Approved a purchase order by mistake, or need to rework it before it counts as incoming stock? You can send it back to Draft. It keeps its PO number, products and activity history, so there is no need to delete it and start again.
Note: Reverting doesn't recall anything you already sent. If you shared the PO with your supplier, let them know it is on hold.
Before you start
You can revert a purchase order to Draft when:
its status is Approved,
nothing has been received on it yet, accepted or rejected,
it hasn't been split into other purchase orders,
it isn't archived.
1. Revert the approved purchase order
Go to Purchase Orders and open the approved purchase order.
Click the arrow next to Edit at the top of the page.
Choose Revert to Draft, the first item in the list.
Read the confirmation and click Revert to Draft.
A message confirms that the PO was reverted to Draft, and the Activities section shows the status change with your name and the time.
2. Edit and approve it again
Click Edit, make your changes and press Update.
When it is ready, click Mark as approved. The purchase order counts as incoming stock again.
What changes when you revert
| After the revert |
Incoming stock | The PO no longer counts as incoming, so Replenish suggestions and stockout forecasts update right away. |
PO number and history | Kept. The activity log shows the change from Approved to Draft. |
Supplier | Nothing is sent and nothing is recalled. |
Backorders | An active backorder stays active, and customers can keep pre-ordering. |
If the purchase order has an active backorder, the confirmation tells you before you revert:
To stop the backorder too, see How to stop an active backorder?
When Revert to Draft isn't available
If Revert to Draft is gray, hover over it to see why.
You see | Why | What you can do |
Units have already been received on this PO, so it can't go back to Draft. | Something was received, accepted or rejected. | Revert the received inventory first. Once every receipt is reverted, you can revert the PO. |
This PO was split into other POs, so it can't go back to Draft. | The PO was split and the new POs depend on it. | Edit the split purchase orders instead. |
Reverting to Draft isn't available because your purchase orders sync with an integration. | Your POs are sent to another system. Approving again would create the PO there a second time. | Edit the approved PO instead, or contact us. |
On archived purchase orders the option isn't shown. Unarchive the PO first.
Using your AI assistant
If you use the Fabrikatör MCP, you can ask: "I approved PO#42 by mistake, put it back to Draft." The same rules apply, and your assistant asks you to confirm first.
Frequently asked questions
I approved a purchase order by mistake. Do I have to delete it? No. Revert it to Draft. Deleting removes the PO number and its history; reverting keeps both.
Will my supplier be told? No. Fabrikatör doesn't send anything when you revert, and emails you already sent aren't recalled. Let your supplier know yourself if needed.
Why did my Replenish suggestions change? Draft purchase orders don't count as incoming stock. Once the PO is approved again, they are counted again.
I received some units by mistake. Can I still revert? Yes, after you revert the received inventory. As long as any receipt remains, the PO can't go back to Draft.
I only rejected units, nothing was accepted. Why is it blocked? Rejected units are entered under Receive Inventory too, so they count as received.
What happens to my backorder? It stays active, and customers can keep pre-ordering. Stop it separately if you need to.
Can I revert a Partially Received or Received purchase order? No. Only approved purchase orders with nothing received can go back to Draft.
Can I approve it again later? Yes, at any time. Click Mark as approved.