Elementor not loading: how to fix an editor stuck on the loading screen

Find the cause first: read the browser console

Elementor's own article on this problem, Elementor stuck on loading screen, keeps sending you to one place: the browser console. With the stuck editor open, open the console using the shortcuts in Elementor's console guide:

• Chrome: Ctrl+Shift+J on Windows, Cmd+Option+J on Mac.
• Firefox: Ctrl+Shift+K on Windows, Cmd+Option+K on Mac.
• Edge: F12.
• Safari: Cmd+Option+C, after you turn on Show Develop menu in the Advanced tab of Safari's settings.

Reload the page with the console open and look for lines in red. Take a screenshot, because anyone you ask for help will want to see it. Then find your symptom in the table.

Before you change anything on a live client site, take a full backup. Elementor asks for one before you use Safe Mode or change settings.

Fix 1: Rule out the browser

This takes two minutes and rules out a whole group of causes. From Elementor's common troubleshooting steps:

1. Open a private window (in Chrome: the three-dot menu, then New Incognito Window), log in to WordPress and try Edit with Elementor again.
2. If it works there, clear your normal browser's cache (in Chrome: the three-dot menu, then Clear Browsing Data, then Delete data).
3. Turn off extensions and ad blockers one at a time, testing the editor after each one.
4. Or try a different browser. Elementor suggests Chrome, Firefox, Safari or Opera.

How to check: the editor opens in your normal browser and the left panel fills with widgets. If it only works in the private window, even after clearing the cache, one of your extensions is the cause.

Fix 2: Update Elementor and Elementor Pro together

Elementor lists mismatched versions of Elementor and Elementor Pro as a known cause of a stuck editor. Go to Plugins > Installed Plugins. If either plugin has an update waiting, update both to their latest versions, then reload the editor.

Fix 3: Test plugins and the theme in Safe Mode

Safe Mode loads the editor without third-party plugins, theme code or Elementor experiments. It only works inside the editor for the logged-in administrator, so visitors still see the normal site. The steps from Elementor's Safe Mode article:

1. Log in with an Administrator account. On a multisite network, only a Super Admin can do this.
2. Go to Elementor > Editor > Tools and stay on the General tab.
3. Set Safe Mode to Enable and click Save Changes.
4. Open a page with Edit with Elementor. A Safe Mode badge appears in the lower right corner of the canvas.

If the editor shows a Can't Edit? window, you can click Enable Safe Mode in that window instead.

If the editor loads in Safe Mode, a plugin or the theme is causing the problem. Elementor's advice is to deactivate every plugin except Elementor and Elementor Pro from Plugins > Installed Plugins, then reactivate them one at a time and test the editor after each one. To test the theme, install and activate Hello Elementor under Appearance > Themes. Both steps change what visitors see, so on a busy client site use a staging copy if the host provides one, or work at a quiet hour. Elementor's list of known plugin and theme conflicts is worth a quick look too.

Once you have found the plugin, contact its developer or replace it with a similar plugin. Then change the Safe Mode setting back and save, because Safe Mode keeps Elementor experiments switched off while it is on.

If the editor still hangs in Safe Mode, remember that must-use plugins installed by the host still load. Elementor's MU plugin article explains how to rename the mu-plugins folder, or you can ask the host to turn them off. If that is not it, the cause is more likely Cloudflare, the server or the browser: go to Fixes 4, 6 and 7.

Fix 4: Turn off Cloudflare Rocket Loader for Elementor

Rocket Loader is a Cloudflare speed setting that holds back all JavaScript until the page has rendered. Elementor says it can delay or block the editor's scripts. Cloudflare's own Rocket Loader page says that if you notice JavaScript or jQuery issues, you should disable it and test again.

The quickest test switches it off for the whole site:

1. In the Cloudflare dashboard, open Speed > Settings.
2. Go to Content Optimization and switch Rocket Loader off.
3. Reload the Elementor editor.

If that fixes it and you want to keep Rocket Loader for visitors, turn it off for Elementor only with a Configuration Rule (Cloudflare's steps). Go to Rules > Overview, click Create rule and choose Configuration Rule. Name the rule and set a custom filter that matches Elementor's URLs. Under Then the settings are, add Rocket Loader set to off, then click Deploy. Elementor's Rocket Loader article lists the URLs to cover: yoursite.com/*elementor* for Elementor pages and yoursite.com/?elementor_library=* for templates. Elementor also suggests clearing the Cloudflare cache.

If Cloudflare is also stuck in a redirect loop on the same site, see Cloudflare too many redirects.

Fix 5: Switch off the theme's preloader

Some themes show a loading animation, called a preloader, before each page appears. Elementor lists this as a cause of the stuck editor. Look in the theme's own settings panel or in Appearance > Customize for a preloader or page loader option. Switch it off, save and reload the editor.

