How Do I Apply an Elementor Template to a Page

Last modified: July 8, 2026

Elementor

When you apply a template in Elementor, one question comes up almost immediately: will it replace what’s already on the page, or add to it? The answer depends on whether the page has existing content, and Elementor tells you at the moment you click Insert. This guide covers how to apply any type of template to any page, what to expect from Elementor’s dialog when content already exists, and what to do when a template won’t appear or doesn’t render correctly.

A second naming issue trips up new users: in WordPress, “page template” can mean two different things. A WordPress-level page template (set in the Page Attributes sidebar) controls site-wide layout things like whether the header and footer appear. An Elementor content template controls what’s inside the editor canvas. These are completely separate systems. If your page is missing a header or footer after inserting an Elementor template, check Page Attributes, not the template library.

All three template sources, the Elementor library, your own saved designs, and imported template kits, use the exact same insertion process. The source of the template doesn’t change the steps.

* This button will show the rest of the post and open up an offer from a vendor

What is a Template?

In Elementor, “template” covers three distinct things. Knowing which type you are working with avoids a lot of confusion:

Template Library templates are pre-built page and block layouts from Elementor’s own design team. You access them directly inside the editor without downloading anything. The free version includes a limited selection. Elementor Pro unlocks the full library with hundreds of professional layouts.

Saved templates are designs you have built and saved for reuse across your site. Once you save a page or section as a template, it shows up in the My Templates tab inside the template library panel. Full-page designs appear under the Pages sub-tab. Section and block designs appear under the Blocks sub-tab. Both show up in the same place and are inserted the same way.

Template Kit templates come from an imported template kit, either from the Elementor marketplace, ThemeForest, or another third-party source. After you import a kit, its individual page templates appear in My Templates under the Pages sub-tab, alongside any templates you’ve saved yourself. There is no separate “Kit” tab — kit templates and your own saved templates live in the same list.

One thing all three types have in common: they are inserted using the same folder icon in the Elementor toolbar, and they appear in the same template library panel. The type of template only affects which tab it shows up under.

How Do I Apply an Elementor Template to a Page?

Will applying a template delete my existing content? If the page already has content, Elementor shows a dialog asking whether to replace it or add the template below it. If the page is blank, Elementor inserts the template without any dialog. So applying a template to a page with content does not automatically delete anything — you get to choose what happens.

Here is how to apply a template to any page in Elementor:

Open the page in Elementor. From your WordPress admin, go to Pages, hover over the page you want to edit, and click “Edit with Elementor.”
Click the folder icon. In the Elementor editor toolbar, look for the folder icon labeled “Add Template” near the center. Click it to open the template library panel.
Choose your template source. The panel has three tabs. The Pages tab has full-page layouts. The Blocks tab has section-level pieces like hero sections, pricing tables, and testimonials. The My Templates tab holds your saved designs and any imported kit templates.
Select a template and preview it. Hover over any template and click “Preview” to see it before committing. Use the “X” at the top to close the preview without inserting.
Click Insert. If your page has existing content, a dialog appears asking whether to replace the page content or insert the template at the bottom. If the page is blank, Elementor skips this dialog entirely and inserts straight to the canvas.
Save your work. Click the green Publish or Update button at the bottom left. The template is now applied, but any changes you make from here are specific to this page and do not affect the template itself or other pages that use the same template.

The same insertion process works for standard pages, blog posts, and WooCommerce product pages. Elementor treats them all identically at the insertion step.

There is also a link to upload an Elementor template kit if you first need to import a kit before applying its templates.

Troubleshooting Common Template Problems

If you run into a problem after inserting a template, one of these five issues is almost always the cause:

Template not showing in the library. If you imported a kit or saved a template but it doesn’t appear in My Templates, refresh the template library by closing and reopening the panel. If it still doesn’t show, go to Templates in your WordPress admin and confirm the template is published, not in draft. Templates in draft status do not appear in the library panel.

Applied a template to the wrong page. If you clicked Insert on a page you didn’t intend to change, use Elementor’s revision history to restore the previous version. Click the clock icon at the bottom left of the editor to open revision history, then select the version from before the template was applied.

Mobile layout looks broken after inserting. Elementor templates are designed responsively, but your site’s existing CSS or the active WordPress theme can interfere with some template elements. Switch to the mobile or tablet view inside the Elementor editor (icons at the bottom of the editor panel) and adjust padding, font sizes, or column widths as needed. Changes made in mobile view only affect that viewport.

Blank or empty sections in the template. If parts of a template appear as empty boxes or placeholders, those sections likely use Elementor Pro widgets that aren’t available on your plan. The layout imports but the Pro-specific widgets can’t render. Either upgrade to Elementor Pro, or rebuild those sections using free widgets.

Fonts and colors don’t match the template preview. Elementor templates use the site’s global colors and fonts. If your site’s global settings use different fonts or colors from the template’s design, the inserted template will adapt to your globals, not the original preview. To match the template’s original look, update your global settings in Elementor’s Site Settings panel, or override fonts and colors at the individual widget level.

Final Word: How to Apply an Elementor Template to a Page

Applying a template is one of the fastest ways to build a page in Elementor. Whether you’re pulling from the Elementor library, your saved designs, or an imported kit, the process starts the same way: the folder icon in the editor toolbar. All three template sources feed into the same panel and use the same Insert button.

If you insert a template and decide you don’t like the result, Elementor’s revision history has you covered. Open the editor, click the clock icon at the bottom left, and select any earlier revision to restore the page to how it looked before. You won’t lose any content permanently from a template insert unless you explicitly delete it.

The same insert process works for standard pages, posts, and WooCommerce product pages. For header, footer, and other site-wide areas, those are handled through the Elementor Theme Builder rather than the page-level template system.

Recap: