---
id: help.getting-started.test-and-live
title: "Test mode and live mode"
canonical: https://docs.secureprocessing.app/help/getting-started/test-mode-and-live-mode
description: "Test mode is a practice copy of your account where no real money moves, and it works from the day you sign up. Live mode takes real payments, and we switch it on once your business is verified."
last_verified: 2026-11-01
---

# Test mode and live mode

Test mode is a practice copy of your account where no real money moves, and it works from the day you sign up. Live mode takes real payments, and we switch it on once your business is verified.

## How to tell which you are in

Use the **Test** and **Live** switch at the top of the dashboard’s menu. In Test mode, an orange band runs across the top of every page and says no real money moves.

## What is different

| What | Test mode | Live mode |
|---|---|---|
| Money | None moves | Real |
| Cards | Test cards only | Real cards |
| Emails | Only to your own team | To your customers |
| Payouts | No money reaches a bank | Paid into your bank account |
| When | From the day you sign up | Once we have verified your business |

## They are separate

Test and live are separate sets of books. A test payment never appears in your live totals, and a test invoice has its own numbers, so practising does not use up your real ones.

## Why Live is greyed out

Until we approve your business, the **Live** side of the switch does not work. [Activate your account](https://docs.secureprocessing.app/help/getting-started/activate-your-account.md) to apply.

For developers: [Test cards](https://docs.secureprocessing.app/test-cards.md)

## Related

- [Take a test payment without writing code](https://docs.secureprocessing.app/help/getting-started/take-a-test-payment.md)
- [Activate your account: what we ask for](https://docs.secureprocessing.app/help/getting-started/activate-your-account.md)
- [My live payments are refused](https://docs.secureprocessing.app/help/troubleshooting/my-live-payments-are-refused.md)

Still stuck? Write to [admin@secureprocessing.app](mailto:admin@secureprocessing.app) with your business’s name and the mode you are in.