How to Fix Elementor Exit Intent Popup Not Working

You’ve meticulously crafted a compelling exit-intent popup with Elementor, designed to capture leads, offer incentives, or prevent cart abandonment. You’ve set up the content, the styling, and the all-important “Exit Intent” trigger. But then… nothing happens. Your visitors are leaving without seeing your last-ditch effort, and your carefully planned conversion strategy is falling flat.

Don’t fret! The “Elementor exit intent popup not working” issue is a common headache for many WordPress users. It can stem from a variety of sources, from simple caching conflicts to more complex compatibility issues or incorrect trigger settings. The good news is that most of these problems are entirely fixable. As experts in both Elementor and WordPress, we’re here to guide you through a comprehensive troubleshooting process, ensuring your popup starts performing its intended job.

In this in-depth guide, we’ll walk you through multiple solutions, step-by-step, to diagnose and resolve why your Elementor exit intent popup isn’t working. We’ll cover everything from basic checks to advanced debugging, providing you with the knowledge to get your popups firing perfectly and boost your website’s engagement and conversions.

Why Your Elementor Exit Intent Popup Might Not Be Working

Before diving into solutions, it’s helpful to understand the potential culprits behind an Elementor exit intent popup not working. Knowing the common causes can help you pinpoint the exact problem faster.

• Incorrect Display Conditions or Triggers: The most common reason. If the conditions aren’t met, or the trigger isn’t correctly configured, the popup won’t show.
• Caching Issues: Server-side, plugin-based, or browser caching can prevent new changes from appearing.
• Plugin Conflicts: Other WordPress plugins, especially those related to optimization, security, or other popup solutions, can interfere with Elementor’s functionality.
• Theme Compatibility: While Elementor is highly compatible, certain themes with custom JavaScript or conflicting styles might cause issues.
• JavaScript Errors: Errors in your website’s JavaScript can prevent Elementor’s popup scripts from executing correctly.
• Elementor or WordPress Outdated: Older versions might have bugs that have been resolved in newer updates.
• Ad Blockers/Browser Extensions: Some browser extensions can block popups, though Elementor’s are generally well-behaved.
• Mobile Device Behavior: Exit intent behaves differently (or not at all) on touch devices.

Solution 1: Verify Elementor Popup Display Conditions and Triggers

The first and most crucial step when your Elementor exit intent popup is not working is to double-check its settings. A small misconfiguration here can prevent your popup from ever appearing.

Step-by-Step: Checking Elementor Popup Settings

1. Navigate to Your Popup: From your WordPress dashboard, go to Elementor > Templates > Popups. Find the popup that isn’t working and click Edit with Elementor.
2. Access Popup Settings: Once in Elementor editor, click on the **gear icon** (Settings) in the bottom-left corner of the sidebar.
3. Review “Conditions” Tab:
   • Click on the Conditions tab.
   • Ensure your popup is set to display where you expect it to. For instance, if you want it site-wide, ensure “Entire Site” is selected. If it’s specific pages, verify those pages are correctly added.
   • If you have multiple popups with overlapping conditions, Elementor will generally prioritize the one with more specific conditions.
4. Review “Triggers” Tab:
   • Click on the Triggers tab.
   • Crucially, ensure “On Page Exit Intent” is toggled ON. This is the core setting for an exit intent popup.
     

     
     Source: Elementor Documentation
     

   • If you have other triggers enabled (e.g., On Page Load, On Scroll), they might be interfering or showing the popup too early, making the exit intent trigger seem non-functional. For a pure exit intent popup, it’s often best to disable other triggers initially for testing.
5. Review “Advanced Rules” Tab (Optional):
   • Click on the Advanced Rules tab.
   • Check if any rules are preventing the popup from showing. For example, “Show X times” might have been met, or “Show on devices” might exclude the device you are testing on.
   • Pay attention to “Hide for logged in users” or “Show on specific devices.”
   • If “Show X times” is set to “1” and you’ve already seen it, Elementor thinks its job is done. Clear your browser cookies or increase this number for testing.
6. Update and Test: After making any changes, click the Update button at the bottom of the Elementor panel. Then, clear your website’s cache (if any) and test the popup in an incognito window.

Solution 2: Clear Caches and Test in Incognito Mode

Caching is a common culprit for changes not appearing on your website. If your Elementor exit intent popup is not working after you’ve configured it, chances are cached data is obscuring your updates.

Step-by-Step: Clearing Caches

1. Clear Elementor Cache:
   • From your WordPress dashboard, go to Elementor > Tools > General.
   • Click the Regenerate CSS & Data button.
   • Then, go to the General tab and click Clear Cache under “Safe Mode.”
2. Clear WordPress Caching Plugin Cache:
   • If you use a caching plugin like WP Super Cache, W3 Total Cache, LiteSpeed Cache, or WP Rocket, navigate to its settings (usually found in the WordPress dashboard sidebar or under “Settings”).
   • Look for a “Clear Cache,” “Delete Cache,” or “Purge All Caches” button and click it. The exact wording varies by plugin.
3. Clear Server-Side Cache (if applicable):
   • If your host (like Hostinger) uses server-level caching (e.g., LiteSpeed Cache at the server level), log into your hosting control panel (hPanel, cPanel, etc.).
   • Look for options like “Purge Cache,” “Cache Manager,” or “Flush All Cache.” Refer to your host’s documentation for exact steps. For Hostinger users, this is often found in the hPanel under “Website” > “Cache Manager.”
4. Clear Browser Cache:
   • Even after clearing website and server caches, your browser might still be holding onto old versions.
   • For Chrome: Go to Settings > Privacy and security > Clear browsing data. Select “Cached images and files” and choose a time range (e.g., “All time”). Click “Clear data.”
   • Alternatively, a quicker way to test is to use an Incognito or Private Browsing window. These windows don’t use your browser’s existing cache or cookies, providing a fresh view of your site.
5. Test: After clearing all relevant caches, open a new incognito window and visit your website to see if the Elementor exit intent popup is now working.

