You can manage Amazon delivery alerts in the Alexa app, set a preferred drop location for future deliveries through an address’s delivery preferences, and use an order’s tracking controls for a shipment already in progress. Those controls are separate: changing a saved address preference does not change an open order, and instructions for grocery deliveries must be entered during checkout.
The exact options depend on the order, seller, carrier, delivery service, address and country. The steps below reflect Amazon’s US help guidance and service descriptions checked in October 2026; app labels and availability can change.
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Choose the right control before changing anything
Amazon delivery settings are split across several places. Selecting the wrong one is the most common reason a change appears not to work.
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| What you want to change | Where to do it | When it applies | Important limitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preferred place for ordinary future deliveries | Your Account → Your Addresses, then add or edit delivery preferences | Future orders using that address | Address-book edits do not update open orders. |
| Instructions for a shipment already moving | The order’s own controls, such as tracking or delivery-preference options, when Amazon or the carrier exposes them | That order only | Not every order, seller or carrier offers a change. |
| Alexa announcements and notifications | Alexa app → More → Settings → Notifications → Amazon Shopping | Future alerts for the signed-in account and configured devices | Labels can differ by app release; verify the current screen. |
| Preferred location and driver note on an Amazon Shipping shipment | The shipment’s tracking site | That Amazon Shipping shipment | Drivers follow preferences on a best-effort basis, not as a guarantee. |
| Grocery drop-off instructions | Checkout for the Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods Market or covered third-party merchant order | That grocery order | The cited help guidance says instructions cannot be added or changed after placement. |
Think of these as four different layers: account defaults, order-specific controls, notification settings and service-specific delivery instructions. A default is not a command to a driver, and an alert setting does not change where a parcel is left.
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Set a preferred delivery location for future orders
For a recurring address, save instructions with the address before placing the next order. Amazon’s address workflow is intended for future orders, not for rewriting an order that is already open.
- Sign in to Amazon and open Your Account.
- Select Your Addresses.
- Choose the address you will use, then select the option to add or edit its delivery preferences.
- Describe a location that a driver can reach without guessing: for example, a sheltered porch, back door or side gate, if that location is genuinely accessible.
- Add only access details that are necessary and safe. Review the saved address before using it on a new order.
Use short, unambiguous wording. Identify the physical spot, explain how to reach it, and mention shelter from weather when relevant. Do not tell a driver to climb, force entry, enter a locked area without an approved method, or leave a parcel where people or vehicles could be endangered.
What an address change cannot do
Editing the address book does not update an open order. If a package has already been placed, go to that order and look for its available delivery or tracking controls instead. If no change option appears, the shipment, seller or carrier may not support a new drop instruction at that stage.
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If the only practical location is an exposed doorstep, consider whether a pickup point or locker is available for that order. Amazon Locker eligibility and access vary by order and location, so check the option during checkout or in the order’s delivery choices rather than assuming every package can be redirected.
Turn Amazon delivery notifications on or off
Alexa delivery alerts are managed separately from the address book. Amazon Pay’s published route is:
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- Open the Alexa app.
- Tap More.
- Open Settings.
- Select Notifications, then Amazon Shopping.
- Toggle the delivery alerts you want, such as Out for delivery and Delivered.
About Amazon has also described sliders for out-for-delivery notices, order changes such as delays or cancellations, and delivery confirmations. If your app uses different wording, look under Amazon Shopping notifications for equivalent switches; menu labels can move between releases.
Turning alerts off without losing tracking
Disabling an Alexa alert does not cancel an order or remove tracking information. It only changes the notifications delivered through the Alexa channel. You can still inspect a shipment manually in Your Orders, and another channel may continue to send a notice if you have enabled it.
Household privacy and shared devices
Review which Alexa devices can speak delivery information aloud. A shared speaker may announce order status where visitors or other household members can hear it. Notification controls are account-level choices, so check the signed-in Amazon account and the devices associated with it before assuming a change affected every household member.
Check the status of one package
For a particular shipment, use the order page rather than changing your general address settings.
- Open Your Orders.
- Find the order and select Track package.
- Open All updates to see the shipment events and any tracking number Amazon provides.
Marketplace tracking is not always equally detailed. The available information can depend on what the seller supplied and on the shipping option used. A missing tracking number or sparse event history therefore does not necessarily mean the order is stationary; it may indicate limited seller or carrier data.
Use tracking to decide whether a change is still realistic
If the order has not shipped, an order-specific delivery option may still be displayed. Once a carrier has possession or the parcel is out for delivery, the page may offer fewer choices. Read the current status and the available buttons rather than relying on an address preference saved after checkout.
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Choose a drop location on Amazon Shipping
Amazon Shipping provides a separate tracking-site feature for its customer shipments. On an eligible shipment, you can select a preferred location and enter free-text instructions or an access code. Examples of location choices include a back door, porch or side gate.
Keep the note concise and operational:
- Name one primary place that is visible and reachable.
- State how to access it only when the access method is authorized and safe.
- Identify shelter, such as a covered area, without asking the driver to enter a private or locked space unexpectedly.
- Avoid conflicting alternatives such as “front door or neighbor” unless you explain which should be used first.
Amazon Shipping says drivers make a best effort to follow preferences and try to find a safe place when nobody is home. Its service description says, “As best as they’re able, drivers will follow their instructions and photograph the delivery.” That wording applies to Amazon Shipping’s shipment context; it is not a universal promise for every Amazon retail order or every carrier.
Why a preferred location can still be overridden
A driver may decide that the requested spot is inaccessible or unsafe, or may use another safe location. Weather, gates, building access and the physical layout can affect the outcome. Treat the instruction as useful guidance, not a guaranteed hand-off. Check the delivery photo and scan location when the package is marked delivered.
