Elementor is stuck loading

When Elementor is stuck on the loading screen, the editor has started, but one of the requests it depends on fails or is blocked. Typical causes are PHP running out of memory, a conflict with another plugin or the theme, and a server running an outdated PHP version.

Only the editor is affected. Visitors see the site as normal.

Try another browser

Browser extensions, ad blockers in particular, can block the scripts Elementor loads. Open the editor in another browser, or in a private window with extensions turned off. If it works there, an extension in your browser is blocking Elementor.

Cloudflare's Rocket Loader can also delay or block the scripts. If you use it, turn it off under Speed → Optimization in Cloudflare and try again.

Use Safe Mode

If the loading screen is still there after 30 seconds, Elementor shows a "Can't Edit?" box with an "Enable Safe Mode" button. Safe Mode loads the editor without your theme or the other plugins. It only applies to you, so visitors see the site as normal.

1. Click "Enable Safe Mode". The editor reloads in Safe Mode.
2. If the editor loads now, a plugin or the theme is causing the conflict. Click "Disable Safe Mode" before you continue. Otherwise the editor may keep starting in Safe Mode, and you can't tell which plugin is the cause.
3. Go to Plugins → Installed Plugins and deactivate the plugins one at a time, except Elementor and Elementor Pro. Open the editor with "Edit with Elementor" after each one.

You can also turn on Safe Mode under Tools in the Elementor menu, with the "Safe Mode" setting.

Check that the site addresses match

Go to Settings → General. "WordPress Address (URL)" and "Site Address (URL)" must use the same protocol and the same domain, with or without www. If one starts with http:// and the other with https://, the browser blocks the preview the editor loads. Be careful when you change the addresses, because a wrong one can lock you out of wp-admin.

Switch the loader method

Elementor has a setting for conflicts with the server configuration. Open Settings in the Elementor menu, select the "Advanced" tab and set "Switch Editor Loader Method" to "Enable". Click "Save Changes" and try again.

Raise the memory limit

Open "System Info" in the Elementor menu. Under "WordPress Environment", "Memory limit" shows the limit WordPress sets. Under "Server Environment", "PHP Memory Limit" shows the limit that actually applies. Elementor requires at least 256M and recommends 512M. If the limit is lower, open wp-config.php over FTP or in your hosting panel's file manager, and add this line just above require_once ABSPATH . 'wp-settings.php';:

define( 'WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '256M' );

Your hosting provider may have locked the limit in PHP, in which case WordPress can't raise it. If "PHP Memory Limit" still shows less than 256M, raise the limit in the hosting panel.

Check the PHP version

"Server Environment" in System Info also shows "PHP Version". Elementor needs PHP 7.4 or newer, and WordPress recommends 8.3 or newer. If your version is older, switch to a newer one in the hosting panel. Take a backup first, and check the site afterwards.

If Elementor hangs even in Safe Mode

If the editor still hangs in Safe Mode, even with enough memory and a current PHP version, one of its requests is failing. Press F12 in your browser and watch the Console and Network tabs while Elementor loads:

• Status 500 means PHP stopped with an error. Turn on the error log and check wp-content/debug.log.
• Status 403 means a firewall is blocking the request, for example ModSecurity at your host. Your hosting provider has to check the server log.
• An error saying the preview can't be shown in a frame means a security header such as X-Frame-Options: DENY is blocking it. The header is set in the server configuration or by a security plugin.