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Refund a digital purchase without revoking the file

Refund the order in Shopify and do nothing in Alva Digital Downloads — access stays enabled by default, so the customer keeps both their money back and the file they downloaded.

Last updated · May 6, 2026 Read time · 1 min Author ·

Steps for a goodwill refund

1. Refund the order in Shopify admin

Open the order in your Shopify admin and click Refund. Issue the full or partial refund as you would for any product. This is a Shopify-side money action — Alva Digital Downloads is not part of it.

Screenshot needed

Split-screen: Shopify order page on the left with the Refund button highlighted in the top-right action area; Alva Digital Downloads order page on the right with the Access card showing an unchanged "Enabled" badge. No real customer data visible.

The Shopify Refund button next to the unchanged Access card in Alva.

2. Do nothing in Alva

Skip the Alva admin entirely. Alva Digital Downloads does not subscribe to Shopify's refund webhook, so a refund never flips a purchase to disabled. The accessEnabled flag on the purchase stays true by default and existing download URLs keep working.

3. Confirm the link still resolves (optional)

If you want to verify, open the order in the Alva admin, click Copy link on any file row, and paste the URL into a private window. The file downloads as before — proof that the refund left access intact.

See also

Fraud & security

Revoke download access after a refund or chargeback

The inverse: how to disable downloads when a refund is for fraud or a dispute.

 Customer downloads

Find a customer's download link

Locate a past order's download URL or resend the delivery email from the same admin page.

 Fraud & security

How fraud checks work and when downloads are held

Understand when Alva holds an order before delivery, separate from any refund flow.

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Last updated 2026-05-06