Being logged out of your store admin while you are still working is usually the idle timeout doing its job, but there are a few other causes worth ruling out.
The idle timeout
Admin sessions expire after a period without activity. Importantly, "activity" means requests to the server – typing into a long product description without saving is not activity, so a long editing session can time out mid-sentence. Save as you go on long edits.
If it happens far sooner than it should
- Two addresses. Moving between the www and non-www versions of your admin, or between http and https, can look like two different sites to the session and log you out. Always use one address consistently.
- A changing IP address. Some sessions are tied to your address. If your connection switches – for example between wi-fi and mobile data on a laptop – the session no longer matches.
- Browser privacy settings that clear cookies aggressively, or a private window.
- Server time. Rare, but a clock problem can expire sessions instantly.
What not to do
Do not extend the timeout to days as a workaround. The admin has access to your customer data and your orders; a long-lived session on a shared or portable computer is a genuine risk. If the timeout is impractically short for the work you do, tell us what you are doing and we will suggest a sensible value.
