If you have lost your AWB number, you can still track an Indian courier shipment using your registered mobile number, the booking SMS or email, the carrier’s customer-care line, the digital booking receipt, your payment transaction reference, or the receiver’s phone number. Most carriers retain AWB records against your registered mobile for 90-180 days. The fastest recovery is a customer-care call with your booking timestamp and sender phone.
For booking fundamentals and how AWBs are generated, see the complete how-to-courier guide.
What an AWB number actually is (and why every channel has one)
AWB stands for Air Waybill, the unique consignment number generated at the moment of booking. It is typically 10-13 digits or alphanumeric, depending on the carrier. India Post Speed Post uses a 13-digit format; Blue Dart, Delhivery, DTDC, Ekart, and DHL each have their own format.
The critical point for recovery: the AWB is tied to six different fields at the carrier’s backend — sender phone, receiver phone, booking timestamp, payment record, pickup pincode, and sender ID (PAN / email / aggregator account). Any one of those six fields can recover the AWB. You only need to give the carrier or aggregator a single matching field and they can pull the AWB from their database.
This is why “lost AWB” is recoverable in almost every case. The AWB is just a search key — the underlying record exists against multiple alternate keys.
Where to look first (5 places you probably already have it)
Before calling anyone, search your own devices. The AWB is almost certainly stored somewhere on your phone:
- Booking confirmation SMS — search your SMS inbox for the carrier name, “AWB,” “consignment,” “tracking,” or “courier.”
- Email inbox plus spam folder — booking confirmations sometimes land in spam. Search for the carrier domain.
- Payment app history — PhonePe, GPay, Paytm, BHIM. The payment description for a courier booking often includes the AWB number itself.
- WhatsApp messages — most aggregators send a WhatsApp confirmation; check business chats from the last 30 days.
- Photo gallery — many people photograph the pickup label or AWB sticker. Search by date or by the carrier’s brand colour.
For e-commerce orders, the AWB is in your order detail page. For aggregator bookings, the AWB is in the app dashboard. This first-pass search resolves 70-80% of “lost AWB” cases in under 10 minutes.
Recovery Method 1: Call carrier customer care with your registered mobile
If self-search fails, the fastest channel is the carrier’s customer-care line. Every Indian carrier indexes AWB records against the sender’s registered mobile for a 90-180 day window.
Call customer care and provide three fields:
- Sender mobile number used at booking.
- Approximate booking date (within a 2-3 day range is fine).
- Receiver pincode or city.
The agent retrieves the AWB in 2-5 minutes typically. For aggregator bookings (CourierBook, Shiprocket, etc.), use the aggregator’s app or support line — not the underlying carrier. The aggregator’s database is the primary record.
Customer-care numbers change periodically and franchise networks operate separate lines. Always look up the latest carrier helpline from the carrier’s own “Contact Us” page before calling. Hard-coded numbers in older blog posts go stale fast.
Recovery Method 2: Track by sender or receiver phone number on the carrier portal
Several major Indian carriers and aggregators offer “Track by Mobile Number” directly on their tracking page. Delhivery, Ekart, India Post (limited), and most aggregator dashboards support this.
How it works:
- Enter the registered mobile number (sender’s or receiver’s).
- Receive an OTP for verification.
- See all AWBs against that mobile in the last 90-180 days.
This works particularly well for e-commerce buyers who have placed multiple orders — every AWB tied to the registered mobile appears on a single screen. For broader tracking hygiene that prevents AWB loss in the first place, see 5-instant-tips-tracking-courier. For international shipments where the gateway scan matters, how-to-track-international-shipments and tracking-international-shipments-complete-guide cover gateway-level lookups.
Recovery Method 3: Payment record or reference number lookup
Every courier booking has a payment reference: UPI transaction ID, card authorisation reference, wallet payment ID. Many carriers and aggregators accept this as a secondary lookup key.
Two things to try:
- Check the payment description in your UPI app (PhonePe, GPay, Paytm). The merchant description for courier bookings often includes the AWB itself, formatted as
<Carrier> AWB <number>or similar. - Provide the payment reference to customer care — for aggregator bookings especially, this is often a faster lookup than mobile number.
For COD or cash-counter bookings at India Post or franchise outlets, the receipt number on the physical receipt is the recovery key — even if the AWB itself is on a separate sticker that has been lost. The carrier indexes the AWB against the receipt number internally.
Recovery Method 4: For India Post specifically
India Post Speed Post and Registered Post receipts use a 13-digit tracking number. If the physical receipt is lost, India Post has two recovery channels:
- In-person at the booking post office — visit with photo ID and the approximate booking date. Counter staff can retrieve the 13-digit tracking number from the Electronic Postal Management (EPM) system. This works best within 90 days of booking.
