--- title: Answer a customer data request | Actorly description: When Shopify sends a customer's data request, open Settings, Data and privacy, download what Actorly holds, send it to the customer and mark it handled. canonical: https://actorly.app/docs/keep-export-and-delete-your-history/customer-data-requests --- # Answer a customer data request When a customer asks a store for the data held about them, Shopify sends Actorly the request. It is not answered automatically. Open **Settings**, then **Data and privacy**, open the request, choose **Download what Actorly holds**, send the file to your customer yourself, and then choose **Mark as handled**. You have 30 days to reply. Downloading the file does not resolve the request: only **Mark as handled** does. Watch and Restore Updated Oct 15, 2026 ### On this page 1. What do I need before I start? 2. How do I answer a request? 3. What do the statuses and deadlines mean? 4. What do the counts in the request window mean? 5. What can go wrong when I download or mark it? 6. What is a data request, and what is an erasure? 7. A worked example 8. Frequently asked questions ### In this topic: Keep, export and delete your history - [Export your change history to CSV or JSON](https://actorly.app/docs/keep-export-and-delete-your-history/export-your-history) - [How long Actorly keeps your history, and storage](https://actorly.app/docs/keep-export-and-delete-your-history/storage-and-history) - [Download a theme backup as a ZIP](https://actorly.app/docs/keep-export-and-delete-your-history/theme-file-backup) - [Answer a customer data request](https://actorly.app/docs/keep-export-and-delete-your-history/customer-data-requests) - [Uninstall Actorly and what happens to your data](https://actorly.app/docs/keep-export-and-delete-your-history/uninstall-and-data) ## What do I need before I start? - **The request.** It reaches Actorly from Shopify. A new one raises the notification "A customer data request is waiting for your reply" and appears in the list on this page. - **A way to reach your customer.** Actorly gives you the file. You send it, because Actorly does not contact your customers. - **To know what Actorly holds.** Actorly stores some personal details about customers when they appear in a change it records: a customer's name (and the email address for a customer with no name, because Shopify uses it as the name), whether a customer agreed to email or text marketing, a default address and the shipping and billing addresses on an order, including phone numbers, and the notes on a customer, an order or a draft order. Actorly does not otherwise fetch a customer's account email address or phone number. ## How do I answer a request? 1 **Open Settings, Data and privacy.** Choose **Settings** in the app's menu, then the **Data and privacy** card. The **Customer data requests** table lists each request with **Customer**, **Received**, **Reply due** and **Status**. The Customer data requests table when none has arrived. A new request also appears in your notifications. 2 **Open the request.** Choose **View**. The window headed "Customer data request" shows the **Shopify request**, **Customer**, **Orders named**, **Received** and **Reply due**. 3 **Read what Actorly held.** Under "What Actorly held when the request arrived" it counts **Customer records**, **Order records**, **Fulfillment records**, **Recorded changes** and **Personal values in recorded changes**. 4 **Choose Download what Actorly holds.** It is a JSON file built now from your store's history and not stored anywhere. It includes the customer details Actorly holds, because the customer is entitled to them, and it states what Actorly does not hold. 5 **Send the file to your customer.** Do this outside Actorly. 6 **Choose Mark as handled.** The window asks "Mark this request as handled?" and says "Do this once you have sent the file to your customer. The notification is resolved and the request stays in this list." Confirm with **Yes, mark as handled**. ## What do the statuses and deadlines mean? In the tableWhat it means Status: OpenThe request is waiting for your reply. Status: HandledYou marked it handled. The window shows "Handled" and when. Status: Customer data erasedThe customer's data was erased at Shopify's request. The file says so. Reply due: N days leftWhole days remaining of the 30 days Shopify allows. Reply due: Due todayThe deadline is within the next 24 hours. It can show the day before the due date. Reply due: N days overdueThe deadline has passed. No reply neededNothing to send. A banner appears when a request is past its deadline: "N customer data requests are past their 30-day deadline. Download what Actorly holds, send it to your customer, then mark the request as handled." The notification for an open request is shown as information at first, as a warning as the deadline nears, and as critical once it is due. The list shows the latest