Fixing the Elementor scroll-to-anchor issue on mobile is crucial for ensuring seamless navigation and a smooth user experience.
With over 5 million active installations, Elementor is a go-to WordPress website builder that offers incredible design flexibility. However, like any tool, it can sometimes run into issues; one of the most common is the anchor name not working properly on mobile devices.
But don’t worry! From quick hacks to adjusting key files, checking the log, and making notes of essential tweaks, this guide will help you restore your site’s proper functioning in no time.
TL;DR: Quick Fixes for Mobile Navigation Jump Issues
- Anchor links help users jump to specific sections quickly, improving navigation, dwell time, and overall mobile browsing experience.
- Problems usually occur due to incorrect settings, plugin or theme conflicts, caching, missing targets, or JavaScript and HTML configuration issues.
- Simple fixes include checking Elementor settings, creating proper anchor targets, adjusting scroll offset, or testing with a default theme.
- If problems continue, review server performance, resolve conflicts, or use dedicated scrolling plugins to ensure smooth navigation across mobile devices.
Understanding Anchor Links
Anchor links are a powerful tool in web design that allow users to navigate to specific sections of a webpage without scrolling the entire page.
They are especially useful for long pages that require users to scroll through extensive content. In this section, we will explore the concept of anchor links, how they work, and their benefits
What is an Anchor in Elementor?
Also known as the jump menu, the anchor menu in Elementor helps users navigate within a page or post. An
Elementor anchor can be likened to the table of contents for this blog. Since the blog has several sections, an anchor for each section makes navigation easier.
For instance, in this blog post, a user can directly skip to the ‘Fixes For Elementor Scroll-to-Anchor Issue on Mobile’ section by clicking the link.
This ‘anchor link’ feature makes it easy for website visitors to quickly find the information they are looking for, thereby improving the user experience. Plus, it can help increase dwell time, a ranking factor.
In Elementor, the menu anchor widget can help you add an anchor to your page or post. Just add a unique name or ID to the anchor and link it via text, a button, or a menu item.
Related: How to Fix Widget Panel Not Loading in Elementor
Advantages of Using an Elementor Anchor
Improved website accessibility is one of the top advantages of using an Elementor anchor. Besides this, other advantages of the Elementor anchor are:
Improve User Experience
As mentioned earlier, anchor links make it easy to quickly find relevant information. If a particular post or page on a website is lengthy, the anchor feature makes it simpler for users to navigate through it.
They can jump to the top or bottom of the page/post with a single click, enhancing the user experience on mobile. Enabling smooth scrolling can further improve user experience by allowing users to glide to specific sections without abrupt movements.
Efficient Website Browsing with Smooth Scrolling
Likewise, rather than endless scrolling, the anchor link feature lets users skip directly to the page sections they want, ensuring smooth navigation within a single webpage.
This makes mobile website browsing more efficient, helping users save time, which they’ll appreciate.
Quick Navigation with Anchor Links
Poor navigation is one of the main reasons for a high bounce rate on mobile. By using the Elementor anchor link feature, website owners can increase dwell time and page views, thereby reducing bounce rate.
A lower bounce rate, in turn, can help boost your site’s ranking on the SERPs. Additionally, making the navigation visually appealing can further improve user experience and reduce bounce rates.
Enhanced SEO
Some of the advantages of using anchor links are improved user experience, increased dwell time and pageviews, lower bounce rate, and higher ranking. All of these advantages will directly enhance your site’s SEO.
Learn More About: Best Methods to Add Elementor Language Selector to Your Site
Reasons for Elementor Scroll-to-Anchor Issue on Mobile
Before we look at how to fix the Elementor scroll-to-anchor issue on mobile, let’s check out the primary reasons for this issue. By determining the reason, you can quickly implement the right fix to resolve this problem.
Elementor Settings
Before you browse through the reasons for the scroll-to-anchor feature not working on mobile, start by checking the settings in Elementor.
It could be that the ‘scroll-to-anchor’ feature is disabled or not properly configured. If this is the case, you can resolve the error by enabling the feature and reconfiguring it.
Theme or Plugin Conflict
In most cases, if a theme or plugin is not compatible with Elementor, it can cause the scroll-to-anchor not working on mobile. Incompatibility could interfere with the smooth functioning of this feature. Too many WordPress plugins could also lead to this issue.
