“`html

body { font-family: ‘Helvetica Neue’, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6; color: #333; margin: 0 auto; max-width: 900px; padding: 20px; }
h1, h2, h3 { color: #2c3e50; }
h1 { font-size: 2.5em; margin-bottom: 20px; }
h2 { font-size: 1.8em; margin-top: 30px; margin-bottom: 15px; }
h3 { font-size: 1.4em; margin-top: 25px; margin-bottom: 10px; }
p { margin-bottom: 15px; }
ul, ol { margin-bottom: 15px; padding-left: 20px; }
li { margin-bottom: 8px; }
code { background-color: #f4f4f4; padding: 2px 4px; border-radius: 4px; font-family: ‘SFMono-Regular’, Consolas, ‘Liberation Mono’, Menlo, Courier, monospace; font-size: 0.9em; }
pre { background-color: #f4f4f4; padding: 15px; border-radius: 5px; overflow-x: auto; margin-bottom: 20px; }
.note { background-color: #e6f7ff; border-left: 5px solid #3399ff; padding: 15px; margin-bottom: 20px; }
.tip { background-color: #fffacd; border-left: 5px solid #ffcc00; padding: 15px; margin-bottom: 20px; }
a { color: #007bff; text-decoration: none; }
a:hover { text-decoration: underline; }
strong { font-weight: bold; }

How to Fix Elementor Smooth Scroll Not Working

Elementor’s smooth scroll feature is a fantastic way to enhance user experience, allowing visitors to elegantly glide to different sections of your page when clicking on anchor links. It adds a touch of professionalism and makes navigation feel fluid. However, it can be incredibly frustrating when your Elementor smooth scroll isn’t working as expected. You click on a link, and instead of a graceful animation, you get an abrupt jump.

Don’t worry, you’re not alone in facing this issue. Many Elementor users encounter problems with smooth scrolling, often due to conflicts, incorrect settings, or caching. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll dive deep into troubleshooting the “Elementor smooth scroll not working” problem, offering multiple solutions with step-by-step instructions. By the end, you’ll have your Elementor smooth scroll functioning flawlessly.

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Understanding Elementor Smooth Scroll Functionality

Before we jump into fixes, let’s briefly understand how Elementor’s smooth scroll works. Elementor primarily uses JavaScript to achieve its smooth scrolling effect. When you link a button or text to a section on the same page using an anchor (e.g., #my-section), Elementor automatically applies a script that intercepts the default browser jump and replaces it with a smooth animation.

This functionality relies on correct implementation of anchor IDs and link URLs, proper loading of Elementor’s scripts, and the absence of conflicting code from other plugins or themes.

Common Reasons Why Your Elementor Smooth Scroll Isn’t Working

When your Elementor smooth scroll isn’t working, it’s usually due to one of these common culprits:

• Incorrect Anchor Link Setup: The most frequent issue is a simple typo or mismatch between the anchor ID and the link.
• Caching Issues: Old cached versions of your page might be served, preventing new JavaScript from loading.
• Plugin Conflicts: Other plugins, especially those managing scripts, animations, or SEO, can interfere.
• Theme Conflicts: Your WordPress theme might have its own conflicting smooth scroll script.
• JavaScript Errors: Errors in other scripts on your page can prevent Elementor’s scripts from executing.
• CSS Issues: In rare cases, conflicting CSS might prevent the smooth scroll.
• Elementor Settings: The smooth scroll feature might be disabled in Elementor’s global settings.
• Elementor/WordPress Outdated: Older versions might have bugs or compatibility issues.

How to Fix Elementor Smooth Scroll Not Working: Step-by-Step Solutions

Let’s tackle these issues one by one. Follow these solutions in order, testing after each step.

1. Verify Anchor Link Setup in Elementor

This is the most common reason for Elementor smooth scroll not working. A small typo can break the entire functionality.