requests, with "Showing the latest N requests." ## What do the counts in the request window mean? The counts carry a state line that says how complete they are. State lineWhat it means These counts are complete for the parts of your store Actorly has finished importing.The normal case. Actorly was still importing part of your store's history, so these counts may be incomplete.The import was running when the request arrived. Part of your store's history could not be imported, so these counts may be incomplete.An import failed. Actorly had not started recording part of your store's history, so these counts may be incomplete.Some kinds were not yet recorded. Actorly could not read your store's history when the request arrived. The download reads it again now.The counts could not be read; the file will be read fresh. ## What can go wrong when I download or mark it? What you seeWhat it meansWhat to do Too many downloads in a minute. Wait a moment and try again.Downloads are limited.Wait a moment. Actorly could not read your store's history just now. Try again in a few minutes. The request stays open.The history could not be read.Try again later. This request could not be found.The request is not there.Reload the page. The file could not be downloaded. Try again.The download failed.Try again. The request could not be marked as handled. Try again.Saving failed.Try again. The list could not be loadedThe list of requests could not be read, so no table is shown.Choose **Try again** on the banner. ## What is a data request, and what is an erasure? They are different requests from Shopify. A **customer data request** asks what you hold about a customer: you answer it, within the 30 days, and nothing is deleted. A **customer erasure** request asks that a customer's data be removed: Actorly acts on it automatically, removing that customer's personal values, and the personal values on the orders the request names, from your history. A **store erasure** request arrives 48 hours after an uninstall: see [Uninstall Actorly and what happens to your data](https://actorly.app/docs/keep-export-and-delete-your-history/uninstall-and-data). ## A worked example Sample: a request is received on the 1st. On the 10th the table shows **Open**, Reply due "21 days left". You choose **View**. The window shows the customer, "Orders named" and the counts: Customer records 1, Order records 3, Recorded changes 5, and the state line that the counts are complete for the parts already imported. You choose **Download what Actorly holds** and get a JSON file. You email it to the customer. You choose **Mark as handled** and confirm. The status reads **Handled**, the notification clears, and the request stays in the list. If you had not marked it by the 31st, the overdue banner would appear. ## Frequently asked questions ### Does Actorly answer the customer for me? No. The request is not handled automatically. You send the file to the customer yourself. ### How long do I have to reply? Shopify allows 30 days. The **Reply due** column counts the days left. ### Is the file stored anywhere? No. It is a JSON file built when you download it from your store's history. ### What happens when Shopify sends an erasure request instead? That one is automatic. Actorly removes that customer's personal values, and the personal values on the orders the request names, from the history. Afterwards it keeps the customer's Shopify ID, the time of the erasure and the numbers of that customer's orders, so the details are not stored again, until your store's data is erased. ### Does downloading the file close the request? No. Only **Mark as handled** resolves it. Downloading alone does not. ### Where do I see all requests? Settings, Data and privacy, under **Customer data requests**. A new request also appears in the Notifications bell. ### Can I download the file more than once? Yes, within a limit: "Too many downloads in a minute. Wait a moment and try again." The window shows **Downloads** and **Last downloaded**. ## Related articles [Uninstall Actorly and what happens to your data Uninstalling Actorly removes your store's history, saved evidence and account records 48 hours later.](https://actorly.app/docs/keep-export-and-delete-your-history/uninstall-and-data)[Understand Actorly notifications The Notifications bell lists what needs attention: changes not recorded, a failed import, history leaving your plan and customer data requests.](https://actorly.app/docs/get-told-about-changes/notifications)[How long Actorly keeps your history, and storage Actorly Watch keeps 3 months of history and Actorly Restore keeps all of it.](https://actorly.app/docs/keep-export-and-delete-your-history/storage-and-history) **Still stuck?** Chat with us, or write to [team@actorly.app](mailto:team@actorly.app). [Chat with us](https://actorly.app/contact)[Contact support](https://actorly.app/contact) © 2026 ONDUTYOPS LLC. All rights reserved.