To find out how do I track a USPS package, enter the tracking number on USPS Tracking at usps.com, in the USPS Mobile app, or in a text to 28777. You can also call USPS. Without a tracking number, you have very few options, so find that number first.
Tracking covers most domestic packages but not ordinary letters or postcards. Below are the number sources, each tracking method, what the statuses mean, and what to do when a package stops moving.
Which USPS mail can be tracked?
USPS says USPS Tracking is available for most domestic mail products. First-Class Mail letters and postcards are the main exception. USPS also lists periodicals and some Marketing Mail parcels as untracked.
Notice 123 shows tracking as included with Priority Mail, Parcel Select and the Package Services products, and the USPS Ground Advantage page says tracking is included in its price as well. A Marketing Mail parcel can add tracking for $0.36.
If you are about to mail something, pick a service with tracking from the start. The guide on how to ship a package with USPS walks through the choices at the counter and online.
Where do I find my USPS tracking number?
The number lives in a few places, depending on how the item was sent. Check these in order.
- The sales or mailing receipt from the Post Office.
- The online label record if the sender used Click-N-Ship or a marketplace like eBay.
- The label on the item itself, printed below the barcode.
- Your Informed Delivery dashboard, if the package is already listed there.
USPS says neither the Care Center nor a Post Office can recover a lost tracking number for you. If you are the recipient, ask the shipper or the store for it. The store’s order confirmation email usually carries it.
How do I track a USPS package with a tracking number?
You have several routes, and they all pull the same tracking record. Pick whichever is fastest for you.
| Method | What you need | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| USPS.com Tracking | The tracking number | Full scan history on a computer or phone browser |
| USPS Mobile app | The tracking number | Checking on the go |
| Text to 28777 (2USPS) | The tracking number and a phone that texts | Quick status without opening a browser |
| Phone | The tracking number | Talking to USPS; TDD/TTY users call 1-800-877-8339 |
| Informed Delivery | A free account | Seeing packages and mail previews in one place |
The tracking page accepts up to 35 numbers at once, separated by commas. That helps if you are waiting on several orders.
How does text tracking to 28777 work?
Text your tracking number to 28777. USPS replies with the current status. Standard message and data rates from your carrier apply, which is the main text tracking cost.
You can reply with keywords such as “Date” or “DND” to adjust updates. Reply STOP to end them.
Quiet hours run from 11 PM to 7 AM. Text and email requests stay active for 2 weeks and then close on their own.
USPS only texts you after you ask for tracking with a number, and a real USPS text will not carry a link. A tracking text with a link that you did not request is a scam. Do not click it, and forward it to 7726.
What is Informed Delivery and how does it help?
Informed Delivery is a free USPS service. It shows previews of your incoming mail and gives status updates for packages. You can see it in a Daily Digest email, in the app, or on your dashboard.
Packages bought through Click-N-Ship track automatically on your dashboard. For any other USPS package you add the tracking number by hand. You can also schedule redelivery, give a package a nickname and leave delivery instructions.
Can I track a USPS package without a tracking number?
USPS tracking works from a number. There is no search by street address on usps.com; the closest thing is Informed Delivery, which is tied to your delivery address and shows mail previews and package status for it. If you do not have the number, the official advice is to ask the shipper for it.
If the item was mailed without tracking, such as a plain letter, there is no scan record to find. Informed Delivery can still preview letter mail when it is scanned, but it does not make that mail trackable. Only a package with a number gets scans you can follow.
How do I set up Informed Delivery to follow packages?
Create a free account on usps.com and sign up for Informed Delivery. USPS then sends a Daily Digest email with your mail previews and package status. The same data shows on your dashboard and in the app.
If a package was not bought through Click-N-Ship, add its tracking number by hand. Once it is listed, you can give it a nickname so you know which order it is. You can also leave delivery instructions or schedule redelivery from the same screen.
How do I track a USPS international package?
Use the same tracking number on USPS Tracking when the package is mailed from or into the United States. USPS keeps tracking records for numbered international mail for 2 years. That is longer than the standard window for domestic packages.
Once the package leaves the United States, any further updates come from the destination postal service, so gaps are common after the departure scan. The number format varies by service, and the USPS Tracking page shows examples for each one.
If an international package stops moving, USPS runs a separate inquiry process, described in its International Inquiries basics. You can file online through the international claims page on usps.com with a registered account or call 1-800-222-1811 (Monday to Friday 8 AM to 8:30 PM ET, Saturday 8 AM to 6 PM ET). The windows run from the mailing date.
| Service | Earliest inquiry | Latest inquiry |
|---|---|---|
| Priority Mail Express International | 3 days | 90 days (30 days for a postage refund on the guaranteed version) |
| Priority Mail International (most countries) | 7 days | 6 months |
| Priority Mail International to Canada | 10 days | 6 months |
| Registered Mail International | 7 days | 6 months |
| First-Class Mail or Package International | Not eligible for an inquiry | |
How do I track USPS mail that I am sending?