Lack of Targets
Anchor links have a target attribute that specifies ‘an action’ once the link is clicked. If the target or anchor text is not specified or is missing/blank, it can cause a scroll-to-anchor issue on mobile.
JavaScript, HTML, or Cache Issues
Incompatibility or restrictions in JavaScript on mobile devices may be the reason the Elementor scroll-to-anchor feature isn’t working on mobile.
Caching is another issue that could prevent anchor links from functioning optimally. Lastly, if the HTML structure of a page or post is misconfigured, it could affect the functionality of anchor links.
Adjusting scroll behavior using specific widgets or custom CSS can also resolve issues related to anchor links, as modern browsers support native CSS solutions make them more accessible and preferable to JavaScript alternatives.
Poor Server Health
If you are using cheap web hosting without a proper server infrastructure, it could cause scroll-to-anchor not working on mobile.
Optimal server health is critical for plugins to work seamlessly on a WordPress website. Lack of the same could result in a plugin conflict and, in this case, may impact the anchor link functionality on mobile.
Elementor Scroll-to-Anchor Issue Not Fixed Yet?
WordPress support team can help diagnose the cause and resolve it quickly so your site navigation works smoothly on every device.
Quick Methods to Fix Elementor Scroll-to-Anchor Issue on Mobile
Once you know the reason for the scroll-to-anchor issue on mobile, you can use the quick fixes below to rectify it. These are straightforward fixes that don’t require technical expertise.
However, if you need professional help to implement them, get in touch with a WordPress expert.
Method 1: Choose a Default WordPress Theme
The simplest way to fix the scroll-to-anchor issue on mobile is to revert to a default WordPress theme.
If this solution works, you know that the reason was the theme’s incompatibility with the Elementor plugin. Before you revert to the default theme, take a website backup.
Read More: Best WordPress Backup Plugins
Method 2: Create Targets
If the post or page lacks a target link, the scroll-to-anchor feature will not function properly on mobile devices. To fix this, create target links and highlight them. Here’s how:
- Set up the theme and type the following code
.menu-item a{
Color: black;
}- Next, you need the code below to highlight the target link
.menu-itema.mPS2id-highlight{
color: blue;
}Method 3: Use a JavaScript Filter
You can also add a JavaScript filter to the Elementor menu anchor widget. Here’s the code to add the required JavaScript filter.
add_action( 'wp_footer', function() {
if ( ! defined( 'ELEMENTOR_VERSION' ) ) {
return;
}
?>
<script>
jQuery( function( $ ) {
$( window ).on( 'elementor/frontend/init', function() {
elementorFrontend.hooks.addFilter( 'frontend/handlers/menu_anchor/scroll_top_distance', function( scrollTop ) {
var isMobile = $(window).width() <= 760;
if (isMobile) {
return scrollTop - 1000;
} else {
return scrollTop;
}
} );
} );
} );
</script>
<?php
} );Method 4: Adjust Scrolling
Another easy way to fix the Elementor scroll-to-anchor issue on mobile is to adjust the scrolling offset when the menu is in mobile mode. You could use a JavaScript filter to adjust the scrolling value.
Method 5: Prevent the Menu from Closing
One common issue on mobile is the menu closing too quickly after tapping a link before the scrolling animation completes. This interrupts the anchor scroll behavior.
To fix this, delay the menu close using JavaScript or plugins like Elementor Custom Code. Alternatively, modify the JavaScript to keep the menu open until the scroll completes.
Here’s a basic example using jQuery:
jQuery(document).ready(function($){
$('.elementor-nav-menu a').click(function(e){
e.preventDefault();
var target = $(this).attr('href');
$('html, body').animate({
scrollTop: $(target).offset().top
}, 600, function(){
// Close the menu after scroll
$('.elementor-menu-toggle').trigger('click');
});
});
});Related: Fix Elementor Animated Headline Not Working
Best Anchor and Scroll Plugins for WordPress
If none of the above fixes resolve the Elementor scroll-to-anchor issue on mobile, consider using another plugin specifically for this feature.
Below are a few anchor and scroll plugins for WordPress, also known as anchor or jump link plugins. These provide a host of features that can help enhance the user experience.
WordPress Infinite Scroll: Ajax Load More
This is a lightweight plugin with over 50k active installations. It lets you add the scroll-to-anchor feature to a single post, a page, a lazy-loading page, comments, and more.
