> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.bizaxl.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Offline Mode
> How to keep billing when the internet goes down, how offline sales are saved and synced, and what the cashier needs to know.
Offline mode lets you continue billing even when the internet connection is lost. Sales are saved on the device and uploaded to the system automatically the moment the connection returns. No sale is lost and no customer is turned away just because the internet is down.
***
## Before You Start
* "Enable Offline Mode" must be turned on in POS Settings.
* Offline mode works on the device running the POS terminal. Each device handles its own offline queue.
* You must have loaded the POS at least once while online - the system caches the catalog and configuration during that session for offline use.
***
## How to Know You Are Offline
When the internet connection drops, the POS detects it automatically. You will see:
* The **Wifi icon** in the top right of the navigation bar turns from green to **orange and starts pulsing**
* A small "Offline" label may appear next to the icon
You do not need to do anything to switch to offline mode - it happens automatically.
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## What You Can Do While Offline
| Action | Available Offline? |
| ---------------------------------- | ------------------------------- |
| Search and browse the item catalog | Yes (from cached catalog) |
| Add items to the cart | Yes |
| Apply discount | Yes |
| Take payment (Cash, Card) | Yes |
| Complete a sale | Yes (saved to device) |
| Print a basic receipt | Yes (on-screen receipt) |
| Process a return | No (returns require the server) |
| Look up a customer | No (search requires the server) |
| View analytics | No |
| Open or close a shift | No |
***
## Making a Sale While Offline
The sell screen works the same as when you are online, with a few small differences:
1. The item catalog loads from the cached version (snapshot from the last online session)
2. The price shown in the cart is an estimate based on cached prices
3. After you tap **Charge**, the payment screen opens immediately (no server round-trip)
4. The payment amounts are based on the estimated total
5. Tap **Complete Sale** as normal
After the sale, the receipt screen shows:
The receipt says **"Sale Saved Offline"** and shows a blue badge: "Will sync when back online." The sale is saved securely on the device.
***
## What Happens When You Come Back Online
When the internet connection is restored:
1. The wifi icon turns back to green
2. The system automatically detects the restored connection
3. All queued offline sales are uploaded to the server in the background
4. For each uploaded sale, the server re-prices it using the official prices and creates the real POS Invoice
5. Stock is reduced in the warehouse
6. The queue count badge disappears from the Sync tab
You do not need to do anything - it syncs automatically.
***
## The Sync Tab
The Sync tab is visible in the navigation bar when Offline Mode is enabled. It shows a count badge of sales waiting to upload.
Tap **Sync** to see the sync center:
* Pending sales (waiting to upload)
* Synced sales (successfully uploaded)
* Any failed uploads (with the reason)
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## Protection Against Duplicate Sales
Every offline sale gets a unique ID the moment it is created on the device. When the sale is uploaded to the server, the server uses this ID to check if it has already been received. If the upload is tried twice (for example, after a connection drop mid-upload), the server ignores the duplicate and does not create two sales. This means no customer is charged twice.
***
## Limitations of Offline Mode
* The catalog shown offline is a snapshot from the last time the device was online. New products added after the last sync will not appear.
* Prices shown in the offline cart are estimates. The server re-prices the sale when it syncs, so the final invoice amount may differ slightly if prices changed.
* Customer search and loyalty points require a live connection. While offline, use Walk-in Customer.
* Returns cannot be processed offline.
* Shift open and close require a connection. If you need to open a shift and have no internet, wait for the connection to return.
***
## Troubleshooting
**The catalog is empty when I go offline**
The offline cache is built the first time you load the POS while online. If the device has never been online with the POS open, there is no cache. Connect to the internet first, load the POS, then go offline.
**Sync tab shows failed uploads**
Tap on the failed sale to see the reason. Common causes:
* A required field was missing when the sale was captured offline
* The item no longer exists in the system
* The warehouse ran out of stock between when the offline sale was made and when it synced
Contact your Admin to resolve failed syncs.
**The badge on the Sync tab never goes to zero even though I am online**
Check your internet connection. Try refreshing the page. If the issue persists, there may be failed sales in the queue - check the Sync tab for errors.
**I completed a sale offline but the customer's stock receipt shows a different total**
The offline receipt total is an estimate. The server re-prices at sync time. The POS Invoice in the back-office has the correct, final amount. Give the customer the POS Invoice number once it syncs if they need an accurate receipt.
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## Best Practices
* Load the POS terminal at the start of every day while online so the cache is fresh
* Do not close the browser tab while you have unsynced offline sales - the queue is in the browser's storage and may be cleared if the tab is closed
* After a long offline period, check the Sync tab to confirm all sales have uploaded before closing the shift
* If you know the internet will be down for an extended period, inform the manager so they can decide whether to switch to a backup billing method for returns and shift management
***
## Related Features
* [Making a Sale](/retail/footwear-retail-pos/selling): The main sell flow (works online and offline)
* [Shift Management](/retail/footwear-retail-pos/shift-management): Shift open and close require an internet connection
* [POS Settings](/retail/footwear-retail-pos/pos-settings): Where Enable Offline Mode is turned on