Step-by-step instructions:

1. Identify your target section: Navigate to the Elementor editor for the page where you want smooth scrolling.
2. Give the target section an ID:
   • Click on the section, column, or widget you want to scroll to.
   • Go to the Advanced tab in the Elementor sidebar.
   • In the CSS ID field, enter a unique ID (e.g., my-target-section). Make sure it’s all lowercase, no spaces, and uses hyphens for separation.
3. Link to the target section:
   • Go to the button, text, or icon you want to use as the trigger for smooth scrolling.
   • Click on it to edit its settings.
   • In the Content tab, locate the Link field.
   • Enter the anchor ID you just created, prefixed with a hash symbol (#). So, if your ID was my-target-section, the link should be #my-target-section.
4. Update/Save your page and test.

Official Reference: For more details, consult the Elementor Anchor Menu documentation.

2. Clear Your Caches (WordPress, Browser, CDN)

Caching is your website’s best friend for speed, but sometimes it holds onto old versions of your pages, preventing new script changes from taking effect. This is a crucial step when Elementor smooth scroll isn’t working.

Step-by-step instructions:

1. Clear WordPress Caching Plugin: If you use a plugin like WP Rocket, LiteSpeed Cache, W3 Total Cache, or SG Optimizer, find its settings in your WordPress dashboard and clear all caches.
2. Clear Elementor Cache:
   • Go to your WordPress Dashboard.
   • Navigate to Elementor > Tools > Regenerate CSS & Data.
   • Click the Regenerate Files button.
   • Then, go to the General tab and click “Clear Cache”.
3. Clear Browser Cache: Press Ctrl + Shift + R (Windows) or Cmd + Shift + R (Mac) to hard refresh your browser, or manually clear your browser’s caching data.
4. Clear CDN Cache (if applicable): If you use a CDN like Cloudflare, log into your CDN account and purge the cache.
5. Test your smooth scroll.

Tip: Always test after clearing caches. Many “Elementor smooth scroll not working” issues are resolved here!

3. Check for Plugin Conflicts

Conflicting plugins are a very common cause of unexpected behavior in WordPress. Another plugin’s JavaScript could be interfering with Elementor’s smooth scroll script.

Step-by-step instructions:

1. Backup Your Website: Before deactivating plugins, always create a full backup of your site. Hostinger’s WordPress backup guides can help.
2. Deactivate Plugins Methodically:
   • Go to Plugins > Installed Plugins in your WordPress dashboard.
   • Deactivate all plugins except Elementor and Elementor Pro (if you use it).
   • Clear all caches (WordPress, Elementor, browser) as described in step 2.
   • Test your Elementor smooth scroll.
3. Identify the Culprit:
   • If the smooth scroll works with all other plugins deactivated, reactivate your plugins one by one.
   • After reactivating each plugin, clear caches and test the smooth scroll again.
   • The plugin that breaks the smooth scroll after activation is the culprit.
4. Resolve the Conflict:
   • Contact Plugin Support: Reach out to the developer of the conflicting plugin for a solution.
   • Find an Alternative: Look for another plugin that offers similar functionality without conflict.
   • Custom Code (Advanced): For advanced users, you might try de-queuing the conflicting script or using custom JavaScript to override it, but this requires coding knowledge.

4. Examine Theme Conflicts

Similar to plugins, your WordPress theme might also be causing the Elementor smooth scroll not working issue, especially if it includes its own smooth scrolling features or advanced script handling.

Step-by-step instructions:

1. Backup Your Site: Again, a backup is essential before changing themes.
2. Switch to a Default WordPress Theme:
   • Go to Appearance > Themes in your WordPress dashboard.
   • Activate a default WordPress theme like ‘Twenty Twenty-Four’ or ‘Twenty Twenty-Three’.
   • Clear all caches.
   • Test your Elementor smooth scroll.
3. Determine the Source:
   • If smooth scrolling works with a default theme, your original theme is the problem.
   • If it still doesn’t work, the issue likely lies elsewhere (e.g., a conflicting plugin or Elementor settings).
4. Resolve Theme Conflict:
   • Contact Theme Support: Inform your theme developer about the conflict.
   • Disable Theme Smooth Scroll: Check your theme’s customization options (Appearance > Customize or theme-specific options panel) to see if there’s a setting to enable/disable smooth scrolling. Disable it if found.
   • Consider a new theme: If the issue persists and support cannot help, you may need to consider a theme that is known to be Elementor-friendly.

