How to Use Popup Builder in Elementor?

One of the most powerful features of Elementor Pro is its Popup Builder. If you’re wondering how to use popup builder in Elementor, you’ve come to the right place. Popups are a smart way to catch user attention—be it for collecting email addresses, promoting special offers, showing exit-intent messages, or simply engaging visitors in a non-intrusive way. With Elementor’s drag-and-drop interface, creating a popup doesn’t require any coding knowledge. This step-by-step article will walk you through everything you need to know to master popups in Elementor.

To get started, you’ll need Elementor Pro, as the popup feature is available only in the premium version.

1. Introduction to Popup Builder in Elementor

Elementor’s Popup Builder lets you create stunning, customizable popups that integrate seamlessly with the rest of your website. Unlike other popup plugins that operate as standalone tools, Elementor Popups are built into the same interface you use to design your pages. This means you can use any Elementor widget, design settings, and responsive controls within your popup. You can use popups to display contact forms, videos, banners, age verification messages, discount offers, announcements, and much more.

What makes this builder stand out is its flexibility—you can set where and how popups appear using a combination of Display Conditions, Triggers, and Advanced Rules, all in a visual editor.

2. Requirements Before Getting Started

Before you can use the Popup Builder, there are a few technical and software requirements to meet. First, make sure your website is running on WordPress, and you’ve installed the free Elementor plugin from the WordPress repository. Most importantly, you’ll need an active subscription to Elementor Pro. That’s because the popup feature is part of the premium suite.

You can get Elementor Pro from the official site using this link: Elementor Pro Plugin.

Once installed and activated, go to your WordPress dashboard and make sure both Elementor and Elementor Pro are up to date. This ensures compatibility with the latest features and security improvements.

3. Accessing the Elementor Popup Builder

To access the Popup Builder in Elementor, navigate to your WordPress admin dashboard. Hover over Templates on the left-hand menu, then click on Popups. This section lists all previously created popup templates and allows you to add new ones.

Click the “Add New” button. A modal window will appear asking you to choose the template type. Select “Popup” from the dropdown and give your new popup a name (for example, “Exit Offer” or “Newsletter Signup”). Click “Create Template” to open the Elementor editor.

You’ll now have access to the popup template library. Elementor provides dozens of pre-made designs that are optimized for common use cases, including email capture, discount alerts, and exit-intent popups. You can choose one of these templates or start designing from scratch.

4. Designing a New Popup Template

Once you're in the Elementor editor, designing a popup is as easy as building a regular page. The blank canvas will show the popup overlay and editing window, which you can resize or style to your liking.

Begin by adding a section and choosing a column structure. Then, drag widgets like Headings, Text Editors, Images, Buttons, and Forms into your design. If you're creating a lead-generation popup, you’ll likely want to use the Form widget, which is exclusive to Elementor Pro.

You can style each widget using the Style tab to change colors, fonts, spacing, and borders. Use the Advanced tab to add padding, margins, responsive settings, or motion effects. Elementor also allows you to add animations like fade-in, slide-in, bounce, and zoom, which can help draw attention to your popup.

The flexibility here is immense. You can make popups look like banners, modals, full-screen takeovers, slide-ins, or even tiny alert bars.

5. Configuring Popup Settings

Popup settings control how the popup behaves visually and interactively. You’ll find these options by clicking the small gear icon (⚙️) in the bottom left of the editor. This opens the Popup Settings panel.

From here, you can set the popup’s width and height, either in pixels (px), percentage (%), or viewport units (vh, vw). You can also choose whether the popup is centered on the screen, anchored to a corner, or full-screen.

You can enable or disable the overlay background, which adds a darkened layer behind the popup to focus user attention. The close button can be customized in terms of position, icon, and size. There’s also an option to prevent closing the popup when someone clicks outside it or presses the ESC key.

These settings are vital for making your popup match your brand and user experience goals. For instance, urgent offers may benefit from full-screen, locked-in popups, while simple alerts might use smaller, dismissible boxes.

6. Setting Display Conditions

After designing your popup, click “Publish” in the editor. Elementor will then prompt you to set Display Conditions. These conditions define where on your website the popup will appear.

For example, you can:

  • Show the popup across the entire website, which is useful for site-wide promotions.

  • Limit it to specific pages, such as product pages, blog posts, or landing pages.

  • Display it only for posts in a certain category or tag, helpful for targeted campaigns.

  • Apply it to certain post types like WooCommerce products or custom post types.

These conditions are stacked and can be combined for highly specific targeting. This makes it possible to show different popups to different segments of your audience, enhancing the user experience and conversions.

7. Triggering Options in Elementor Popup Builder

Once you’ve chosen where the popup will show, the next step is deciding when it will appear. Elementor offers a set of Triggers to choose from:

  • On Page Load: This shows the popup after a specified delay once the page finishes loading. It’s ideal for announcements or welcome messages.

