---
title: "How to connect a Carousel Remote Sync (Dots & Arrows) with Elementor Image Carousel?"
url: https://theplusaddons.com/docs/carousel-remote-sync-with-elementor-image-carousel/
date: 2023-02-18
modified: 2026-09-27
lang: en
author: "Aditya Sharma"
description: "An image gallery often looks best as a sliding carousel, but the arrows or dots may need to live outside the gallery itself, for example above it, next to a..."
image: https://theplusaddons.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/How-to-connect-a-Carousel-Remote-Sync-Dots-_-Arrows-with-Elementor-Image-Carousel-1024x536.jpg
word_count: 503
---

# How to connect a Carousel Remote Sync (Dots & Arrows) with Elementor Image Carousel?

## 

- Carousel Remote from The Plus Addons for Elementor gives a Gallery Listing carousel its own Next/Prev buttons and dots, and both widgets link by the same ID.
- Gallery Listing sets a Unique Carousel ID in Style > Carousel Options or Content, and Carousel Remote sets the same value in Unique Connection ID while Remote Type stays on Carousel.
- Dots match slides by position and count, so the post says to add one dot per slide and notes that with 8 slides, Next moved 0 -> 1 -> 2 -> 3 on the front end.

An image gallery often looks best as a sliding carousel, but the arrows or dots may need to live outside the gallery itself, for example above it, next to a caption.

The **Carousel Remote** widget from The Plus Addons for Elementor gives a Gallery Listing carousel its own Next/Prev buttons and dots, placed wherever you like. The two widgets are linked by the same ID.

*To check the complete feature overview documentation of The Plus Addons for Elementor Carousel Remote widget, [click here](https://theplusaddons.com/docs/carousel-remote-elementor-widget-settings-overview/).*

***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/carousel-remote-sync/?utm_source=tpae&utm_medium=docs&utm_campaign=text)

## Before You Start

- **Edition:** **Pro** — the Carousel Remote widget is part of The Plus Addons for Elementor Pro. No free equivalent exists.- **Widget to enable:** Carousel Remote, switched on under **The Plus Addons > Widgets**.- A **Gallery Listing** widget with its content ready, set to a **Carousel** layout.

## Step 1: Set the Layout to Carousel

- Select the **Gallery Listing** widget, add your images, then in **Layout** click the **Carousel** icon.

![The Layout icon picker of the Gallery Listing widget with Carousel selected](https://theplusaddons.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/tp-gallery-listout-layout-wide.webp)

## Step 2: Give the Carousel an ID

- Open **Style > Carousel Options** (or **Content**, depending on the widget) and type an ID into **Unique Carousel ID**, for example `plans`. Use letters, numbers, dashes or underscores, without spaces.

## Step 3: Link the Carousel Remote

- Drag the **Carousel Remote** widget to where the controls should appear.- In **Content**, type the same ID into **Unique Connection ID**.- Leave **Remote Type** on **Carousel** (the default).

![The Unique Connection ID and Remote Type fields of the Carousel Remote widget](https://theplusaddons.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/tp-carousel-remote-unique-connection-id-wide.webp)

## Step 4: Choose Buttons, Dots or Both

- Open **Prev/Next**. **Next/Prev Button** is on by default.

![The Next/Prev Button switch in the Prev/Next section of the Carousel Remote widget](https://theplusaddons.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/tp-carousel-remote-next-prev-button-wide.webp)

- Open **Dots** and turn on **Dots** (off by default).- Add one dot item per slide, in the same order as the slides.

![The Dots switch and dot items in the Dots section of the Carousel Remote widget](https://theplusaddons.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/tp-carousel-remote-dots-wide.webp)

Publish the page and try the buttons and dots on the front end.

