Last updated: Mar 25, 2026, 5:03 PM
Learn how to use Toast in Offline Mode.
| DO NOT DO THE FOLLOWING IN OFFLINE MODE: |
| DO NOT unplug Ethernet. |
| DO NOT turn off Toast devices. |
| DO NOT turn off or restart your router. |
| DO NOT log out of the Toast app or uninstall the Toast app. Note: You may still select Switch User. Without an internet connection, you won't be able to log back into the app. Additionally, uninstalling Toast from a device during Offline Mode will cause its order and payment information to become lost and unretrievable. |
| DO NOT select Capture. Avoid pressing the Capture button on the Close Out Day screen so you don't lose payment information. Once your device regains connectivity to the network, credit card authorizations will automatically be captured. |
| DURING AN OUTAGE IT IS RECOMMENDED TO: |
| If applicable: Temporarily . Your restaurant cannot receive orders from Toast Online Ordering channels, or other third parties while offline. Note: Don't forget to turn online ordering back on once your connection is restored. |
| If applicable: Temporarily disable Mobile Order & Pay®. If your auto-fire device is offline or the entire restaurant is offline, you'll want to disable Mobile Order & Pay® so guests cannot place orders or payments you cannot see. |
| Impacted process: | How to operate: |
| Placing orders on the POS | Stick to one device when placing orders so order and payment information can be stored together. Note: Different employees can use different devices, but each employee should stick to the same device for the duration of the outage. |
| Clocking in and out | Stick to one device when clocking in and out. Note: If your employees are required to do shift reviews, they'll be unable to clock out due to pending payments. This is expected behavior. |
| Payments | Continue to take credit/debit card payments and enter tips. It's best practice to verify the cardholder's name and card expiration date, especially when you're offline. It's also recommended to ask the guest to insert their card and enter in the PIN for an offline payment. Auto-capture: If auto-capture is enabled and the disruption is network or ISP-related, Toast cannot capture payments until the device reconnects and stored transactions are transmitted. If the disruption is Toast-related, captures will still process, but settlement timelines may be delayed depending on payment partner dependencies. To learn more about auto-capture, see . This depends on the local device’s storage and synchronization status. |
| Impacted process: | How to operate: |
| Toast Gift Cards | Can not be sold or redeemed while in Offline Mode. |
| Toast Loyalty | Points can not be redeemed or accumulated while in Offline Mode. |
| Toast Online Ordering | Unavailable while in Offline Mode. |
| Toast Mobile Order & Pay® | Unavailable while in Offline Mode. |
If your device enters Offline Mode, you'll be given customized instructions on what you and your manager should do to properly close out your shift during a service disruption. While closing a shift in Offline Mode, managers should:
Note: Depending on your auto-clock out settings, clocked-in employees may be automatically clocked out at the end of the business day. To learn more, see .
| Pros | Cons/Risks: |
| Staff will leave with the full amount of tips earned from their work for the shift. |
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| Pros: | Cons/Risks: |
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| In order for a restaurant to take advantage of the Offline Mode experience, they must meet both of the following criteria. This applies to both Toast- and self-managed networks.
For customers who are on self-managed networks: Having multiple subnets at a restaurant greatly reduces the likelihood that a restaurant will be able to successfully use Offline Mode on the KDS. The local hub will only communicate with devices on its subnet. If your restaurant has multiple subnets, please make sure all Toast devices are on the same subnet. For customers who are using non-Toast hardware: Offline Mode has been optimized to support Toast’s proprietary hardware. While it's possible to meet the above requirements even in a self-managed network that has non-Toast hardware on it, Toast will not be able to guarantee functionality nor will we be able to provide troubleshooting support. |
| Printers and Cash Drawers | Printing receipts and opening cash drawers should be unaffected by connection disruptions/outages as long as your Ethernet cables have not been unplugged. |
| Shift Review | Shift review is unavailable while in Offline Mode. If employees are required to count a drawer as part of their shift review, they will manually have to close the cash drawers by navigating to the Toast POS Device Menu > Cash Management > Cash Drawers. For more information, see the Shift Reviews While in Offline Mode section below. |
| Reporting | Reports will not contain data from offline devices and their orders, payments, or other data points until the system is back online and has synced with your back-end. |
Toast strongly advises against processing payroll while in Offline Mode. Wait until the system is back online so that time entries, tip data, and all related payroll information have fully synced from the POS to the cloud and into Toast Payroll. After any Offline Mode event, double-check time entries and tip amounts for accuracy before posting payroll.
Note: If the system went offline after a pay period ended and all time entries and tips for that pay period were already synced, you may choose to process payroll for that period.