Why Is the Order Notes Field Missing From WooCommerce?

Why WooCommerce Hides the Order Notes Field

WooCommerce has trimmed several optional fields from the default checkout experience over time in the interest of reducing friction, and the order notes field is one of them — it still exists in the underlying code and can be restored, but isn't shown out of the box the way it once was in older versions many store owners may remember.

How to Restore the Order Notes Field

• Block checkout: check the checkout block's own editor settings for an order notes / additional information field option, since newer WooCommerce versions expose this as a toggle rather than requiring code.
• Classic shortcode checkout: a small filter re-enabling the field is the standard approach, since the underlying field definition remains in WooCommerce core even when hidden by default.
• A theme or checkout customization plugin may have separately hidden this field regardless of the WooCommerce version, which is worth ruling out if it's still missing after checking the above.

add_filter( 'woocommerce_enable_order_notes_field', '__return_true' );

Setting It Up for Block Checkout

1. Check the block checkout editor first if that's the active checkout type, for a built-in toggle.
2. Use the woocommerce_enable_order_notes_field filter if on classic checkout, or if the block checkout doesn't expose this directly.
3. Test that notes entered at checkout actually appear correctly on the admin order screen afterward.

Check that it worked end to end

1. Place a test order with a note. The note should appear on the order's edit screen as the customer-provided note, so you know it reaches the people who fulfil orders.
2. Test on the checkout type you actually run. The woocommerce_enable_order_notes_field filter applies to the classic checkout. The block checkout has its own setting in the editor, so a filter that works on one won't change the other.
3. Check any checkout-field plugin. A plugin that edits checkout fields re-registers them later and can override the filter, so its own configuration may be what's hiding the field.

Changing the wording

The field's label and placeholder can be changed through the woocommerce_checkout_fields filter, which is useful when "Order notes" isn't the right prompt, for example asking for a delivery instruction or a gift message instead.

Need checkout customized to fit your specific fulfillment process? See custom WooCommerce development.