FedEx Tracking ID: What It Looks Like and How to Track Without One

A FedEx tracking ID is the 12-digit, all-numeric tracking number printed on a FedEx Express or FedEx Ground label. "Tracking ID" is the label on the FedEx tracking page's search box, not a different number. A door tag number is the letters DT followed by 12 digits. FedEx Ground Economy labels print that same 12-digit FedEx number next to a separate, longer USPS tracking number, and the package can be tracked with either one.

If you don't have any of these, FedEx's own answer is to track the package with the reference number tied to the shipment, or with the purchase order number. Both go into the standard FedEx tracking tool under "track by reference." What FedEx does not offer is a lookup by delivery address, recipient name, or phone number.

Can you track a FedEx package by address, name, or phone number?

No. FedEx has no public search that takes a delivery address, a recipient's name, or a phone number and returns a package. The FedEx tracking tool accepts four inputs: a tracking number, a reference number (track by reference), a proof-of-delivery request, or a Transportation Control Number for U.S. government shipments. None of those is an address or a name.

Two account-based tools come close, but only for shipments tied to your own account:

• FedEx Delivery Manager shows packages headed to the residential address on your account. It shows what is coming to your house, not what is coming to an address you type in.
• FedEx InSight shows inbound, outbound, and third-party shipments matched to your FedEx account number or company address, with no tracking number or reference number. It is built for businesses that ship or receive on an account.

If someone else shipped the package to you and you have neither tool set up, the fastest path is to ask the shipper for the tracking number or for the reference number they put on the label.

What FedEx accepts instead of a tracking number

The tracking number printed on a FedEx Express or Ground label is all digits. The identifiers FedEx accepts in its place are not, so don't discard something because it has letters in it.

• Reference number or purchase order number. Shippers can put an order number, invoice number, or PO number on the label. Track it with track by reference.
• Door tag number. Starts with DT followed by 12 numbers. The driver leaves it after a missed delivery.
• Transportation Control Number (TCN). Used on U.S. government shipments. Enter it without spaces and without the letters "TCN". FedEx's example format is N552428361Y555XXX.

How to track by reference number

Open the FedEx tracking page and switch from tracking number to track by reference. A reference number alone is not enough. FedEx needs one of two combinations to narrow the search:

• The reference number, the shipper's FedEx account number, and a ship-date range.
• The reference number, the destination postal code, the destination country, and a ship-date range.

The ship-date window is plus or minus 15 days, so an approximate date works. If you are the recipient, you likely don't have the shipper's account number, which is what the second combination is for: your own ZIP code, United States as the country, the order number from your confirmation email, and roughly when you ordered.

Once the search finds the package, tracking works the same as with the number. If the scan history is confusing, see what each delivery tracking status means.

If you're waiting for a package

Start with the shipper. The order confirmation or shipping confirmation email from the store usually carries the tracking number. If it doesn't, the order number is often the reference FedEx has on file, so try that with track by reference before anything else.

If you missed a delivery attempt, use the door tag number on the slip the driver left.

If you have no identifier at all and the shipper can't help, sign up for FedEx Delivery Manager. Signing up is free, and once your address is verified it lists packages headed to that address, so a package already in transit should show up without you entering a number. Delivery Manager covers residential addresses only. The most-used options are free: tracking, text alerts, delivery instructions, signing for eligible packages remotely, a vacation hold of up to 14 days, and redirecting a package to a FedEx location for pickup. Rerouting a delivery to a different residential address, or requesting a specific delivery date or time, is a paid option that starts at $5.55 per package and varies by location.

If you sent the package

The tracking number was created when the label was. Look for it in this order:

• The receipt from the FedEx Office or FedEx Ship Center counter. The tracking number is printed on it.
• The shipping confirmation email, if you created the label online in your FedEx account.
• Your FedEx account's shipment history, which lists every label created under that login.
• FedEx InSight, if you ship on an account. It lists inbound, outbound, and third-party shipments billed to the account without a tracking number, and it can send notifications as shipment status changes.

If a fulfillment company ships for you, the tracking number lives in their portal and usually in your store's order record. At Simpl Fulfillment, every shipment gets a UPS, USPS, or FedEx tracking number that updates in real time.

Using a door tag number

A FedEx door tag is the slip the driver leaves when a delivery can't be completed. The door tag number starts with DT and is followed by 12 numbers. It is linked to the package's tracking number, so you can use it anywhere FedEx asks for a tracking number.

• Enter it in the FedEx tracking tool.
• Text the word "follow" and the door tag number to 48773, for example "follow DT999999999999".
• Scan the barcode on the door tag in the FedEx Mobile app.

The door tag may list a pickup location. To collect the package, bring the door tag or tracking number and a government-issued photo ID. If the address on your ID doesn't match the label, bring something that does, such as a utility bill or insurance card. You can also redirect the package to a FedEx location through Delivery Manager. How FedEx Hold at Location works explains pickup at those locations.

When to contact FedEx

FedEx customer support can help with a missed delivery, a package that has stopped moving, or a claim. Have the reference number, door tag number, or the shipper's account number ready before you call. Those are the identifiers FedEx's tracking tools are built around, and a name and address on their own are not.

Frequently asked questions

What does a FedEx tracking number look like?

On a FedEx Express or FedEx Ground label it is 12 digits with no letters, and the FedEx tracking page calls it a tracking ID. A door tag number is DT plus 12 digits. A FedEx Ground Economy label also carries a separate USPS tracking number, which is longer, and the package can be tracked with either. Reference numbers and purchase order numbers can include letters and go under track by reference.

Can I track a FedEx package by name and address?

No. FedEx has no public search by recipient name or address. FedEx Delivery Manager shows packages coming to your own verified residential address, and FedEx InSight shows shipments matched to your own account, but neither lets you look up a package sent to someone else.

Can I track a FedEx package with just my phone number?

No. A phone number is not a tracking identifier at FedEx. Delivery Manager uses your phone number for delivery alerts after you sign up, not for finding a package.

How do I find my FedEx tracking number if I lost the receipt?

If you shipped from your online FedEx account, the number is in your shipment history and in the confirmation email. If you shipped at a counter and no longer have the receipt, contact FedEx customer support with the ship date, the drop-off location, and the destination address. Without a reference number there is no self-service lookup.

Does FedEx Delivery Manager cost anything?

Signing up is free, and the most frequently used options are free. Rerouting a delivery to a different residential address, or requesting a specific delivery date or time, starts at $5.55 per package, and the fee varies by location.

What does a FedEx door tag number look like?

It starts with the letters DT followed by 12 numbers, for example DT999999999999. Enter it in the FedEx tracking tool, text "follow" plus the number to 48773, or scan the barcode in the FedEx Mobile app.