How to View Inventory Adjustment History in Shopify (Step-by-Step Guide)

Ever looked at your Shopify inventory and thought, “Wait, where did those 5 units go?”

You’re not alone.

Stock numbers rarely move in a straight line, sales, returns, transfers, and manual edits all leave their mark.

The good news?

Shopify keeps a record of every change in something called adjustment history.

In this post, we’ll break down what it is, why it matters, how to find it in your Shopify admin, and how a tool like Sumtracker can give you even more visibility when your business starts to scale.

What Is Product Adjustment History in Shopify?

Product adjustment history in Shopify is like a timeline of every change that’s ever happened to your stock levels. It shows you when quantities went up or down, why it happened, and in some cases, who made the change.

For example, if a product’s inventory dropped by five units, the history will tell you whether that was because of a customer purchase, a manual update by your staff, a transfer between locations, or even a return.

Instead of guessing, you get a clear record of each adjustment, helping you connect the dots between your sales, operations, and inventory numbers.

Why Tracking Adjustment History Is Important

Keeping track of product adjustment history isn’t just about knowing where your stock went, it’s about maintaining control and confidence in your business. When you have a clear record of every inventory change, you reduce guesswork and gain better visibility into your operations.

Here’s why it matters:

• Catch errors quickly – If inventory numbers don’t look right, you can trace back to see when and why the mistake happened.
• Maintain accountability – Adjustment history shows who made manual edits, so there’s always transparency in your team’s actions.
• Simplify audits and reporting – Having a log of changes helps with financial records, compliance, and year-end reporting.
• Prevent stockouts and overselling – By monitoring adjustments, you can spot trends and ensure inventory levels stay accurate across channels.
• Support smarter decisions – Understanding how often and why adjustments occur can guide purchasing, restocking, and operational planning.

Where to Find Adjustment History in Shopify Admin

Shopify makes it simple to check the adjustment history of any product right from your admin dashboard. You don’t need extra apps or reports, just a few clicks inside the product page.

Here’s how to find it:

1. Log in to your Shopify Admin.
2. From the left-hand menu, click Products.
3. Select the product you want to review.
4. Scroll to the Inventory section of the product page.
5. Click View inventory history (sometimes shown as “Adjustment history”).

Once opened, you’ll see a list of all inventory changes for that product, including the date, time, quantity adjusted, and reason for the adjustment.

This built-in log gives you a quick way to trace stock movements without leaving Shopify.

How to View Inventory Adjustments for a Specific Product

Once you’ve opened the inventory history for a product in Shopify, you’ll see a detailed log of every adjustment made. This view helps you understand how stock levels have shifted over time and gives you a quick way to track down discrepancies.

Here’s what Shopify shows for each entry:

• Date and time – when the adjustment happened.
• Quantity before and after – the stock count change in numbers.
• Reason for the adjustment – whether it was a sale, refund, manual edit, or transfer.
• Staff account (if applicable) – the team member who made the manual change.

Tip: If you run multiple locations, Shopify also lets you filter adjustments by location, so you can see where the change took place.

What are the Types of Inventory Adjustments You’ll See

When you check a product’s inventory history in Shopify, you’ll find that every stock change is logged as an adjustment. Here are the key types you’ll come across:

Sales

Whenever a customer places an order, Shopify automatically deducts the purchased quantity from your available stock.

Returns & Refunds

If a product is returned and restocked, Shopify adds it back into inventory, showing exactly when the adjustment happened.

Manual Updates

Sometimes, you or your staff may need to fix discrepancies by editing stock levels directly. These manual changes also appear in the adjustment history.

Transfers

If you move products between different store locations or warehouses, Shopify records this movement as a transfer adjustment.

Cancellations

Canceled orders return reserved items back into stock, and this change is logged as well.

Restocks / Purchase Orders

When new shipments arrive from suppliers and stock is added, the system records the increase as a restock.

Pro Tip: Shopify only shows these adjustments one product at a time. If you need a centralized adjustment log across all products, channels, and locations, tools like Sumtracker make it much easier to get a complete picture of your inventory movements.

Limitations of Shopify’s Adjustment History View

Shopify’s built-in adjustment history is helpful for tracking changes, but it comes with a few constraints that can make it challenging for growing stores.

Product-by-Product View Only

You can only see adjustments for one product at a time. For merchants with large catalogs, this means clicking through multiple pages to piece together the bigger picture.

No Consolidated Reporting

Shopify doesn’t provide a single report showing all adjustments across products, locations, or timeframes. This makes it harder to spot trends or recurring issues.

Limited Context

While you see when and why a change happened, Shopify doesn’t show deeper insights like cost implications, profitability impact, or how adjustments affect restocking decisions.

Time-Consuming for Multi-Channel Sellers

If you sell on multiple platforms, Shopify’s log only covers what happens within Shopify itself. Movements on Amazon, eBay, or Etsy aren’t reflected, which can lead to blind spots.

How Sumtracker Helps

Sumtracker fills these gaps by providing a centralized adjustment log across your entire catalog, all locations, and every connected sales channel. Instead of piecing together product-level logs, you get one clear view of inventory movements.

One thing to note:

Sumtracker currently stores three months of adjustment history per product.

But unlike Shopify, you’re not limited to checking products one by one. You get a complete, consolidated view across all products and channels, making it far easier to track changes, identify errors, and stay in control of your inventory.

Get a Complete View of Inventory Adjustments with Sumtracker

Shopify’s adjustment history is a useful starting point, but it only shows you changes one product at a time.

For fast-growing stores, that’s often not enough. If you’re managing a large catalog, multiple locations, or selling across channels like Amazon, Etsy, or eBay, you need a bigger picture.

That’s exactly what Sumtracker gives you.

Instead of jumping product by product, you get a centralized adjustment log across your entire catalog, all locations, and every connected channel. You can quickly trace errors, understand stock movements, and keep your numbers accurate everywhere you sell.

Want to save time and gain confidence in your inventory data?

Try Sumtracker today and see how effortless inventory tracking can be.

FAQs

Can I view inventory adjustment history for all products at once in Shopify?

No, Shopify only allows you to view adjustment history on a product-by-product basis. If you want a consolidated log across all products and locations, you’ll need an inventory management tool like Sumtracker.

What details does Shopify show in adjustment history?

Shopify shows the date and time of the adjustment, the quantity before and after, the reason for the change (such as a sale, return, transfer, or manual update), and the staff account if the change was made manually.

How far back does Shopify’s adjustment history go?

Shopify maintains a running log of inventory changes, but it is tied to the product level. You can scroll through the timeline as far back as records exist for that product.

Does Shopify track inventory adjustments across multiple sales channels?

Not directly. Shopify’s history only reflects adjustments that happen within Shopify itself. If you’re selling on Amazon, eBay, Etsy, or other platforms, those adjustments won’t show in Shopify unless you use a connected tool like Sumtracker.

Why should I use Sumtracker if Shopify already has adjustment history?

Shopify gives you visibility one product at a time. Sumtracker takes it further by consolidating adjustment logs across all products, channels, and locations, so you can spot patterns, prevent errors, and manage inventory more efficiently.

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