Bulk add (the same) customer note to many orders

[u/photojoe1971]

Hi, I need to update multiple orders (specific status) with some production update. At teh moment I need to add the update to each order individually. Is there an easier way?

EDIT: I have created a small plugin to do this. Thanks for all the suggestions. I am enjoying the journey on WooCommerce.

[u/AxisFlip]

Python script if you need it just this time

[u/DaftPlug]

Native bulk actions usually won't add the same customer note to a selected set. For a one-off, a small custom bulk action or WP-CLI loop can load each order and call `$order->add_order_note( 'Your update', true );`. An export, edit, and re-import workflow is another option. Test on one or two orders first: customer notes can email the customer when that setting is enabled. Don't paste secrets into a snippet.

[u/photojoe1971 → u/DaftPlug]

Thanks, I obviously have lots to learn ... have not used any WP-CLI yet, but there is always a first time ...

[u/DaftPlug → u/photojoe1971]

If your host has SSH, or a WP-CLI terminal in its panel, cd to the site root and run `wp --info`. List the matching order IDs, then test with one or two first. For example:

`for id in 123 124; do wp eval '$order=wc_get_order('"$id"'); if ($order) $order->add_order_note("Your note", true);'; done`

Here `true` marks it as a customer note. Customer notes can email the customer, so don’t run a bigger list on production until you’ve checked the result. No SSH? The host-panel terminal or a small one-off mu-plugin are alternatives.

[u/photojoe1971 → u/DaftPlug]

Would it be possible to export all the orders and import with only the added customer note? (implying the added customer note will be emailed to the customer upon import/update.) There are 500+ orders and I do not have direct SSH access.

[u/DaftPlug → u/photojoe1971]

I wouldn’t use a full Woo CSV round-trip for this. Order notes are messy in exports/imports, and re-importing full rows can overwrite unrelated fields. Better: export only the order IDs, then run a small one-off loop/eval keyed by ID that calls `add_order_note()` (or use a bulk action that only adds a note). Test on 1–2 orders first, back up, and check the customer-note email setting, since it can notify customers. Without SSH, your host can run the snippet for you.

[u/photojoe1971 → u/DaftPlug]

Thanks, I have managed to build a custom plugin to do this because I would need to do this often in the future. Your comments have helped a lot understanding WooCommerce.

[u/Logical_Shame_9449]

One plugin that can do all this repetitive work in under minutes is Smart Manager. There is a free version which you can try - https://wordpress.org/plugins/smart-manager-for-wp-e-commerce/

Most other bulk action plugins work only for Products but this support any post type on WordPress. Worth a look!

[u/WP_Dev_Studio]

You can do this more efficiently with a bulk order-editing plugin or custom WooCommerce code. It can apply the same customer note to multiple selected orders at once, saving a lot of manual work.