The Elementor Template Library provides hundreds of professionally designed templates for any website type.
Accessing these templates saves enormous amounts of time compared to building pages from scratch.
But sometimes the template library simply refuses to load any templates at all on the screen.
A loading spinner spins endlessly while the library area remains completely empty and unusable.
This problem occurs because Elementor cannot establish a connection to its remote template servers.
Why the Elementor template library fails to load
Elementor stores its template library on remote servers that the plugin must connect to for access.
When the website cannot reach those servers, the template library fails to load any content at all.
Security plugins sometimes block the outgoing connection because they mistake it for suspicious activity.
Server firewall rules may prevent the website from making external API requests to Elementor servers.
Poor hosting network configuration can also interfere with the connection to Elementor remote servers.
A temporary outage on Elementor’s side can also cause the template library to fail loading completely.
How security plugins block Elementor template library access
Security plugins like Wordfence, Sucuri, and iThemes Security monitor outgoing connections from the website.
Some security plugins block connections to external APIs by default to prevent data leakage risks.
When Elementor tries to fetch templates, the security plugin blocks the request and returns an error.
The Elementor template library then shows a loading spinner forever because no data ever arrives.
Adding Elementor API domains to the security plugin whitelist usually resolves this connection problem.
Step by step guide to fixing Elementor template library loading
Follow these steps in order to diagnose and fix Elementor template library loading problems.
- Check the browser console for specific error messages about blocked or failed requests
- Temporarily disable all security plugins to test if they block Elementor API connections
- Temporarily disable all caching plugins to eliminate any potential interference with API calls
- Check the hosting control panel for any firewall rules that might block external API access
- Contact hosting support and ask them to whitelist Elementor API domains on the server firewall
- Update Elementor to the latest version available from the WordPress plugin repository
- Regenerate Elementor CSS files from the Elementor Tools menu in the WordPress dashboard
- Clear all caches including plugin cache, CDN cache, and browser cache completely
- Test the template library from a different network or using a VPN connection
- Wait a few hours and try again because Elementor servers might be temporarily down
How to whitelist Elementor API domains in security plugins
In Wordfence, navigate to the Firewall settings and find the “Whitelisted URLs” section.
Add these Elementor API domains to the whitelist to allow outgoing connections to them.
my.elementor.com
templates.elementor.com
assets.elementor.com
In other security plugins, look for “API access” or “External requests” settings to add these domains.
Save the settings, clear all caches, and test the Elementor template library again for proper loading.
Elementor template library troubleshooting reference table
Here is a reference table for diagnosing Elementor template library problems based on specific symptoms.
| Symptom | Most likely cause | Recommended solution |
|---|---|---|
| Spinner spins forever, no error message appears | Connection blocked by security plugin or firewall | Whitelist Elementor API domains in security plugin |
| Error message about “Failed to fetch” templates | Server cannot reach Elementor API endpoints | Contact hosting support about external API access |
| Templates load but previews show blank screens | Corrupted Elementor installation or missing files | Reinstall Elementor from the WordPress repository |
| Only free templates load but Pro templates do not | Elementor Pro license activation problem | Reconnect Elementor Pro license in the dashboard |
| Templates load very slowly or timeout occasionally | Slow internet connection or server network issues | Test from different network or upgrade hosting |
For more information about Elementor template library issues, visit the Elementor page on wpwizzy.com.
Preventing Elementor template library loading problems in the future
Keep Elementor and Elementor Pro updated to their latest versions on a regular weekly schedule.
Document all security plugin whitelist settings so they can be restored after plugin updates.
Test the template library after making any changes to security or firewall configurations.
Use a staging website for testing updates before applying them to the live production site.
Consider using Elementor’s offline template import feature as a backup when API access fails.
Save useful templates to the “My Templates” tab for offline access without API connections.