It also allows you to create custom shortcodes for infinite scrolling. Ajax Load More plugin is compatible with WooCommerce and Easy Digital Downloads. Plus, it is multisite-compatible and lets you customize the plugin settings.
Pricing: The core version is available for free. The premium version pricing starts at $149 for a single website.
Read More About: Best Elementor Templates for WordPress
Page Scroll to ID
This plugin allows you to add smooth scrolling animation to anchor links. It provides advanced functionality, such as adjustable scrolling animation for single-page websites, back-to-top links, and in-page navigation.
It also allows you to highlight the targeted link and text via ready-to-use CSS classes. Other features include offset scrolling and link-specific offset, among others.
Pricing: The Page Scroll to Id plugin is free and compatible with WordPress version 3.3 or higher.
Ultimate Blocks: Gutenberg Blocks Plugin
The ultimate blocks plugin offers a range of features to enhance the user experience. From anchor links and a scroll perspective, it generates a ‘table of contents’ from the headings.
It lets you enable or disable the ‘smooth scrolling’ feature. Moreover, you can adjust the scroll offset for mobile and split the table of contents into columns.
Pricing: Available for free!
Read More: QI Addons for Elementor, Plugin Review
WPFront Scroll Top
This is another excellent anchor to the WordPress scroll plugin with 200,000+ active installations. It offers a range of customization, such as display buttons for when a user scrolls down a page or animation for back-to-top buttons.
WP Front Scroll Top is a simple-to-use plugin that allows you to create text, images, and Font Awesome buttons. Furthermore, with this plugin, you can link to an element within the page or link to different pages using URLs.
Pricing: You can download this plugin for free.
Catch Infinite Scroll
As the name suggests, this plugin allows you to add an infinite scroll to the page and post. It is a lightweight plugin that helps users load & scroll content faster.
It also offers the option to click or scroll to load content, and you can add a custom image.
The Catch infinite scroll plugin is compatible with WordPress version 5.7 or higher and has 20k active installations.
Pricing: Free on WordPress.org. Whereas the Catch Infinite Scroll PRO costs $24.99 for a 1-year license.
Read More: Elementor Stuck on Loading Screen? Here’s How to Fix It
Conclusion
Fixing website errors should be a top priority if you want to achieve a good ranking in search results.
Issues such as the Elementor scroll-to-anchor not working on mobile can affect user experience and lead to a high bounce rate. As such, fixing this issue immediately is important for a hassle-free browsing experience.
The Elementor scroll-to-anchor is not working on mobile, but it can be rectified once you know the reason for it. Before browsing through the list of reasons, check if the scroll-to-anchor feature is enabled in Elementor. Next, check for caching issues and blank targets.
If none of these are causing the scroll-to-anchor issue on mobile, check for advanced issues like JavaScript and HTML issues, poor server health, and theme & plugin conflicts.
Once you identify the cause or issue, you can implement the fixes mentioned here.
FAQs About Elementor Scroll-to-Anchor Issue on Mobile
Why does the Elementor anchor link not scroll to the correct position on mobile?
This usually happens because of sticky headers or spacing issues. The menu anchor widget may scroll correctly on desktop, but on different devices, the header covers the section.
Adjust the anchor offset or spacing so the section appears in the correct position after clicking the anchor menu link.
Why is the menu anchor working on desktop but not in the mobile menu?
Your mobile menu may use a different link or navigation structure. Ensure the same link is connected to the menu anchors in both desktop and mobile layouts. Test the navigation after you switch views to confirm the section loads as expected.
Can sticky headers cause Elementor anchor scrolling issues?
Yes. Sticky headers often push the target section out of view. When the page scrolls, the anchor moves behind the header, making the content appear hidden. Adjust the header offset or add padding to keep the section visible across devices.
What should I check if the issue persists after adding a menu anchor widget?
Check the anchor ID, spacing, and navigation settings. Make sure the menu anchor widget ID matches the anchor menu link exactly. Clear cache, test in another tab, and preview on desktop and mobile to confirm the fix.
Does Elementor Pro affect anchor scrolling on mobile?
Sometimes Elementor Pro features like motion effects, sticky settings, or custom headers can affect anchors. Review header settings, verify anchor placement, and test links in sections such as contact, music, or other page blocks to ensure scroll behavior works as expected.
