If your page is automatically scrolling to the top, bottom, or a random position every time an Elementor popup opens — you’re dealing with the Elementor popup auto-scroll bug. I hit this exact issue on a client’s site, and it took me a while to track down the fix. This article gives you the solutions that actually work, in order of simplest to most technical.
Skip straight to the fix that matches your situation, or read through all of them — they’re arranged fastest-first.
What Is the Elementor Popup Auto-Scroll Issue?
When an Elementor popup opens, the page unexpectedly scrolls to the top, bottom, or a random position — even though the popup itself appears correctly. This happens because Elementor’s popup trigger sometimes interacts with the browser’s default anchor-link scrolling behavior, causing the page to jump.
I first noticed this issue on Elementor’s own website — a discount popup opened and the page scrolled straight to the footer. If it happens to Elementor themselves, it can happen to anyone.
Fix 1: Add This CSS Snippet (Fastest Fix)
Go to Elementor → Custom CSS or your theme’s Custom CSS and add:
html {
scroll-behavior: auto !important;
}This disables smooth scrolling which is usually the root cause of the popup scroll jump. This fixes the issue in the majority of cases.
Fix 2: Use a JavaScript Snippet to Prevent Default Scroll
If the CSS fix doesn’t work, add this JavaScript via Elementor → Custom Code or a plugin like WPCode:
jQuery(document).on('click', 'a[href="#"]', function(e) {
e.preventDefault();
});This prevents empty anchor links (href=”#”) from triggering a scroll to the top of the page — a common source of the popup scroll bug.
Fix 3: Check Your Popup Trigger Button
If your popup is triggered by a button or link, check what URL or action is assigned to it:
- In Elementor editor, click your trigger button
- Go to Content → Link
- Make sure the link is set to # or javascript:void(0) — not a page anchor like #section-name
If the link contains an anchor like #contact, the browser will scroll to that section AND open the popup at the same time, causing the scroll behavior.
Fix 4: Disable Scroll Lock in Popup Settings
- Open the popup in Elementor editor
- Go to Settings (gear icon) → Advanced
- Find Prevent Scrolling and toggle it
Sometimes enabling or disabling the “Prevent Scrolling” setting resolves the conflict depending on your theme and other scripts.
Fix 5: Check for Plugin Conflicts
Smooth scroll or anchor navigation plugins often interfere with Elementor popups. Temporarily deactivate plugins like:
- Smooth Scroll / Smooth Page Scroll
- Any navigation or anchor-related plugin
- Performance optimization plugins that modify JavaScript loading
Deactivate them one by one and test after each one to find the conflict.
Best Practices to Avoid This Bug in Future
- Always use
javascript:void(0)as the link for popup trigger buttons instead of# - Keep Elementor and your theme updated — many scroll bugs are fixed in newer versions
- Test popups on a staging site before publishing to avoid user-facing bugs
- Avoid stacking multiple popup plugins — conflicts are common
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Elementor popup scroll to bottom?
This usually happens because the popup trigger is an anchor link that causes the browser to scroll. Fix it by setting the trigger link to javascript:void(0) or adding the CSS scroll-behavior fix above.
Does this issue affect all Elementor versions?
The bug appears in several versions of Elementor, particularly when used with themes that implement smooth scrolling. Updating to the latest version often resolves it, but the CSS/JS fixes above work regardless of version.
Will this fix work with Elementor Free?
The popup builder is an Elementor Pro feature, but the CSS and JavaScript fixes above apply regardless of which version you’re using.
