Did You Know You Can Add Notes to Your Shopify Cart? (Here’s How)

How to Add a Cart Note in Shopify (Dawn Theme Tutorial)

Adding a note or “special instructions” box to your Shopify cart is one of those small but powerful features that can make a big difference — especially if you sell customizable, made-to-order, or personalized products. In this guide, we’ll walk through how to enable cart notes using Shopify’s free Dawn 13.01 theme and why it matters for your business.

If you’re using Shopify’s Dawn theme, adding a cart note is hidden just deep enough to confuse most beginners. The good news? You don’t need to code anything. From your Shopify admin, simply go to Online Store → Customize, then select Theme Settings → Cart. Scroll down until you see the Enable cart note option and check the box. Once enabled, a text field labeled Order special instructions will automatically appear on your cart page.

This feature allows your customers to leave additional details with their orders — for example, delivery instructions, personalization requests, or anything else you might need to know. Once they place their order, their note will appear in your admin under the Orders section. You’ll see a small note icon next to each order, and clicking it will reveal the message they left.

For businesses like restaurants, bakeries, florists, and print-on-demand sellers, this can be a huge timesaver. Instead of chasing customers for small details, you’ll have everything collected at checkout automatically. If you’re just starting out and want to build your Shopify store the right way from day one, visit the 30-Day Beginner’s Shopify Program for a step-by-step guide on setup, optimization, and growth.

You can also check out the Professor Commerce homepage for tutorials, updates, and news about Shopify platform changes. If you’d like to support the channel or have your brand featured, visit our Patreon page.

Shopify continues to make it easier for merchants to personalize their customer experience — and small features like this can help boost conversion, reduce customer friction, and improve communication. Take five minutes to enable it today, and you’ll wonder how you ever managed without it.