In this article, you’ll learn how to implement the new withdrawal button for online contracts in WooCommerce in a legally compliant manner.
The so-called withdrawal button is a newly introduced, legally required digital feature designed to help consumers easily cancel contracts concluded online. The new button must be implemented by June 19, 2026 (at least in Germany).
This regulation stems from an EU initiative aimed at making the withdrawal process just as simple as the initial contract conclusion—that is, quick and requiring only a few clicks. It is based on EU Directive 2023/2673, which is intended to strengthen consumer protection and establish a uniform, easily accessible electronic cancellation option across Europe.
Implementation in WooCommerce
To ensure your customers can take advantage of the new withdrawal feature and to help you easily implement the new policy in WooCommerce, we recommend installing our EU Order Withdrawal Button for WooCommerce plugin. Once the plugin is installed, a new withdrawal page is created as draft. On this page, customers can conveniently submit a withdrawal request via a form by entering their order number and email address. Optionally, you can also offer partial withdrawals via the plugin – customers without user accounts will receive an email with a link where they can select the items they wish to withdraw. After the form is submitted, both you and your customer will receive an email confirming receipt of the withdrawal request. For pending withdrawal requests, you’ll find a dedicated order status on the orders page that allows you to quickly locate and process pending requests.
You should go through the process yourself by placing a test order and test all settings and email delivery. Once you’ve successfully completed the test, you can add the withdrawal button and publish the “Withdraw from contract” page so that it’s accessible to your customers.
Using Germanized too?
As a Germanized user, the new cancellation feature is included directly starting with version 4.0, meaning you don’t need to install a separate plugin. You can find all settings for the new withdrawal button under WooCommerce > Settings > Germanized > General > Withdrawal Button.
Integrate with your store
To comply with the new directive, you must include a link to the withdrawal page – for example, in the footer of your online store – and make it visually prominent. The wording is also crucial but may depend on your local policy. The simplest solution is to enable the option to embed the withdrawal button in the footer within the settings. This will automatically insert the withdrawal button directly into your footer. However, depending on your theme, the display may not be as desired; in that case, you should disable the embedding option in the settings and instead embed the button manually via your theme.
Many WordPress themes use a menu in the footer that you can edit via WP Admin > Appearance > Menus. If you’re using a full-site-editing theme, you can usually edit the footer under Appearance > Editor. Make sure to visually highlight the menu item – your theme likely provides various design elements for this purpose as well. One option, for example, is to assign special classes (which are often used by themes/WP to display a button) when editing the menu: btn, button, etc. — for this to work, you must enable the CSS Classes feature under Screen Options > Show Advanced Menu Properties when editing the menu.
Some themes, such as the Astra theme, also provide various widget areas in the footer – there, you can simply add a button block and link it to the withdrawal page.
