not when the order was placed. If you open or print older orders after newer ones, the older ones get the later numbers. Turn on automatic sending so each order gets its number as it comes in.

### An old order wasn't sent automatically

Orders placed before you installed Invoice Falcon are never sent automatically, and turning on automatic sending doesn't go back through older orders. Send those yourself or with [Email invoices in bulk](https://help.invoicefalcon.com/bulk-email-invoices/).

## FAQ

### Does installing Invoice Falcon create invoices for my existing orders?

No. Existing orders get an invoice only when you open, print, download or email them.

### Does a customer get a new email when the order changes?

No. Changes update the invoice, but the customer isn't emailed again. Send the updated invoice yourself if they need it. See [Email an invoice to a customer](https://help.invoicefalcon.com/email-an-invoice/).

### If I change my numbering settings, do existing invoices get new numbers?

No. Numbers are fixed when the invoice is created. New settings apply to invoices created afterwards.

### Does a refund change the invoice my customer already has?

The invoice in Invoice Falcon updates to show the refund, but the PDF your customer already received stays as it was. To give them a record of the refund, send a credit note. See [Create credit notes](https://help.invoicefalcon.com/create-credit-notes/).

### Does opening an order count toward my monthly limit?

No. Previewing is free. Only printing, downloading and emailing count, once per order each month.

## Related guides

- [Find your way around the Orders page](https://help.invoicefalcon.com/the-orders-page/), where you see which orders have invoices.
- [Set invoice numbers and prefixes](https://help.invoicefalcon.com/set-invoice-numbers/), to choose how invoices are numbered.
- [Keep issued invoices unchanged](https://help.invoicefalcon.com/lock-issued-invoices/), to stop Shopify changes reaching issued invoices.
- [How the monthly invoice limit works](https://help.invoicefalcon.com/monthly-invoice-limit/), for what counts on the Free plan.