![The Carousel Remote widget's Next, Prev and dot controls next to a connected carousel on the front end](https://theplusaddons.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/tp-carousel-remote-result-connected.webp)

## How It Behaves

- **Next** and **Prev** move the connected carousel one slide.- Clicking a dot jumps straight to the matching slide and marks that dot active; moving the carousel by any other means (drag, autoplay) also updates which dot is active.- Verified on the front end with 8 slides: Next moved slide by slide (0 -> 1 -> 2 -> 3), Prev moved back, and each dot jumped to its own slide. With only as many slides as the carousel shows at once, Next/Prev have nowhere to go, so add more slides than the widget's column count if the buttons look inactive.

## Limitations

- Dots are matched to slides by position and count. Add one dot per slide; a mismatched count leaves some slides with no dot of their own.- Carousel Remote is part of The Plus Addons for Elementor Pro only.

## Troubleshooting

### The buttons or dots do nothing

- Check that **Unique Carousel ID** and **Unique Connection ID** match exactly, with no extra spaces.- Make sure **Remote Type** is set to **Carousel**.- If the carousel shows all its slides at once (few items, many columns), Next/Prev has nothing to advance to -- add more slides.

## Related Docs

- [Carousel Remote widget: settings overview](https://theplusaddons.com/docs/carousel-remote-elementor-widget-settings-overview/)- [Connect Carousel Remote with WooCommerce Products](https://theplusaddons.com/docs/carousel-remote-sync-with-elementor-woocommerce-product-carousel/)- [Connect Carousel Remote with Blog Posts](https://theplusaddons.com/docs/carousel-remote-sync-with-elementor-blog-posts-carousel/)

## Frequently Asked Questions

**Q: What do I need before setting up carousel remote sync with an image carousel?**
A: The setup depends on two things being in place: a Gallery Listing widget with its content ready and set to a Carousel layout, plus the Carousel Remote widget enabled under The Plus Addons > Widgets. The Plus Addons for Elementor, The Plus Addons, Plus Addons for Elementor, POSIMYTH provides this as a Pro-only workflow, so the remote controls are not available in the free version. That matters because the two widgets only sync when they share the same ID.

**Q: How do I connect external dots or arrows to an Elementor image carousel?**
A: The connection is based on matching IDs. Give the Gallery Listing carousel a Unique Carousel ID, then put the same value into Unique Connection ID on the Carousel Remote widget. Keep Remote Type set to Carousel, which is the default, because that tells The Plus Addons for Elementor, The Plus Addons, Plus Addons for Elementor, POSIMYTH to treat the remote as a carousel controller instead of something else. If the IDs differ by even one character, the controls will not sync.

**Q: Can I place carousel arrows and dots outside the gallery itself?**
A: That is exactly what Carousel Remote is for. The widget lets a Gallery Listing carousel use Next/Prev buttons and dots placed wherever you want, such as above the gallery or beside a caption. The practical benefit is layout freedom without breaking the link between controls and slides. The only requirement is that both widgets share the same ID so the remote controls stay attached to that specific carousel.

**Q: What should I use for the carousel ID so remote sync works reliably?**
A: Use a Unique Carousel ID made from letters, numbers, dashes, or underscores, with no spaces. That keeps the connection clean and avoids mismatches when you copy the same value into Unique Connection ID on Carousel Remote. A short label like plans is enough. The important part is exact matching, because extra spaces or different spelling will stop the buttons and dots from controlling the carousel.

**Q: Why do my carousel buttons or dots do nothing?**
A: The usual cause is an ID mismatch or the wrong remote type. Unique Carousel ID and Unique Connection ID have to match exactly, with no extra spaces, and Remote Type must stay set to Carousel. Another common gotcha is having too few slides for the number of columns shown at once. If all slides are already visible, Next/Prev has nowhere to move, so add more slides than the widget’s column count.

**Q: How many dots should I add for a synced image carousel?**
A: Add one dot per slide, in the same order as the slides. Dots are matched by position and count, so a mismatch leaves some slides without their own dot and breaks the visual mapping people expect from pagination. That also means moving through slides by drag or autoplay still updates which dot is active, which helps users keep track of where they are in the carousel.