If you are the sender, tracking starts at the counter or at checkout. Keep the receipt, because the number is printed on it. If you paid online through Click-N-Ship, the number sits in your label record and the package shows up in Informed Delivery on its own.
Share the number with the recipient right away. They can follow the same record on usps.com or by text, and you will both see the same scans.
Tracking records last 120 days for standard service, so check the status inside that window. Missing Mail and claim windows start from the mailing date, not from the last scan.
How do I track a USPS package step by step?
- Find the number on your receipt, label record, email or Informed Delivery dashboard.
- Enter it on USPS Tracking, in the app, or in a text to 28777.
- Read the newest scan first, then scroll back to see where the package has been.
- Compare the mailing date with the delivery standard for that service.
- If the standard has passed and nothing has moved, follow the stalled steps below.
This takes about a minute. Most worry comes from reading a status without checking the date of the last scan.
A scan from yesterday is normal. A scan from a week ago on a Ground Advantage package is worth acting on.
A worked example of reading a tracking page
Say a Ground Advantage package was mailed on a Monday. The standard is 2 to 5 business days, so it can arrive anywhere from Wednesday to the following Monday without being late. A scan on Tuesday and nothing on Wednesday is not a problem.
Now say the same package shows no new scan for ten days. That is well past the standard, so it is time to act.
First file a service request on usps.com. If the number is still stuck 7 days after the mailing date, you can add a Missing Mail search. Keep your receipt handy, since both forms ask for the mailing details.
Each step depends on a date, not a feeling. Write down the mailing date and the last scan date before you contact anyone. It speeds up every conversation with USPS, and keeps you from missing the 7 day and 60 day windows that apply to searches and claims.
Now take a Priority Mail Express package. It has a guaranteed 1 to 3 calendar day standard, so a missed date is a stronger reason to call. Ask about the money back terms of that service when you do.
What do the tracking statuses mean?
Each status is a scan event at a point in the trip. USPS also uses an Alert status to flag weather or disaster delays. These are the ones people ask about most.
| Status or sign | What it usually means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Out for Delivery | The package is on a carrier’s route for the day | Wait for the end of the delivery day |
| Delivered | USPS scanned the package as delivered | Search around the address; see the next section |
| Alert | Weather, a disaster or another delay | Wait; USPS posts the delay on the tracking page |
| No update for days | A missed scan or a slow leg | Compare the delivery standard below |
Packages do not always travel in a straight line toward you. The article on why a package goes farther away explains the routing through regional hubs.
How long should a USPS package take?
USPS publishes delivery standards. They are targets, and only Priority Mail Express is guaranteed. USPS asks you to contact it only after the standard has passed.
| Service | Delivery standard |
|---|---|
| Priority Mail Express | 1 to 3 calendar days, guaranteed |
| Priority Mail | 2 to 3 business days |
| First-Class Mail | 1 to 5 business days |
| Ground Advantage | 2 to 5 business days, not guaranteed |
Use the delivery time estimator to see a realistic window for your route.
What if tracking stalls or says delivered but nothing arrived?
Start with the status. If it reads Delivered, Out for Delivery or Arrived at Post Office and nothing changes, wait one full postal business day. After that, file a service request on usps.com.
If the carrier could not reach the delivery spot, USPS tries again the next business day. Contact USPS if that takes more than 24 hours.
For a Delivered scan with no package, check these places before you file anything.
- The porch, garage, back entrance, mailbox and under the mat.
- A parcel locker, where the key is left in your mailbox compartment.
- Building management, a neighbor or a front desk.
The full process is in what to do when USPS says delivered but there is no package.
If tracking shows the package went to the wrong place, read about a missent package and what happens next.
When should I file a Missing Mail search?
A Missing Mail search is for a package that is truly overdue. You can submit one starting 7 days after mailing and up to 365 days after, at missingmail.usps.com. Eligible items include Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail, First-Class Mail with tracking, Ground Advantage, Certified, Registered and Parcel Select.
The search statuses are Accepted, Mailpiece Found, Expired, Rejected and Canceled. A draft request expires in 7 days if you do not finish it.
Hazmat, perishables, drugs and opened beauty products are not eligible. If the search fails, the guide on what to do when USPS lost your package covers claims.
How long does USPS keep tracking records?
USPS keeps a standard tracking record for 120 days. Signature Confirmation records last 1 year.
Priority Mail Express, Certified Mail, Registered Mail and numbered international items keep their records for 2 years. If you may need proof of delivery later, save a screenshot while the record is still live.
Can I change where a tracked package goes?
Sometimes, but not from the tracking page alone. Options depend on the service and where the package is. The guide on changing the delivery address on a package in transit lists what is possible.
If you would rather get it yourself, picking up a package from USPS is another route.
The bottom line on tracking
For anyone asking how do i track a usps package, the answer starts with the tracking number.
Then use USPS.com, the app, a text to 28777 or Informed Delivery. A plain letter has no tracking, and there is no address lookup in what USPS publishes. When a package stalls, wait one full business day past the last scan before filing a service request, and use Missing Mail after 7 days.