Solution 3: Check for Plugin Conflicts

Third-party plugins can often interfere with Elementor’s functionality, leading to an Elementor exit intent popup not working correctly. This is particularly true for other popup plugins, security plugins, or optimization plugins that aggressive minify JavaScript.

Step-by-Step: Isolating Plugin Conflicts

Important: Always back up your website before performing these steps, especially when deactivating plugins. Use a staging environment if possible.

1. Temporarily Deactivate All Other Plugins:
   • Go to Plugins > Installed Plugins in your WordPress dashboard.
   • Select all plugins except Elementor and Elementor Pro.
   • From the “Bulk Actions” dropdown, choose Deactivate and click Apply.
2. Test the Popup:
   • Clear all caches (Elementor, plugin, server, browser as per Solution 2).
   • Open an incognito window and visit your site to see if the exit intent popup is now working.
3. If the Popup Works (Conflict Detected):
   • This indicates one of the deactivated plugins was causing the conflict.
   • Go back to Plugins > Installed Plugins.
   • Re-activate your plugins one by one, clearing cache and testing after each activation, until the popup stops working again.
   • The last plugin you activated before the popup broke is likely the culprit.
   • Once identified, decide if you can replace the conflicting plugin, find alternative settings within it, or contact its support for a resolution.
4. If the Popup Still Doesn’t Work (No Obvious Conflict):
   • This suggests the issue lies elsewhere (e.g., theme, Elementor settings, or JavaScript errors). Proceed to the next solutions.

Solution 4: Theme Compatibility Review

While less common with well-coded themes, some themes, especially highly customized ones or those with aggressive optimization features, can interfere with Elementor’s scripts or styles. If your Elementor exit intent popup is not working after trying the above, consider your theme.

Step-by-Step: Testing Theme Compatibility

Important: Perform this on a staging site if possible, as changing themes will alter your site’s appearance instantly.

1. 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.

   
   Source: WordPress Documentation
   

2. Clear Caches and Test:
   • Clear all caches (Elementor, plugin, server, browser).
   • Open an incognito window and check if the Elementor exit intent popup is now working.
3. If the Popup Works (Theme Conflict Detected):
   • This points to your original theme as the source of the problem.
   • You have a few options:
     • Contact your theme developer for support.
     • Consider switching to a more Elementor-friendly theme (e.g., Hello Elementor, Astra, GeneratePress).
     • Investigate if specific theme settings (e.g., performance optimizations) can be adjusted.
4. If the Popup Still Doesn’t Work:
   • The theme is likely not the issue. Revert to your original theme and continue troubleshooting.

Solution 5: Check for JavaScript Errors

JavaScript errors on your site can prevent Elementor’s scripts from executing correctly, which would cause your Elementor exit intent popup not working. These errors are often invisible to the average user but can be easily spotted in your browser’s developer console.

Step-by-Step: Inspecting for JavaScript Errors

1. Open Your Website: Navigate to the page where your exit intent popup should appear.
2. Open Developer Tools:
   • Chrome/Edge: Right-click anywhere on the page and select “Inspect” or press `Ctrl + Shift + I` (Windows) / `Cmd + Opt + I` (Mac).
   • Firefox: Right-click anywhere and select “Inspect Element” or press `Ctrl + Shift + I` / `Cmd + Opt + I`.
   • Safari: Go to Safari > Preferences > Advanced and check “Show Develop menu in menu bar.” Then, from the “Develop” menu, select “Show JavaScript Console” or press `Cmd + Opt + C`.
3. Go to the “Console” Tab:
   • Within the Developer Tools window, click on the Console tab.
   • Look for any red error messages. These indicate JavaScript errors.

   
   Source: Hostinger Tutorials
   

4. Analyze Errors:
   • Minor warnings are usually fine, but significant red errors can break functionality.
   • Note down the error message and the file where it originates (often a .js file from a plugin or theme).
5. Address the Errors:
   • If the error points to a specific plugin, try deactivating that plugin (refer to Solution 3).
   • If it’s theme-related, consider the theme compatibility check (refer to Solution 4).
   • Sometimes, errors are caused by outdated plugins or themes; ensure everything is updated (refer to Solution 6).
   • If you’re comfortable with code, you might try to debug it. Otherwise, providing these errors to Elementor support or the relevant plugin/theme developer will be crucial.

Solution 6: Update Elementor, Elementor Pro, and WordPress

Outdated software is a common source of bugs and compatibility issues. Ensuring Elementor, Elementor Pro, and your WordPress core are all running on their latest versions can resolve existing glitches and improve overall stability. This is a fundamental step when your Elementor exit intent popup is not working.

Step-by-Step: Updating Software

Important: Always back up your entire website before performing major updates, especially for WordPress core or premium plugins.

1. Update WordPress Core:
   • Go to Dashboard > Updates.
   • If an update is available, click Update Now.

   
   Source: WordPress Documentation
   

2. Update Elementor and Elementor Pro:
   • Go to Plugins > Installed Plugins.
   • Look for Elementor and Elementor Pro. If an update is available, you’ll see a notification below their names.
   • Click Update now for both plugins.
3. Update Your Theme:
   • Go to Appearance > Themes.
   • If your theme has an update, you’ll see a notification. Click to update it.
4. Update All Other Plugins:
   • While you’re at it, update