Editing headers & footers in Elementor
Learn how to find and edit your site's header and footer using the Elementor Theme Builder, and what changes are safe to make yourself.
Your header (the navigation bar at the top) and footer (the content at the bottom of every page) appear on every page of your site. This guide explains how to find and edit them in Elementor.
Quick summary
Headers and footers are edited through the Elementor Theme Builder, not through regular page editing. Go to WordPress → Templates → Theme Builder to find and open them. Changes apply immediately to every page on the site.
What you'll need
Intermediate- Elementor Pro installed
- WordPress administrator or editor access
How to open the header for editing
In your WordPress dashboard, go to Templates in the left menu.
Click "Theme Builder."
Find your Header template in the list. It will be labeled "Header."
Click "Edit" next to it. Elementor opens with the header template.
Make your edits. The header layout behaves like any Elementor page.
Click "Update" when you are done. The change goes live immediately on every page.
How to open the footer for editing
The process is identical to editing the header:
- Go to WordPress → Templates → Theme Builder
- Find the Footer template
- Click Edit
- Make changes in Elementor
- Click Update
Common header edits
These changes are straightforward and safe to make yourself:
- Phone number or contact detail — click the text widget showing it and update
- Tagline or short text under the logo — click and edit the text widget
- Button label or link in the header — click the button and update in the Content tab
- Social icons — click the Social Icons widget and update each platform's URL
- Logo — click the Logo widget or Site Logo widget and change the image in the Media Library
Be careful with navigation menus
The navigation menu in your header is often controlled by WordPress's built-in menu system, not directly through Elementor. To change menu items (add a page, rename a link, create a dropdown), go to WordPress → Appearance → Menus. Contact us if you are unsure.
Common footer edits
Footers typically contain:
- Your business address, phone, and email
- Navigation links (quick links or footer menu)
- Social media icons
- Copyright notice
- Privacy policy or legal links
All of these can be edited by clicking the relevant widget in the footer template and updating the text or link.
Updating the copyright year
Open the footer template in the Theme Builder.
Find the copyright text widget (usually at the bottom of the footer).
Click to edit it. Update the year in the text.
Click Update. Done.
Dynamic copyright years
Some sites use a dynamic tag to show the current year automatically — if yours does, you never need to update the copyright year manually.
What NOT to change yourself
We recommend leaving these to Chykalophia:
- The overall layout and column structure of headers/footers
- Creating a new header or footer from scratch
- Adding a sticky header (one that stays visible as you scroll)
- Setting up different headers for different pages (display conditions)
- Any changes to the navigation menu structure with dropdowns
These changes are complex and can break the layout in unexpected ways. Contact us and we will handle them properly.
Common questions
Related guides
- The Theme Builder, explained
- Editing buttons & links
- How to edit & swap images
- How to edit text in Elementor
- Undoing changes with revision history
Need a hand?
Learn more
The Elementor Theme Builder, explained
Understand what the Elementor Theme Builder is, what it controls, and when to use it versus editing regular pages.
Elementor popups (overview)
An overview of Elementor's popup builder — what popups are, how they work, and how to edit the content inside one if your site already has them.