  • On Scroll: This option lets the popup appear when a user scrolls down a certain percentage of the page. It’s great for content-focused pages.

  • On Scroll to Element: A very precise trigger that fires when a specific element (like a footer or image) becomes visible.

  • On Click: This allows a popup to appear only when the user clicks a button, image, or text link. It’s often used for opt-in forms and product inquiries.

  • After Inactivity: This is useful for re-engaging idle users. If a visitor stays on a page without interaction for a set period, the popup will show up.

  • On Exit Intent: Available on desktop devices, this trigger activates the popup when a user tries to leave the page (by moving their cursor toward the browser tab or close button).

Combining these triggers helps create a smooth, non-intrusive experience while boosting engagement.

8. Advanced Rules for Personalized Experiences

Elementor’s Advanced Rules let you fine-tune the behavior of your popups even further. These rules define how often, to whom, and under what conditions the popup should appear.

You can set rules like:

  • Show the popup only after a user has visited a certain number of pages.

  • Limit popup appearances to once per session, day, or visit.

  • Only display popups to users arriving from specific URLs (for example, a Facebook or Google Ads campaign).

  • Target popups based on device type (desktop, tablet, or mobile).

  • Show popups only to logged-in or logged-out users.

This functionality is critical for creating smart popups that don’t annoy users but instead feel personalized and timely.

9. Publishing and Testing Your Popup

Once all conditions and triggers are set, click the final Save & Close button to publish your popup. However, your job doesn’t end here. It's vital to test the popup on the front end of your site.

Visit the pages where the popup should appear. Test each trigger (scroll, exit, click, etc.) and ensure the popup appears correctly on all screen sizes and browsers. Check how it behaves on mobile vs. desktop, and whether the form submissions or click actions are working properly.

If your popup is triggered on click, create a button or link on your page, and assign it to open the popup using Elementor’s dynamic actions.

10. Real Use Cases of Elementor Popups

Popups built with Elementor can serve a wide range of practical purposes beyond lead capture. Here are a few examples:

  • Email Newsletter Signup: Encourage visitors to subscribe with a compelling offer or lead magnet.

  • Exit Intent Offers: Save abandoning visitors by offering a last-minute discount or bonus.

  • Age Verification Popups: For alcohol, CBD, or adult content, add an age gate popup to comply with legal guidelines.

  • Cookie Consent Messages: Create stylish GDPR or CCPA consent popups.

  • Product Launch Teasers: Use full-screen popups to announce upcoming product drops or launches.

  • Video Popups: Embed YouTube or Vimeo videos in popups to promote webinars, tutorials, or product demos.

With Elementor Pro, the creative potential is unlimited, and all of this can be done without writing a single line of code.

Conclusion

Learning how to use popup builder in Elementor is an essential skill for any website owner or marketer who wants to improve user engagement and conversions. Whether you want to build a simple welcome message or a complex multi-condition popup, Elementor Pro gives you everything you need to do it visually and efficiently.

From setting up display rules and triggers to designing beautiful popup layouts and integrating them with your forms, Elementor’s Popup Builder simplifies it all in one place. If you’re not using it yet, get Elementor Pro here and start building popups that actually convert.

FAQs

Q1: Can I use popup builder in the free version of Elementor?
A: No, the popup builder is only available in the Elementor Pro version.

Q2: How do I make a popup open on button click in Elementor?
A: In the Button widget, go to Link > Dynamic Tags > Actions > Popup > Open Popup, then select your popup from the dropdown.

Q3: Is it possible to schedule a popup for a future date?
A: Not directly, but you can use third-party scheduling plugins or set conditions that mimic scheduling behavior.

Q4: How can I track conversions from my Elementor popup?
A: You can integrate Elementor Forms with email tools or track conversions using Google Analytics or tools like Hotjar.

Q5: Can I use WooCommerce popups with Elementor?
A: Yes, Elementor integrates well with WooCommerce, and you can create custom popups for cart pages, checkout, and product views.

Q6: Are Elementor popups mobile responsive?
A: Yes, they are fully responsive, and you can customize each device layout individually.

Q7: What happens if a popup overlaps my content?
A: You can adjust the z-index, size, or positioning in the popup settings to ensure it doesn’t block essential content.

Q8: Can I close a popup using a button or custom link?
A: Yes, simply link the button to a dynamic action: Popup > Close Popup.

Q9: How many popups can I create with Elementor Pro?
A: There is no limit. You can create as many as your site needs, each with unique rules and designs.

Q10: How do I avoid annoying users with too many popups?
A: Use Advanced Rules to limit frequency and trigger popups only when it adds value to the visitor.

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