1. Purpose
Relocate stock that is already on hand from one location to another, in a single transaction, without changing the total quantity you own.
2. Scope
Moving existing stock between locations in the same warehouse, on the handheld or — as a fallback — in the web app. Receiving new stock, picking for orders, and correcting a count that is simply wrong are all out of scope.
3. Roles & Responsibilities
Role | Responsibility |
|---|---|
Warehouse operator | Performs the physical move and records it on the handheld at the point of work |
Operations lead | Confirms the resulting split matches the plan, and that On Hand is unchanged |
4. Prerequisites
The destination location already exists and, ideally, has a barcode — see SWI-001.
A handheld or any device that can reach the scanner app and read barcodes.
You know which unit you are working in. If the location is tracked in cases, quantities are entered in cases.
5. Key concept — “Add Location” is not a move
This is the single most common misunderstanding, so it is worth being explicit.
Action | What it actually does |
|---|---|
Inventory › Add Location | Creates a brand-new stock record at a location with a starting quantity. This increases your total On Hand. It does not take anything away from anywhere. |
Inventory › pencil / Edit | Applies a plus-or-minus adjustment at one single location. Two of these, done correctly, add up to a move — but they are two separate transactions and either one can be forgotten. |
Handheld › Move Inventory | Takes stock out of one location and puts it into another in one step. Total On Hand is unchanged. This is the move. |
6. Procedure — handheld (preferred)
Open the scanner app and tap Move Inventory (subtitle: Relocate Items).
If you operate more than one warehouse, choose it from the selector at the top right.
At Scan Product or Location, scan either one:
Scan a location barcode → you then choose which product at that location to move.
Scan a product barcode or type the SKU → you then choose which location to move it from.
You can also tap the search control to pick from a list instead of scanning.
If that location holds more than one lot or expiry of the product, the app asks which lot. The lot and expiry are shown as coloured tags from here on, so you can confirm you are moving the right one.
At Enter Quantity, type the quantity to move, or tap All. You cannot enter more than the quantity currently at that location.
At Scan To Location, scan the destination location barcode. (You may also scan a pallet licence plate here — see SWI-003.)
Review the confirmation line: Move N from <source> to <destination>. Type a Reason if the move is anything other than routine — it is stored with the transaction and is what makes the history readable later.
Tap Confirm.
The app then asks “Are there N units here?” about the destination. Count what is physically in front of you and answer honestly:
Yes, Correct — the move is complete.
No, Incorrect — raises a discrepancy for follow-up. Use this rather than quietly moving on.
Skip — goes straight to the next move without verifying.
7. Procedure — web fallback
Use this only when no handheld is available. It is two transactions, not one, so it is easier to get wrong.
Go to Inventory and expand the SKU to reveal its locations.
Click the pencil on the source location. In Change Qty enter a negative number — the screen previews the before and after figures. Enter a Reason. Click Update.
Click the pencil on the destination location and enter the same figure as a positive number, with the same Reason. Click Update.
If the destination has no stock record yet, use Add Location once to create it with the quantity, instead of step 3.
Warning: if you complete step 2 and not step 3, you have written stock off rather than moved it. Always do both, back to back.
8. Units of measure
Where a location is tracked in a larger unit such as cases, the quantity field is in that unit and the screen shows the equivalent in eaches underneath. Read the conversion line before you commit — entering 60 into a case-tracked field moves 60 cases, not 60 units.
9. Verification
Inventory › By Location shows the stock split across the locations you intended.
On Hand for the SKU is exactly what it was before the move. If it changed, something was added or removed rather than moved.
The location’s inventory log (the list icon on the location row) shows the transaction with your reason against it.
10. Constraints and caveats
A move never changes total On Hand. To correct a quantity that is genuinely wrong, run a cycle count or a quantity adjustment instead.
You cannot move more than is recorded at the source location.
Source and destination must be in the same warehouse.
The destination must already exist. Create it first — SWI-001.
Stock that is committed to an open order can still be moved, but the picker will be sent to the new location. Avoid moving committed stock mid-wave.
11. Worked example
A client held 53,310 units of a single SKU in one general area called UPSTAIRS — recorded as 1,110 cases of 48 (53,280 units) plus 30 loose units. They wanted it broken out as follows:
Destination | Quantity | Notes |
|---|---|---|
SHIPSIDEKICK, as 18 pallets | 50,880 units | 17 pallets of 2,880 (60 cases) plus one of 1,920 (40 cases) — see SWI-003 |
Seven C8 pick faces | 480 units | 36, 36, 24, 96, 96, 96, 96 across the individual faces |
MISSING | 1,950 units | Unaccounted stock |
Total | 53,310 units | Matches On Hand exactly — check this before you start |
Adding the destination quantities and confirming they equal current On Hand, before touching anything, is what makes the move safe. If your figures do not add up, the difference will surface as a phantom gain or loss.
On the MISSING line specifically: moving stock to a holding location keeps the units on your books at a location that cannot sell or pick them. If you have decided the units are genuinely gone, that is a count correction and belongs in a cycle count, not a move.
12. Records
Inventory log per location, reachable from the list icon on each location row.
Any discrepancy raised from the verify-quantity step.
13. References
SWI-001 — Set Up Warehouse Storage Locations
SWI-003 — Create and Apply Pallet License Plates (LPNs)
SWI-004 — Read the Inventory Screen