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Troubleshooting Common ElementsKit Header and Footer Issues

53 threads Sep 16, 2025 Plugin → Elementskit elementor addons and templates

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ElementsKit's Header and Footer builder is a powerful tool for customizing your site's layout with Elementor. However, users sometimes encounter issues where the header or footer doesn't display, functions incorrectly, or causes other problems. This guide compiles the most common issues and their solutions based on community reports.

1. Header or Footer Not Showing at All

This is one of the most frequently reported problems. The header or footer is built and activated but doesn't appear on the live site.

Common Causes and Solutions:

  • Elementor Canvas Template: The most common fix is to ensure your page is not using the 'Elementor Canvas' page template. This template is designed to remove all theme headers, footers, and sidebars. Navigate to your page's settings in Elementor and change the template to 'Elementor Full Width' or 'Default'.
  • Module Not Enabled: Verify that the Header and Footer module is activated within ElementsKit. Go to WordPress Dashboard > ElementsKit > Modules and ensure the 'Header Footer' toggle is switched on.
  • Theme or Plugin Conflict: A conflict with your theme or another plugin can prevent the header/footer from rendering. To test for this:
    1. Temporarily switch your theme to a default WordPress theme like Twenty Twenty-One or Hello Elementor.
    2. Deactivate all other plugins except for Elementor and ElementsKit.
    3. If the header/footer appears, reactivate your plugins and theme one-by-one to identify the culprit.

2. Header Search or Off-Canvas Menu Not Working

Some users report that interactive elements like the search icon or off-canvas menu trigger a URL change (e.g., adding /#ekit_modal-popup-7df1218) but don't open the intended modal window.

Common Causes and Solutions:

  • Caching Issues: Aggressive caching can break the JavaScript that controls these elements. Clear all cache from your site, including any caching plugins, server-level cache, and CDN (like Cloudflare). Temporarily disable your caching plugin to see if it resolves the issue.
  • Permalink Structure: Occasionally, an irregular permalink structure can cause problems. Try visiting Settings > Permalinks in your WordPress dashboard and simply clicking 'Save Changes' to flush the rewrite rules.

3. Performance Slowdown After Activation

If your site becomes significantly slower after enabling a custom header/footer, it's often due to a conflict rather than the plugin itself.

Common Causes and Solutions:

  • Heavy Animations or Content: As one user discovered, a complex animation within the footer was preventing content from loading correctly. Review your header/footer design for resource-intensive widgets or animations and simplify if necessary.
  • Standard Conflict Test: As with display issues, perform a conflict test by switching to a default theme and deactivating other plugins to rule out external factors.

4. White Screen or Grey Page in Header/Footer Settings

Clicking on the 'Header Footer' link in the WordPress menu and being greeted by a blank or grey screen is typically a PHP error that is being hidden.

Common Causes and Solutions:

  • Insufficient PHP Resources: Building complex layouts can require more server resources. Contact your hosting provider and ask them to increase your PHP limits. A common recommendation is: 
    memory_limit = 512M
max_execution_time = 300
  • Conflict Test: Again, a theme or plugin conflict is a likely cause. Follow the standard conflict test procedure outlined above.

5. Design or CSS Conflicts

The new header/footer might override your theme's CSS, causing other parts of your site to lose their styling.

Common Causes and Solutions:

  • How the Module Works: The ElementsKit header/footer module replaces your theme's default header.php and footer.php files. If your theme added specific CSS or JavaScript calls directly to those files, they will be removed.
  • The Solution: Move any critical theme-specific CSS from the header/footer files into your theme's main stylesheet (style.css) or add it via the WordPress Customizer's 'Additional CSS' section. This ensures the styles are loaded independently of the header.

6. PHP Warnings and Errors

Users on newer PHP versions (e.g., 8.3+) might see warnings like Undefined array key "ekit_offcanvas_menu_icons_position".

Common Causes and Solutions:

  • Plugin Update Needed: These warnings mean the plugin's code is not fully compatible with the latest PHP versions. The ElementsKit team is typically aware of these issues and releases patches. Ensure you are using the latest version of the ElementsKit plugin. If the problem persists after updating, you may need to wait for a future update that addresses the specific warning.

By methodically working through these common issues, you can usually resolve problems with the ElementsKit Header and Footer builder. If your specific issue isn't listed here, the universal first step is always a conflict test to isolate the cause.

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