Security trade-offs of common locations
| Location | Potential benefit | Risk or limitation |
|---|---|---|
| Covered porch | Simple access and some weather protection | Visible from the street and may be accessible to passersby. |
| Back door | Less visible from the street | May be behind a locked gate or difficult for a driver to reach. |
| Side gate | Can place a parcel out of direct view | Requires clear, lawful access and enough space to pass safely. |
| Amazon Locker | Moves pickup away from a residential doorstep | Only available at participating locations and for eligible packages; access and holding rules vary. |
| Lockable parcel box | Creates a designated, weather-protected storage point | You must check capacity, weather sealing, mounting, access instructions and whether the carrier will use it; no cited source guarantees carrier acceptance. |
A lockable parcel box is an optional physical solution, not a requirement for changing Amazon settings. If you consider one, match its internal dimensions to the parcels you actually receive, place it where a driver can reach it without entering a restricted area, and provide instructions that explain the approved access method. Amazon’s guidance does not endorse a particular box or establish that every carrier will use one.
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Handle grocery deliveries differently
Saved address instructions do not cover the grocery deliveries named in Amazon’s help guidance: Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods Market and covered third-party merchant orders. For those orders, add the drop-off note during checkout.
- Start checkout for the grocery order.
- Review the delivery address and look for the delivery-instructions field.
- Enter a concise, safe location and any necessary access information.
- Confirm the note before placing the order.
The cited help page says an already-placed grocery order cannot have its instructions added or changed afterward. If the order is already submitted, check its available support or delivery options instead of editing the general address book and expecting the grocery order to change.
What to do when tracking says “Delivered” but you cannot find the package
Do not assume theft immediately. Amazon’s missing-package guidance recommends a systematic check, including waiting up to 48 hours because a parcel can be scanned as delivered before the physical drop is complete.
- Verify that the shipping address in the order is correct.
- Read the delivery notice and inspect any delivery photograph or location description.
- Look at the requested drop spot and nearby sheltered areas, including side entrances or gates.
- Ask household members, building staff or neighbors whether someone accepted it.
- Allow up to 48 hours for an early delivery scan to resolve.
- If it is still missing, contact the carrier or the seller/Amazon, as appropriate for the shipment.
Keep the order number, tracking number, delivery timestamp and any photo available when you contact support. Those details help distinguish a wrong-address delivery, an early scan, a neighbor handoff and a carrier-specific problem.
If the photo shows an unsafe or wrong location
Compare the image with your property and the instruction you entered. If it is clearly another address or an area you cannot access, report that fact to the carrier or seller rather than repeatedly changing your saved address preferences. A future default cannot correct a completed delivery.
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Use a locker or another pickup point when doorstep delivery is unsuitable
Amazon Locker can remove the exposure and uncertainty of a residential drop. During checkout or from the order’s delivery choices, check whether a locker appears and whether the package is eligible. Availability, location access and order eligibility are local and shipment-specific; a locker is not guaranteed for every item.
Choose this route when no safe, accessible place exists at home, when household privacy matters, or when you cannot monitor an exposed doorstep. You trade doorstep convenience for a trip to the pickup location and the need to collect the parcel within the applicable access window.
A practical decision guide
| Your situation | Best first action | Why |
|---|---|---|
| You want the same sheltered spot for future ordinary orders | Edit delivery preferences under Your Account → Your Addresses. | That setting is designed for future orders using the address. |
| The order is already open | Open Your Orders → Track package and inspect order-specific options. | The address book will not rewrite the open order. |
| You only want fewer spoken alerts | Change Alexa → More → Settings → Notifications → Amazon Shopping. | Notification settings are independent of delivery placement. |
| The shipment is handled by Amazon Shipping and offers preferences | Use its tracking site to choose a location and add a concise note. | Those controls are service-specific and followed on a best-effort basis. |
| The order is Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods Market or a covered third-party grocery delivery | Add instructions during checkout. | The cited grocery guidance says post-order edits are unavailable. |
| Your home has no safe unattended location | Check Amazon Locker eligibility or another offered pickup option. | Pickup can avoid an exposed doorstep, subject to local availability. |
| A package is marked delivered but missing | Check the address, notices, photo, surroundings and neighbors; wait up to 48 hours, then contact the carrier or seller/Amazon. | Early scans and nearby placements can resolve without an immediate claim. |
Common mistakes and fixes
“I changed my address instructions, but today’s package ignored them.”
Address preferences are for future orders. Open the order and look for its own controls; if none are available, the shipment may be too far along or unsupported.
“I turned off Alexa, but I still see delivery updates.”
Alexa controls one notification channel. Check other Amazon or carrier notification settings and use Your Orders when you need the authoritative shipment timeline.
“My marketplace order has no useful tracking.”
Tracking depth depends on seller-provided information and the shipping option. Review All updates, then contact the seller or Amazon through the order if the status remains unclear.
“The driver did not use my preferred spot.”
For Amazon Shipping, preferences are best effort. If the place was inaccessible or unsafe, a different safe location may have been selected. Review the photo and revise the instruction to be clearer and safer for the next eligible shipment.
“I forgot to add grocery instructions.”
The cited grocery guidance says instructions cannot be added or changed after placement. Check the order’s available support and delivery options; do not expect an address-book edit to repair it.
Bottom line for safer, more predictable deliveries
Use the address book for a future default, the order page for a shipment already in progress, Alexa’s Amazon Shopping notification panel for spoken alerts, and the Amazon Shipping tracking site only when that service exposes preferred-location controls. Write instructions that are specific but safe, and treat them as requests rather than guarantees. For grocery orders, enter the note during checkout. When a doorstep is not suitable, check locker eligibility; when a package is marked delivered but missing, follow the address-photo-neighbor check and allow up to 48 hours before escalating.
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