--- title: "Send alerts while your store is password protected" description: "Choose whether STOQ holds back in stock alerts while your storefront has a password, or sends them anyway." url: https://help.stoqapp.com/back-in-stock/back-in-stock-password-protected-store/ product: "Back in Stock" section: "Alerts / Delivery" last_updated: 2026-09-29 --- # Send alerts while your store is password protected > Choose whether STOQ holds back in stock alerts while your storefront has a password, or sends them anyway. Use this guide if your Shopify storefront has a password and you want to control whether back in stock alerts go out. By default STOQ holds alerts while the password is on, so customers don't land on a password page they can't get past. If customers already know your password, you can send alerts anyway. ## Before you begin - The hold only applies while a storefront password is on in Shopify. Stores without a password send alerts as normal and don't need to change anything. - The setting is off by default. If your store has a password today, alerts and reminders are paused until you remove the password or turn this on. ## Choose your setup | Your store | What to do | |---|---| | Password on while you prepare to launch | Leave the setting off. Alerts wait until the store is open. | | Password on for good, and customers know it (for example a members-only or wholesale store) | Turn the setting on so alerts send as normal. | | No password | Nothing. Alerts send as normal. | ## What customers will see - **Setting off (default):** customers who signed up get no alert while the password is on. They stay on the waitlist and aren't removed or blocked. - **Setting on:** customers get alerts as usual. Clicking the product link takes them to your password page first, so they need the password to buy. ## What STOQ holds While the password is on and the setting is off, STOQ holds: - Automatic restock alerts. - Reminder emails. - Alerts you send manually from STOQ. Signups keep working. Customers can still join the waitlist from your storefront. ## Set it up On a phone, this menu is collapsed. In the **Shopify mobile app**, tap the **STOQ** logo at the top of the screen to open it, then choose the section named below. There is no hamburger icon. See [Finding the STOQ menu](https://help.stoqapp.com/general/getting-started-with-stoq/#finding-the-stoq-menu). 1. **Open Delivery settings** 1. In the left menu bar of the STOQ app, click **Back in stock alerts**. 2. Click the **Settings** tab. 3. Open the **Delivery settings** sub-tab. [Image: STOQ Back in stock alerts Settings Delivery settings sub-tab (markers: 1 Back in stock alerts in the left menu, 2 the Settings tab, 3 the Delivery settings sub-tab) showing the delivery controls](https://help.stoqapp.com/images/general/back-in-stock-password-protected-store-1.png) 2. **Expand the restock card** Click the card titled **Notify when restocked** to expand it. If you've turned on the publish trigger, the card is titled **Notify when published or restocked**. [Image: The Delivery settings with marker 1 on the Notify when restocked card (Also sent while password protected)](https://help.stoqapp.com/images/general/back-in-stock-password-protected-store-2.png) 3. **Tick the checkbox** Under **Password protection**, tick **Send alerts while your store is password protected**. [Image: The expanded Notify when restocked card with marker 1 on the Send alerts while your store is password protected checkbox under Password protection, and marker 2 on the Save button](https://help.stoqapp.com/images/general/back-in-stock-password-protected-store-3.png) 4. **Save** Click **Save** in the save bar at the top of the page. To hold alerts again, untick the checkbox and click **Save**. ## Check your setup 1. Collapse the **Notify when restocked** card. Its summary line shows **Also sent while password protected** when the setting is on, or **Only when your storefront is open** when it's off. 2. To test sending, sign up for a product with your own email, then restock it. See [Test your setup](https://help.stoqapp.com/back-in-stock/test-back-in-stock-alerts/). [Image: The collapsed Notify when restocked card summary reading Also sent while password protected, indicating the setting is on](https://help.stoqapp.com/images/general/back-in-stock-password-protected-store-4.png) ## When you remove the password STOQ doesn't replay restocks that happened while the password was on. After you remove it: - Waiting customers are notified the next time each product restocks. - Products that are already in stock won't alert their waitlist on their own. [Send those alerts manually](https://help.stoqapp.com/back-in-stock/send-back-in-stock-alerts-manually/) once the store is open. - Pending reminders go out on STOQ's next reminder run. ## Troubleshooting ### Alerts stopped sending and my store has a password This is the default hold. Either remove the storefront password in Shopify, or tick **Send alerts while your store is password protected** and click **Save**. ### Manual alerts aren't sending either Manual sends are held too while the password is on. Remove the password or turn on the setting, then send them again. ### I removed the password but customers still weren't notified The products may already be in stock, so there's no new restock to trigger an alert. [Send the alerts manually](https://help.stoqapp.com/back-in-stock/send-back-in-stock-alerts-manually/). ## FAQ ### Do customers who signed up while my store had a password lose their place? No. Holding alerts doesn't remove or block any signup. Every customer stays on the waitlist until they're notified. ### I'm launching a new store and collected signups before launch. What happens when I go live? After you remove the password, alerts go out as each product restocks. A product that was already in stock at launch won't alert its waitlist on its own, so [send those alerts manually](https://help.stoqapp.com/back-in-stock/send-back-in-stock-alerts-manually/) once the store is open. ### I removed my store password. Will the alerts that were held send now? Not automatically. Waiting customers are notified on the product's next restock. To notify them now, [send the alerts manually](https://help.stoqapp.com/back-in-stock/send-back-in-stock-alerts-manually/). ### Can customers still sign up while the password is on? Yes. The setting only controls sending. Signups are saved as normal. ### My store doesn't have a password. Do I need to change anything? No. The hold only applies while a storefront password is on. ## Related guides - [Delivery settings](https://help.stoqapp.com/back-in-stock/back-in-stock-delivery-settings/): The other controls for when and how alerts are sent. - [Send back in stock alerts manually](https://help.stoqapp.com/back-in-stock/send-back-in-stock-alerts-manually/): Notify a waitlist straight away after you open your store. - [Send reminder emails to recover sales](https://help.stoqapp.com/back-in-stock/back-in-stock-reminder-emails/): Follow-up emails that are also held while the password is on. - [Test your setup](https://help.stoqapp.com/back-in-stock/test-back-in-stock-alerts/): Check alerts reach customers end to end.