How to Set Up Order Approval for WooCommerce – Quick Tutorial

In this short tutorial, I’ll show you step-by-step how to install and configure the Order Approval for WooCommerce plugin so you can manually approve or reject orders in your WooCommerce store.
Whether you sell custom products, wholesale items or just need more control over your checkout flow, this plugin gives you the power to:

Approve orders before payment is processed, or allow payment now and approve later.

Set up rules by user role, product, category or tag

Send email notifications to customers and admins when orders are awaiting approval, approved or rejected.

📌 What we cover in the video:

Installing the plugin (via Plugins → Add New or upload the ZIP)

Activating and enabling the “Order Approval” feature under WooCommerce settings

Configuring basic options: when payment is captured, what user roles/products require approval

How to approve or reject orders from the WooCommerce Orders list

What the customer sees: status messages, emails, payment links (if relevant)

✅ Why use Order Approval?

It gives you more control over orders that may need manual review (e.g., custom build, restricted sales, bulk wholesale).

It helps mitigate risk (fraud, incorrect orders) by delaying payment or holding orders until you’ve verified them.

It improves customer experience by clearly communicating stages: “Order received – awaiting approval” → “Your order is approved – please pay” (where applicable).

🔍 Things to check after setup:

Make sure your payment gateways behave as you expect (payment now vs payment after approval).

Check your email templates (especially the ones sent to the customer upon approval or rejection).

Ensure your order statuses match your workflow: e.g., “On-Hold” or custom status for “Awaiting Approval”.

If you have custom products/categories that need manual approval only, test those paths.
🔗 Useful links:

Plugin download / info page: Order Approval for WooCommerce
(official)
https://woocommerce.com/products/order-approval-for-woocommerce/
Timecodes
00:00 - Intro to order approval
00:28 - Download and install the plugin
00:59 - Configure Woocommerce Order Approval Messages
01:14 - Customize rules
01:45 - Apply to all products or categories
01:59 - Apply to custom products / categories
02:16 - Customise email settings
02:20 - How to approve or reject an order

Видео How to Set Up Order Approval for WooCommerce – Quick Tutorial канала J Tech WP