Elementor Post Carousel Not Working? Fix It

The Elementor Post Carousel widget is a fantastic tool for showcasing your blog posts, portfolio items, or custom post types in an engaging, dynamic slider. It adds a touch of professionalism and interactivity to your website, drawing visitors deeper into your content. However, like any powerful feature, you might occasionally find your Elementor Post Carousel not working as expected.

Is your carousel stuck? Are the posts not appearing? Or perhaps it’s simply not sliding? Don’t worry, you’re not alone! Many Elementor users encounter these hiccups. The good news is that most issues with the Elementor Post Carousel can be resolved with a systematic approach to troubleshooting. In this comprehensive guide from Hostinger, we’ll walk you through common problems and provide a range of solutions, complete with step-by-step instructions. By the end, your Elementor Post Carousel will be spinning smoothly and beautifully once again!

Let’s dive in and get your carousel back on track!

Why Is Your Elementor Post Carousel Not Working? Common Culprits

Before we jump into the solutions, it’s helpful to understand what might be causing your Elementor Post Carousel not working issue. Identifying the root cause can save you a lot of time. Here are the most frequent culprits:

• Plugin Conflicts: Other WordPress plugins, especially those that interact with content queries or JavaScript, can interfere with Elementor.
• Theme Incompatibilities: Your WordPress theme might have conflicting scripts or styles that prevent the carousel from rendering or functioning correctly.
• Elementor/WordPress Core Issues: Outdated versions of Elementor, Elementor Pro, or WordPress itself can lead to unexpected behavior.
• Configuration Errors: Incorrect settings within the Post Carousel widget itself (e.g., query settings, display conditions, number of posts).
• Caching Problems: Old cached data on your website or browser can prevent changes from appearing or scripts from loading properly.
• Missing Posts/Content: If the carousel is configured to display specific post types or categories, but no content exists for them, it will appear empty or broken.
• JavaScript Errors: Behind-the-scenes JavaScript errors can prevent the carousel’s animation and interactivity.
• Server-Side Issues: While less common for carousels, sometimes server resource limits or PHP version issues can indirectly affect complex widgets.
• CDN Issues: If you’re using a Content Delivery Network (CDN), it might be serving outdated files or misconfigured.

Troubleshooting Your Elementor Post Carousel: Step-by-Step Solutions

Let’s systematically go through the solutions to get your Elementor Post Carousel working flawlessly.

1. Check Basic Configuration Settings

Often, the simplest solution is the correct one. Double-check your widget’s settings.

How to Check Elementor Post Carousel Settings:

1. Navigate to the page where your Elementor Post Carousel is located in the Elementor editor.
2. Click on the Post Carousel widget to open its settings panel on the left.
3. Go to the Content tab.
4. Query Settings:
   • Ensure the “Source” is correctly set (e.g., Posts, Pages, Custom Post Types).
   • Check your “Include By” and “Exclude By” settings. Are you accidentally excluding all posts?
   • Verify “Terms” and “Authors” if you’re filtering by specific categories, tags, or authors. Make sure selected terms actually have posts.
5. Layout Settings:
   • Check “Posts Per Page” – if set to 0 or a very low number, it might not display enough.
   • Ensure “Columns” are correctly set for different devices.
6. Go to the Style tab and then Navigation. Ensure navigation arrows or dots are enabled if you expect them.
7. Go to the Advanced tab. Check for custom CSS that might be interfering.
8. After making any changes, click Update and clear your cache (we’ll cover this next).

Official Reference: Elementor Post Carousel Widget Documentation

2. Clear Caches (Browser, Plugin, Server)

Caching is a common reason why changes don’t appear or scripts don’t load. It’s crucial to clear all layers of cache.

