Cash Drawer

Open the cash drawer automatically on cash sales and refunds, manually when needed, and keep a record of every time it was opened.

Who uses this feature

Everyone who works the register. Shop owners and admins control the settings. Managers and cashiers use the drawer day to day. Anyone can look at the history of drawer openings.

Before you start

• Receipt printing must already be set up on the device. The cash drawer plugs into the back of the receipt printer with a small phone-style cable, and the printer sends the signal to pop it open.
• The print method on the device must be QZ Tray or Web Bluetooth. Drawers cannot be opened through the browser print dialog.
• An admin must have the cash drawer turned on for the shop. It is on by default.

Setting up a device

1. Go to Settings and select Cash Drawer.
2. Under This Terminal, type a friendly name such as Counter 1 or Drive Thru so it is easy to spot in the history. The name saves to the device as you type.
3. Click Test Drawer to confirm the drawer opens. If it does not open, ask an admin to turn on Extended drawer compatibility and try again.

Admin settings

These settings are available to admins only.

Setting	What it does
Cash drawer enabled	Master switch for the whole shop. When this is off, nothing else in this guide applies.
Require approval for manual open	When on, cashiers must enter a manager's credentials before manually opening the drawer. When off, cashiers can open it on their own.
Extended drawer compatibility	Turn on if you have an older drawer that does not open with the normal signal. Some printers may make a short beep when this is on.

To change these settings:

1. Go to Settings and select Cash Drawer.
2. Toggle the relevant settings.
3. Changes save immediately.

Opening the drawer during a sale

You do not need to do anything. When a sale is paid in cash, or when a refund is given in cash, the drawer opens by itself the moment the receipt prints.

Opening the drawer without a sale

1. Click the profile picture at the top right of the screen.
2. Click Open Drawer.
3. Optional: type a short reason, such as Bank run change.
4. If your shop requires manager approval, enter the manager's email and password in the panel that appears, then click Verify Manager.
5. Click Open Drawer. The drawer opens and a record is written to the history.

Working offline

• Auto open on a cash sale: the drawer still opens. It is local hardware and does not need the internet.
• Manual open: the drawer still opens straight away. The record waits on the device until the internet comes back, then it is sent to the server with the time you actually opened it.

Viewing the history

1. Go to Settings and select Cash Drawer.
2. Click View History.
3. Use the date pickers and the event type filter at the top to narrow the list.
4. Managers and admins also see filters for User and Terminal, plus an Excel export button.
5. Cashiers see only the drawer openings they did themselves.

What each event type means

• Cash Sale: the drawer opened because a cash sale was completed.
• Manual Open: someone used the Open Drawer item in the profile menu.
• Cash Refund: the drawer opened because cash was given back during a return.
• Test: someone used the Test Drawer button in Settings.

Running Balance column

This shows the expected amount of cash in the drawer at the moment it was opened. The number comes from the active shift: starting cash, plus cash taken from sales, minus change given back. If there is no active shift, this column shows N/A.

Excel export

Managers and admins only.

1. On the View History page, click Export.
2. Wait a few seconds while the file is built in the background.
3. The file downloads automatically when it is ready.
4. The file has two sheets: Audit Log with full detail for every opening, and Summary with a count by event type.

Things to know

• The export is only available to managers and admins. Cashiers will not see the button.
• The drawer history cannot be deleted or changed once written.
• Times on screen and in the Excel file are both shown in your device's local time.
• If the device's saved data is cleared, the device gets a new identifier and the friendly name resets. Old history is still in the system, shown under the previous identifier.

FAQ

Q: What is this feature for?

A: It opens the cash drawer at the right moment so cashiers do not need a key, and it keeps a record of every time the drawer was opened so owners can investigate any cash shortages.

Q: Do I need a special drawer?

A: Any standard cash drawer that plugs into the back of a thermal receipt printer works. The drawer must be connected to a printer that is set up in Settings as QZ Tray or Web Bluetooth.

Q: My drawer is old and does not open. What do I do?

A: Ask an admin to turn on Extended drawer compatibility in Settings. This sends an older signal that older drawers understand. Some printers may beep when this is on. If yours does and the beep is a problem, the only fix is to use a newer drawer.

Q: Why does my printer beep when I open the drawer?

A: A small number of printers treat the older drawer signal as a beep command. Ask an admin to turn off Extended drawer compatibility. If your drawer still opens without it, you are done.

Q: Can a cashier open the drawer without a sale?

A: Yes, by default. If the admin turns on Require approval for manual open, the cashier must enter a manager's credentials first.

Q: Can I undo a drawer opening?

A: No. The history is a permanent record. This is on purpose so the log can be trusted during investigations.

Q: Why can a cashier see only their own history?

A: To keep the log private. A cashier should not see what other cashiers did. Managers and admins see everyone.

Q: What happens if there is no shift open?

A: The drawer still opens. The Running Balance column shows N/A because there is no shift to calculate the expected balance from.

Q: The internet is down. Can I still open the drawer?

A: Yes. The drawer is connected to the printer on your device, so it does not need the internet. The record of the opening is saved and sent to the server when the connection comes back. The original time is kept.

Q: What is a Terminal in the history?

A: A terminal is a device that runs the POS. If your shop has more than one checkout station, give each device a clear name in Settings, such as Counter 1 or Drive Thru. The name appears in the history so you can tell which drawer was opened.

Q: Why does the export take a few seconds?

A: The export is built in the background so the screen stays fast even with thousands of records. The file downloads automatically when it is ready.

Q: Where did the Export button go?

A: The Export button is only shown to managers and admins. If you are signed in as a cashier, the button is hidden by design.