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Troubleshooting Common Autoptimize and Elementor Conflicts

27 threads Sep 16, 2025 Plugin → Autoptimize

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Many WordPress users rely on both Elementor and the Autoptimize plugin to build and speed up their websites. However, these two powerful tools can sometimes conflict, causing unexpected issues on your site. Based on common community reports, this guide will help you diagnose and resolve the most frequent problems.

Why Do These Conflicts Happen?

Autoptimize works by minifying, combining, and deferring your site's CSS, JavaScript, and HTML. Elementor, especially its Pro version and associated add-ons, relies on specific scripts and styles to function correctly. When Autoptimize processes these files, it can sometimes change their order or how they load, leading to broken functionality. The good news is that most issues can be fixed with a few simple configuration changes.

Step 1: Identify the Source of the Problem

The first and most crucial step is to identify which Autoptimize optimization is causing the conflict. The recommended troubleshooting method, often suggested by the Autoptimize team, is to systematically disable optimizations one by one.

  1. Go to Settings → Autoptimize in your WordPress dashboard.
  2. Disable one optimization type at a time (e.g., CSS, JS, HTML, Image Lazyload).
  3. Clear all caches (Autoptimize, page cache, and any CDN cache like Cloudflare).
  4. Check your site to see if the issue is resolved.

This process will pinpoint the exact culprit, allowing you to apply a targeted solution instead of disabling all optimizations.

Common Problems and Their Solutions

1. The "Edit with Elementor" Button Disappears

Problem: The admin bar button or the edit button on a page vanishes when Autoptimize is active.

Solution: This is one of the most reported issues. The fix is to disable optimization for logged-in users.

  1. In your Autoptimize settings, navigate to the Misc section.
  2. Uncheck the option labeled "Also optimize for logged in editors/administrators?".
  3. Save changes and clear your cache.

2. JavaScript Errors in Console (e.g., elementorFrontendConfig is not defined)

Problem: Elementor features like sliders, forms, or popups break, and the browser console shows errors about undefined variables.

Solution: This typically requires excluding Elementor's scripts from JavaScript optimization.

  1. Go to Autoptimize → JS, CSS & HTML → JavaScript Options.
  2. Locate the Exclude scripts from optimization field.
  3. Add the following exclusions: plugins/elementor, elementorFrontendConfig, ElementorProFrontendConfig.
  4. Save changes and clear all caches.

3. Layout or Styling Issues (e.g., missing padding, wrong colors)

Problem: Icons, buttons, or other elements appear with incorrect spacing, color, or size after optimization.

Solution: This is often caused by CSS or HTML optimization.

  1. Follow Step 1 to confirm if the issue is with CSS or HTML optimization.
  2. If it's CSS, try adding exclusions or simply leave CSS optimization off if the performance loss is minimal.
  3. If it's HTML optimization, you may need to disable it. As noted in community threads, HTML optimization has a smaller impact on performance. You can then add custom CSS to manually fix the styling.

4. Changes Not Appearing Immediately (Caching Issues)

Problem: Changes made in Elementor do not show up on the front end until you clear the cache repeatedly.

Important Note: Autoptimize handles asset optimization (CSS/JS files), not page caching. This symptom is almost always caused by a separate page caching plugin, server-level cache, or a CDN cache (like Cloudflare).

Solution: After making any change in Elementor or Autoptimize, you must clear your page cache. Identify and clear the cache from your caching plugin, your hosting provider's dashboard, or your CDN service.

Advanced Troubleshooting: When Basic Fixes Don't Work

  • Plugin Conflicts: Sometimes, the conflict is not directly with Elementor but with another add-on like "Essential Addons for Elementor." Try temporarily disabling other plugins to test.
  • Base64 Images: One user found that very long base64 encoded images pasted into an Elementor Toggle widget caused a white screen of death. Converting these to regular image tags resolved the issue.
  • Theme Conflicts: In rare cases, a conflict may exist between your theme and Autoptimize. Test with a default WordPress theme like Twenty Twenty-Four to confirm.

By following this structured approach, you can enjoy the performance benefits of Autoptimize while maintaining full compatibility with your Elementor page builder.

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