Step-by-Step Cache Clearing:

1. Clear Browser Cache:
   • Chrome: Go to Settings > Privacy and security > Clear browsing data. Select “Cached images and files” and “Cookies and other site data,” then click “Clear data.”
   • Firefox: Go to Options > Privacy & Security > Cookies and Site Data > Clear Data… Check “Cached Web Content” and click “Clear.”
   • Safari: Go to Safari > Preferences > Privacy > Manage Website Data… > Remove All. Also, develop > Empty Caches.
   • Alternatively, try opening your website in an Incognito/Private window (which doesn’t use cached data).
2. Clear WordPress Caching Plugin Cache:
   • If you use a caching plugin like WP Rocket, LiteSpeed Cache, W3 Total Cache, or SG Optimizer, locate its menu in your WordPress dashboard (usually under Settings or its own dedicated menu item).
   • Find the option to “Clear All Cache,” “Purge Cache,” or “Delete Cache” and click it.
3. Clear Elementor Cache:
   • In your WordPress dashboard, navigate to Elementor > Tools > Regenerate CSS & Data. Click “Regenerate Files.”
   • Then go to Elementor > Tools > General > Sync Library. Click “Sync Library.”
4. Clear Server/Host Cache (if applicable):
   • Many hosting providers (like Hostinger, SiteGround, WP Engine) offer server-level caching. Log into your hosting control panel (e.g., hPanel, cPanel) and look for a caching section. Clear the server cache there.
5. After clearing all caches, refresh your page and check if the Elementor Post Carousel is now working.

3. Update Elementor, Elementor Pro, and WordPress

Outdated software is a common source of bugs and compatibility issues.

How to Update:

1. Backup Your Website: Before any major updates, always create a full backup of your website. This is crucial for disaster recovery! Most hosts offer backup solutions, or you can use a plugin like UpdraftPlus.
2. Update WordPress Core: Go to Dashboard > Updates. If an update is available, follow the instructions.
3. Update Elementor and Elementor Pro: Navigate to Plugins > Installed Plugins. Look for Elementor and Elementor Pro. If updates are available, click “Update Now.”
4. Update Your Theme: Check Appearance > Themes for any available updates.
5. Clear all caches (as described in Solution 2) after updating.
6. Check your page where the Elementor Post Carousel not working issue was present.

4. Check for Plugin and Theme Conflicts

This is one of the most frequent causes of Elementor widget malfunction. A conflict happens when two pieces of software (plugins or themes) try to do the same thing or interfere with each other’s code.

How to Identify and Resolve Conflicts:

1. Backup Your Website (Again!): Seriously, do this before deactivating plugins.
2. Switch to a Default WordPress Theme:
   • Go to Appearance > Themes.
   • Activate a default WordPress theme like Twenty Twenty-Four, Twenty Twenty-Three, or Hello Elementor (Elementor’s official theme).
   • Check if the Elementor Post Carousel now works. If it does, your original theme is likely causing the conflict. Contact your theme developer for support or consider switching themes.
3. Deactivate Plugins:
   • Go to Plugins > Installed Plugins.
   • Deactivate ALL plugins EXCEPT Elementor and Elementor Pro.
   • Check if the carousel works.
   • If it does, reactivate your plugins one by one, checking the carousel after each activation. The plugin that breaks the carousel again is the culprit.
   • Once you identify the conflicting plugin, you have a few options:
     • Look for an alternative plugin.
     • Contact the plugin developer for a fix.
     • See if there are specific settings in the conflicting plugin that can be adjusted.
4. Remember to reactivate all your necessary plugins and theme after testing.

5. Increase PHP Memory Limit

Complex plugins and themes, especially with dynamic content like carousels, can be resource-intensive. A low PHP memory limit can cause features to fail.

How to Increase PHP Memory Limit:

1. Access your wp-config.php file: You’ll need to connect to your website via FTP (using a client like FileZilla) or through your hosting provider’s file manager (e.g., hPanel, cPanel File Manager).
2. The wp-config.php file is usually located in the root directory of your WordPress installation.
3. Open wp-config.php for editing.
4. Add the following line just above the line that says /* That's all, stop editing! Happy blogging. */:

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

5. Save the file and upload it back, overwriting the old one.
6. Clear all caches (Solution 2) and check your Elementor Post Carousel.
7. If 256M isn’t enough, you can try 512M. Most shared hosting plans cap at 256M or 512M. If you need more, you might need to upgrade your hosting plan.