- Public Grievances portal — file a request at indiapost.gov.in Public Grievances. Provide your name, address, booking post office, approximate date, and registered mobile. India Post staff trace the AWB and SMS it to your registered mobile, typically within 5-7 working days.
Speed Post records are retained for at least 1 year in the live system, longer for Registered Post. Even older bookings can be traced via written request to the booking post office.
Recovery Method 5: Booking aggregator or e-commerce app
If you booked through an aggregator or an e-commerce platform, the AWB is permanently in your account dashboard:
- Aggregators (CourierBook, Shiprocket, others) — log into your account; every AWB you have booked is in the dashboard with status, tracking link, and pickup details.
- E-commerce orders (Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra, Ajio) — order detail page → “Track Order” → AWB.
- Marketplace sellers and Meesho buyers — order confirmation message or seller-app dashboard.
For sellers and frequent shippers, this is the cleanest recovery channel by far. It is also why Bangalore shippers booking online through aggregators almost never run into a permanent AWB-loss case — the dashboard is the source of truth, not the SMS or receipt. The same applies for habitual shippers using how-to-book-courier-online flows.
What if every method fails (the parcel has no recoverable AWB)?
Genuinely irrecoverable AWBs are rare. They happen mostly for:
- Very old shipments (older than 180 days in the live system).
- Cash bookings at small franchise outlets where the AWB sticker was the only record.
- Shipments where the registered mobile number itself was incorrect at booking.
If all five recovery methods above fail, follow this escalation:
- File a missing-AWB complaint in writing with the carrier’s customer-care email. Request AWB regeneration based on sender ID, booking date, and payment reference.
- Escalate to the carrier’s nodal officer if no response within 48 hours.
- For India Post, file at the Public Grievances portal.
- Final lever — National Consumer Helpline at consumerhelpline.gov.in or call 1915 toll-free. Once an NCH complaint is registered, the carrier is required to trace the AWB and respond.
In practice, 95%+ of “lost AWB” cases are recovered via methods 1, 2, or 3. The carrier-care call is the workhorse. Methods 4 and 5 cover the long tail.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I track a parcel without an AWB number in India?
Yes. Six channels work: the booking SMS or email, carrier customer care with your registered mobile and booking date, “Track by Mobile Number” on the carrier portal, payment app history (UPI/card/wallet), aggregator dashboard, and the India Post booking office for Speed Post or Registered Post receipts. Most cases resolve in under 10 minutes.
How do I recover a lost AWB number from the courier company?
Call the carrier’s customer-care line, provide your registered mobile number, approximate booking date, and the receiver’s pincode. Indian carriers index AWBs against sender mobile for 90-180 days. For India Post, visit the booking post office in person with ID — staff can retrieve from the EPM system.
Where do I find my AWB number after booking?
In five places: the booking confirmation SMS, email inbox plus spam folder, WhatsApp from the carrier or aggregator, payment app history (the payment description often includes the AWB), and the physical pickup label or AWB sticker photo. Aggregator app dashboards also list every AWB.
Can I track a parcel by phone number only?
Yes — major Indian carriers (Delhivery, Ekart, Blue Dart, India Post) and most aggregators offer “Track by Mobile Number” on their tracking pages. Enter the sender’s or receiver’s registered mobile to see all AWBs under that number in the last 90-180 days. Useful when the AWB is lost.
How long do carriers retain AWB records in India?
Typical retention is 90-180 days in the live tracking system, with longer-term records (1-3 years) available via written request to the carrier’s customer care. India Post retains records for 1 year for Speed Post and longer for Registered Post. For older shipments, file a written request citing the booking date and your registered mobile.
What if the customer care also can’t find my AWB?
Rare but possible for very old shipments or cash bookings at small franchise outlets. File a missing-AWB complaint in writing with the carrier’s nodal officer requesting AWB regeneration from sender ID. If unresolved, file a National Consumer Helpline complaint at 1915 — the carrier is then required to trace the AWB.
How do I track an India Post Speed Post without the receipt number?
Visit the booking post office in person with photo ID and the approximate booking date. Staff can retrieve the 13-digit tracking number from the Electronic Postal Management (EPM) system. Alternatively, file a complaint at the India Post Public Grievances portal — staff will retrieve and SMS the AWB to your registered mobile.
Conclusion
AWB loss is recoverable in 95%+ of cases — usually inside 10 minutes via SMS search, app dashboard, or a single customer-care call. The underlying problem is paper-only booking receipts that get lost, torn, or never digitised. The fix on your next shipment is to book with instant-pickup-booking or any aggregator that sends every AWB to WhatsApp, email, and the app dashboard automatically. Book a courier with WhatsApp + email receipt and stop relying on paper.