5. Check Elementor Global Settings and Experiments

Elementor itself has settings that can affect smooth scrolling.

Step-by-step instructions:

1. Enable HTML Anchors:
   • Go to Elementor > Settings > Advanced.
   • Ensure “Enable Elementor Frontend Method” has its HTML Anchors option set to “Yes”. (Note: This setting might vary slightly or be removed in newer Elementor versions as core functionality improves. If not found, proceed.)
2. Review Elementor Experiments:
   • Navigate to Elementor > Settings > Experiments.
   • Sometimes, new experimental features might cause unintended side effects. Briefly check if activating/deactivating any relevant experiments (e.g., related to performance or assets loading) resolves the issue. (This is less common but worth a quick look).
3. Clear Elementor Cache after making any changes.
4. Test.

6. Update Elementor, WordPress, and All Plugins/Themes

Outdated software can lead to bugs, security vulnerabilities, and compatibility issues, making your Elementor smooth scroll not working. Always keep your site components up-to-date.

Step-by-step instructions:

1. Backup Your Website: This is paramount before any updates!
2. Update WordPress Core: Go to Dashboard > Updates.
3. Update Elementor and Elementor Pro: Check Plugins > Installed Plugins.
4. Update Your Theme: Go to Appearance > Themes.
5. Update All Other Plugins: Check Plugins > Installed Plugins.
6. Clear all caches after all updates.
7. Test your smooth scroll.

7. Add Custom JavaScript for Smooth Scrolling (If All Else Fails)

If none of the above solutions work and you’re confident there are no major conflicts, you can try adding a custom JavaScript snippet. This might bypass Elementor’s native script if it’s struggling.

Disclaimer: This method requires comfort with code and should only be used if other solutions fail. Incorrect code can break your site.

Step-by-step instructions:

1. Install a Custom Code Plugin: Use a plugin like “Code Snippets” or “WPCode” to add custom JavaScript safely. Alternatively, use your theme’s custom CSS/JS area or a child theme’s functions.php file.
2. Add the JavaScript Snippet:

   Paste the following code. This snippet uses jQuery (which WordPress ships with) to intercept clicks on internal anchor links and apply a smooth scroll effect.

   
   
   jQuery(document).ready(function($) {
       $('a[href^="#"]').on('click', function(event) {
           var target = $(this.hash);
           if (target.length) {
               event.preventDefault();
               $('html, body').animate({
                   scrollTop: target.offset().top
               }, 800); // 800 milliseconds for scroll duration
           }
       });
   
       // Handle Elementor's specific anchor links for compatibility
       if (typeof elementorFrontend !== 'undefined') {
           elementorFrontend.hooks.addAction('frontend/element_ready/section', function($scope) {
               // Re-apply smooth scroll to newly rendered elements if needed after AJAX loads
               $scope.find('a[href^="#"]').on('click', function(event) {
                   var target = $(this.hash);
                   if (target.length) {
                       event.preventDefault();
                       $('html, body').animate({
                           scrollTop: target.offset().top
                       }, 800);
                   }
               });
           });
           elementorFrontend.hooks.addAction('frontend/element_ready/column', function($scope) {
               $scope.find('a[href^="#"]').on('click', function(event) {
                   var target = $(this.hash);
                   if (target.length) {
                       event.preventDefault();
                       $('html, body').animate({
                           scrollTop: target.offset().top
                       }, 800);
                   }
               });
           });
           elementorFrontend.hooks.addAction('frontend/element_ready/widget', function($scope) {
               $scope.find('a[href^="#"]').on('click', function(event) {
                   var target = $(this.hash);
                   if (target.length) {
                       event.preventDefault();
                       $('html, body').animate({
                           scrollTop: target.offset().top
                       }, 800);
                   }
               });
           });
       }
   });
   
               

   You can adjust the 800 value to change the scroll duration (in milliseconds