Official Reference: WordPress Documentation on Increasing Memory Limit

6. Regenerate Elementor Files & Sync Library

Elementor generates CSS and other files to render your pages. Sometimes, these files can become corrupted or outdated.

How to Regenerate Elementor Files:

1. From your WordPress dashboard, go to Elementor > Tools.
2. Under the General tab, find “Regenerate CSS & Data.” Click the Regenerate Files button.
3. Still under General, find “Sync Library” and click the Sync Library button.
4. Go to the Maintenance Mode tab (still under Elementor > Tools). Ensure Maintenance Mode is Off, or temporarily turn it On if you’re doing extensive work.
5. Clear all caches (Solution 2).
6. Reload your page and check the Elementor Post Carousel.

7. Check for JavaScript Errors in the Browser Console

JavaScript errors can silently break dynamic elements like carousels. Your browser’s developer console is your best friend here.

How to Check for JavaScript Errors:

1. Open the page with the problematic Elementor Post Carousel in your browser.
2. Right-click anywhere on the page and select “Inspect” (or “Inspect Element”). This will open your browser’s developer tools.
3. Go to the “Console” tab.
4. Look for any red error messages. These usually indicate a JavaScript issue.
5. If you see errors, take a screenshot or copy the error messages. They often point to a specific file or line of code, which can help in identifying the conflicting plugin or theme.
6. You can then use the information from the console errors to further debug (e.g., if it points to a specific plugin, you might have found your conflict).

8. Verify Posts Exist and Are Public

It sounds obvious, but sometimes the carousel doesn’t display posts simply because there aren’t any, or they aren’t accessible.

Steps to Verify Posts:

1. Go to Posts > All Posts in your WordPress dashboard.
2. Ensure you have published posts that match the criteria you’ve set in your Elementor Post Carousel widget query (e.g., a specific category or tag).
3. Check the “Status” of your posts – they should be “Published” and not “Draft” or “Pending Review.”
4. If you’re using custom post types, go to their respective menu item (e.g., Products, Portfolio) and ensure they are also published and meet the carousel’s query.

9. Advanced Troubleshooting: Debug Mode

If you’re still stuck, enabling WordPress’s debug mode can provide more detailed error messages.

How to Enable Debug Mode:

1. Backup your website.
2. Access your wp-config.php file via FTP or file manager (as in Solution 5).
3. Find the line:

   define( 'WP_DEBUG', false );

4. Change false to true.
5. To log errors to a file instead of displaying them on your site (which can expose sensitive information), also add these lines right below the WP_DEBUG line:

   define( 'WP_DEBUG_LOG', true );
   define( 'WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false );
   @ini_set( 'display_errors', 0 );

6. Save the file.
7. Refresh the page with the problematic carousel.
8. Check your wp-content folder for a debug.log file. This file will contain a record of all WordPress errors, which might shed light on why your Elementor Post Carousel not working.
9. Once you’re done debugging, remember to set WP_DEBUG back to false (and remove the other debug lines) to prevent performance issues and security risks.

Official Reference: WordPress Documentation on Debugging

10. Contact Support

If you’ve tried everything and your Elementor Post Carousel is still not working, it’s time to reach out for expert help.

• Elementor Support: If you have Elementor Pro, you get priority support. Log into your Elementor account and submit a support ticket via their website. Provide as much detail as possible, including the steps you’ve already taken.
• Theme Developer Support: If you suspect a theme conflict, contact your theme’s support team.
• Conflicting Plugin Support: If you identified a conflicting plugin, reach out to its developers.
• Hosting Provider Support: Your host (like Hostinger) can assist with server-side issues, PHP configuration, and sometimes even database problems.

Common Issues and Troubleshooting for Elementor Post Carousel

“My Elementor Post Carousel