Can You Track USPS and UPS Packages Without a Tracking Number?

Both the United States Postal Service (USPS) and the United Parcel Service (UPS) use tracking numbers as the primary identifier of a package. But what if you don’t know or have lost the tracking number? Is it possible to track a USPS or UPS package without a tracking number?

Even if you don’t remember your package’s tracking number, you may still be able to retrieve it. If you shipped the package from a post office, look for the shipping receipt. If you purchased postage online directly from the carrier or through a third-party service, such as PostageMaker, the tracking number should be stored in your order history or confirmation email. If you’re the recipient, ask the sender for the tracking number.

If you were unable to find the tracking number, the USPS and UPS have tools that may allow you to track your package online, provided it hasn’t been too long since the shipping date. USPS Informed Delivery and UPS My Choice are two such tools, but they require you to create a USPS or UPS account to access them.

If you don’t have a USPS.com account, you should create one to use USPS Informed Delivery. Log in and go to your dashboard by clicking “Track and Manage” at the top of the page. Your dashboard should display all packages you have sent or received in the past two weeks, including those currently en route to or from your address. This means that the address on the package you want to track must be the same as the address in your USPS.com account. However, old, already delivered package will generally not show up in a new account.

If the package you want to track is on the list, click on it to learn its whereabouts. If it is not on the list and you just created your USPS.com account, wait a couple of days. It may take some time for packages in transit to show up on the dashboard of a newly created account.

UPS My Choice is a similar service that allows you to track and manage your inbound and outbound shipments from a dashboard. Like USPS Informed Delivery, UPS My Choice determines which packages are “yours” based on the address. Therefore, the package you want to track must have the address in your UPS My Choice account listed as either the sender’s or recipient’s address. You have the option to add more than one address to your UPS My Choice account.

To access your dashboard, sign up for UPS My Choice on the UPS website, log in, and click “Tracking” at the top of the page. Your dashboard will show a list of all inbound and outbound UPS packages associated with your address from the past four months. Old packages that have already been delivered may not show up in a newly created account. However, information about active packages that are currently in transit should be accessible. Find the package you want to track and click on its tracking number.

With USPS Informed Delivery and UPS My Choice, package visibility is generally limited to shipments associated with your registered name and address, whereas a tracking number can usually be used by anyone who has it to view tracking updates.