---
title: "How to Add Description in Elementor Message Box Using an Elementor Template?"
url: https://theplusaddons.com/docs/add-description-in-elementor-message-box-using-elementor-template/
date: 2024-03-14
modified: 2026-09-27
lang: en
author: "Aditya Sharma"
description: "An Elementor template lets you design a message box's contents visually - a text block, an image, a button - and reuse that design as the Message Box widget's description...."
image: https://theplusaddons.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/How-to-Add-Description-in-Elementor-Message-Box-Using-an-Elementor-Template_-1024x536.jpg
word_count: 357
---

# How to Add Description in Elementor Message Box Using an Elementor Template?

## 

- The Plus Addons for Elementor Message Box widget is a free widget, and its Description toggle accepts an Elementor template as reusable content for text blocks, images, and buttons.
- Elementor Pro or the free Anywhere Elementor plugin provides the template shortcode needed to paste into the Message Box description field when the template is saved under Templates > Saved Templates.
- The Description field behaves as a rich-text WYSIWYG field, so pasted HTML such as bold text renders on the published page instead of being stripped to plain text.

An Elementor template lets you design a message box's contents visually - a text block, an image, a button - and reuse that design as the Message Box widget's description.

It is a Free widget of The Plus Addons for Elementor.

***Requirement - This widget is a part of The Plus Addons for Elementor, make sure it's installed & activated to enjoy all its powers.***

[LIVE WIDGET LINK](https://theplusaddons.com/elementor-widget/message-box/?utm_source=tpae&utm_medium=docs&utm_campaign=text)

## Before You Start

- **Edition:** Free.- You need a way to turn a saved Elementor template into a shortcode: Elementor Pro's own template shortcode, or the free Anywhere Elementor plugin if you don't have Elementor Pro.

## How to Add a Template as a Message Box Description

| Step | What to do |
| ---- | ---------- |
| 1 | Go to **Templates > Saved Templates**, click **Add New Template** (or import one), design the content you want inside the message box, and save it. |
| 2 | Get that template's shortcode - from Elementor Pro if you have it, or from the Anywhere Elementor plugin if you don't. |
| 3 | Add a Message Box widget to a page, turn on the **Description** toggle, and paste the shortcode into the description field. |

![The Description toggle and its rich-text field, where a template's shortcode is pasted.](https://theplusaddons.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/messagebox-description.webp)

## How It Behaves

We confirmed directly that the **Description** field is a genuine rich-text (WYSIWYG) field: pasted HTML - including bold text and other formatting - renders exactly as written on the published page, not stripped down to plain text.

## Limitations

- This method needs Elementor Pro or the Anywhere Elementor plugin just to generate the template's shortcode - the Message Box widget itself has no built-in template picker like some other TPAE widgets do.

### The shortcode shows as plain text instead of the template's design

Check that the plugin providing the shortcode (Elementor Pro or Anywhere Elementor) is active and that the template is published, not a draft.

## Not verified

So you know exactly what has and has not been checked:

- The full shortcode chain end to end - pasting a real Elementor Pro or Anywhere Elementor shortcode into the Description field and seeing the template's design appear. Neither plugin is installed in our test environment. We confirmed the field itself is a working rich-text field that renders HTML correctly, which is what the shortcode ultimately outputs into.

## Frequently Asked Questions

**Q: What do I need before adding a template to an Elementor Message Box description?**
A: The key requirement is a saved Elementor template and a way to turn it into a shortcode. The page says that means Elementor Pro’s template shortcode or the free Anywhere Elementor plugin if you do not have Elementor Pro. The Plus Addons for Elementor, The Plus Addons, Plus Addons for Elementor, POSIMYTH provides the Message Box widget itself, but the shortcode source has to exist first or there is nothing to paste into the description field.

**Q: Can I use an Elementor template as the description in a Message Box?**
A: That is exactly what this setup is for. An Elementor template can hold visually designed content like text blocks, images, and buttons, then be reused as the Message Box widget’s description. The practical benefit is that the description can carry real layout instead of plain copy, which makes the message box feel closer to a small reusable content block inside Elementor.

**Q: Why is my Message Box shortcode showing as plain text instead of the template design?**
A: The usual cause is that the plugin generating the shortcode is not active, or the template is still a draft instead of published. The page specifically calls out both checks for this problem. Since the Description field is a rich-text field, it can render formatted output correctly, so if you only see raw shortcode text, the issue is usually upstream in the shortcode source rather than in the Message Box field itself.

**Q: Does the Message Box description field support formatted content?**
A: The Description field behaves like a genuine rich-text WYSIWYG field. The page confirms that pasted HTML, including bold text and other formatting, renders on the published page instead of being stripped down. That matters because it means the field can preserve formatting directly, which is why template output can work there when it produces HTML.

**Q: Do I need Elementor Pro to use a template in the Message Box description?**
A: Elementor Pro is one option, but not the only one. The page also names Anywhere Elementor as a free alternative for generating the template shortcode if you do not have Elementor Pro. The important distinction is that The Plus Addons for Elementor widget handles displaying the description, while another tool has to provide the shortcode that represents the saved template.

**Q: What are the limitations of using a template as a Message Box description?**
A: The main limitation is that this method depends on another plugin or feature just to generate the shortcode. The page says the Message Box widget itself does not have a built-in template picker like some other TPAE widgets do. That means your workflow has an extra dependency: create and publish the template first, then paste its shortcode into the Description field.