Fix 6: Change X-Frame-Options from DENY to SAMEORIGIN

The Elementor editor shows the page you are editing inside a frame. If the server sends an X-Frame-Options header set to DENY, the browser will not show that frame, and the console usually shows a red error that mentions X-Frame-Options or cross-origin. Elementor's fix is to ask your hosting provider to change X-Frame-Options from DENY to SAMEORIGIN. SAMEORIGIN still stops other websites from framing yours.

Send the host the site address, the console screenshot and this line: please change the X-Frame-Options header from DENY to SAMEORIGIN for this site. How to check: reload the editor with the console open. The error should be gone.

Fix 7: Check PHP memory, PHP version and the editor loader

If the editor still fails in Safe Mode, Elementor says to check whether the server is running out of memory. Look up the numbers first. Elementor > Editor > System shows System Info, including the server environment. WordPress's Tools > Site Health > Info screen has a Server section (WordPress guide). Compare them with Elementor's requirements:

Memory: WordPress's wp-config guide describes the WP_MEMORY_LIMIT setting, and also WP_MAX_MEMORY_LIMIT for admin tasks. Neither can go above what the host allows, and some hosts block the increase altogether. The most reliable route is to ask the host to raise the PHP memory limit to at least 256 MB.

PHP version: the host controls this. Most hosting panels let you choose a version, and if yours does not, ask support. Elementor's PHP update article says to update your themes and plugins and take a backup before you switch.

Editor loader: if the console shows a 404 or ERR_INCOMPLETE_CHUNKED_ENCODING, Elementor's server configuration article says to go to Elementor > Settings > Advanced (on newer versions, Settings is under Elementor > Editor) and set Switch Editor Loader Method to Enable. It is designed for low-resource servers, and Elementor says it does not slow the site down, so you can leave it on.

Fix 8: Remove custom code or rebuild a broken widget

If only one page or template hangs, check what is on it.

• Custom code: go to Elementor > Editor > Custom Elements > Code, set the snippet you suspect to Draft and reload the editor. Add code back one piece at a time.
• A broken widget: a widget's saved settings can fall out of step with the site after updates or caching. Elementor's example is a Loop Grid. The fix is to turn that feature off in Element Manager (under Elementor > Editor > System), save the page without the widget, turn the feature back on and rebuild the widget from scratch.
• V4 elements: if the Editor V4 beta is switched on in Elementor > Editor > Settings, Elementor suggests turning it off to see whether the page loads.

If none of this worked

Gather these before you contact anyone, so you only have to explain the problem once:

• A screenshot of the red console errors.
• The System Info file: Elementor > Editor > System, then Download System Info (Elementor's guide).
• Whether the editor loaded in Safe Mode, in a private window and with Rocket Loader off.
• When it started, and what changed just before: an update, a host move, Cloudflare or a new plugin.

For Elementor Pro, log in at my.elementor.com and click the Ask Angie icon in the lower right corner to reach support (Elementor's ticket guide). Elementor support covers core Elementor features, not conflicts with other plugins. For the free plugin, post in the Elementor support forum on WordPress.org. Memory, PHP and header changes have to be made by the hosting provider. If you look after many client sites, a regular monthly care plan makes it easier to keep updates in step.

Frequently asked questions

Does Safe Mode change what visitors see on the live site?

No. Safe Mode only affects the Elementor editor for the logged-in administrator, so visitors keep seeing the normal site. It does switch off Elementor experiments while it is on, so turn it off again when you have finished testing.

Why does only one page get stuck while the others open fine?

That usually points to something on that page: custom code, or a widget whose saved settings no longer match the site. Set the custom code to Draft, or turn the widget's feature off in Element Manager, save the page, turn the feature back on and rebuild the widget.

How much PHP memory does Elementor need?

Elementor's requirements page gives 256 MB as the minimum for Elementor and Elementor Pro alone, 512 MB as recommended and 768 MB for best performance. It also asks for PHP 7.4 or higher (8.3 or higher recommended) and WordPress 6.8 or higher.

Do I have to turn Rocket Loader off for the whole site?

No. Turning it off for the whole site is the quickest test. Once you know it is the cause, you can create a Cloudflare Configuration Rule that turns Rocket Loader off only for Elementor URLs and leave it on for everything else.

I cannot find the Safe Mode setting. Where is it?

On current versions it is under Elementor > Editor > Tools, on the General tab. Elementor moved several items in its admin menu in early 2026, so older screenshots may show a different path. Only Administrators can see it, and on a multisite network only Super Admins.

If a client site keeps breaking

If one client's site keeps hanging because of stacked plugins, Cloudflare settings and tight hosting limits, ask whether that client needs a page builder at all. WebNewBiz is an AI website builder where you change the site by chatting with the AI Copilot (copy, sections, pages, design, images). Hosting and SSL are included in every plan, so there is no separate hosting account to manage. Its limits, honestly: it will not fix an existing Elementor site. If you move a site over, the content and domain come with it but the layout has to be rebuilt. The AI's first draft still needs your own edits, and it is a young platform with a much smaller ecosystem than the big builders. You can see how the Copilot works on the AI website builder page.

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