---
title: "How to Change Elementor List Item Background on Hover?"
url: https://theplusaddons.com/docs/change-elementor-list-item-background-on-hover/
date: 2024-03-30
modified: 2026-09-14
lang: en
author: "Aditya Sharma"
description: "Changing the background behind a list as the pointer moves down it turns a plain list of services or plans into something that reacts to the visitor. The Style Lists..."
image: https://theplusaddons.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/How-to-Change-Elementor-List-Item-Background-on-Hover_-1024x536.jpg
word_count: 561
---

# How to Change Elementor List Item Background on Hover?

## 

- Style Lists en The Plus Addons for Elementor usa una capa de fondo detrás de la lista y un fondo por elemento para cambiar el aspecto al pasar el puntero.
- Interactive Links en Content > Extra Options es obligatorio, porque sin ese ajuste la capa de fondo no se añade a la página.
- Interactive Hover Bg Style permite asignar a cada elemento un Background Type de color, degradado o imagen, y el primer elemento queda como estado de reposo al cargar la página.

Changing the background behind a list as the pointer moves down it turns a plain list of services or plans into something that reacts to the visitor.

The Style Lists widget in The Plus Addons for Elementor does this with a background layer behind the list and one background per item.

*To check the complete feature overview documentation of The Plus Addons for Elementor Style Lists widget, [click here](https://theplusaddons.com/docs/style-lists-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/stylish-list/?utm_source=tpae&utm_medium=docs&utm_campaign=text)

## Before You Start

- **Edition:** **Free** — Style Lists is part of the free The Plus Addons for Elementor plugin.- **Widget to enable:** **Stylish List**, switched on under **The Plus Addons > Widgets**. That is the card name on the Widgets screen; in the Elementor panel the widget is called **Style Lists**.- **Icons:** the widget does not load Font Awesome's stylesheet. Font Awesome 5 icons are drawn as inline SVG and always show; Font Awesome 4 icons (including the three defaults) come out blank on a page that has no other Font Awesome user.

> *This needs **two** switches. The per-item background does nothing on its own — **Interactive Links** is what puts the background layer on the page.*

## Steps

- Add the **Style Lists** widget and fill in the items under **Content**.- Open **Content > Extra Options** and switch **Interactive Links** on.

![The Interactive Links switch turned on in the Extra Options section of Style Lists in the Elementor editor](https://theplusaddons.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/stylelists-interactive-links.webp)

- Go back to **Content**, open the first item and switch **Interactive Hover Bg Style** on.- Set its **Background Type** to a colour, gradient or image.- Repeat for every item, so the background changes whichever one the visitor is on.

![The per-item Interactive Hover Bg Style switch on with a dark blue background colour selected, filling the area behind the list on the canvas](https://theplusaddons.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/stylelists-item-bg.webp)

![The background behind a three-item list changing colour on the front end as the pointer moves from one item to another](https://theplusaddons.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Hover-Background-Style-toggle-demo.gif)

## How It Behaves

- The layer sits behind the whole widget and fills it, so give the widget's container enough height for the background to be worth seeing.- The first item's background is shown as soon as the page loads, before anything is hovered.- Backgrounds cross-fade and scale in over about half a second.- Items you leave without a background show nothing, so the previous colour simply disappears when the visitor reaches them — set one on every item for a consistent effect.- Classic colours, gradients and images are all available, because it is Elementor's standard background control.

## Limitations

- Nothing in the panel warns you that **Interactive Links** is required, so a per-item background alone looks like a bug.- There is one background per item and no separate normal state — the first item's background is the resting state.- The layer is clipped to the widget, so it cannot fill the whole section behind the list unless the widget itself fills that section.- The layer reacts to the pointer entering an item, so on a touch screen with no pointer the background stays on the first item.

## Troubleshooting

### Nothing happens on hover

Switch **Interactive Links** on in **Content > Extra Options**. Without it the background layer is never added to the page.

### The background only covers a thin strip

The layer matches the widget's own size. Give the widget's container a minimum height, or add padding to the widget, so there is an area to fill.

### One item shows no background

Open that item and check both **Interactive Hover Bg Style** and its **Background Type**. The setting is per item and is not copied between them.

## Related Docs

- [Style Lists Widget: Settings Overview](https://theplusaddons.com/docs/style-lists-widget-settings-overview/)- [How to Create Interactive Footer Hover Links in Elementor?](https://theplusaddons.com/docs/create-interactive-footer-hover-links-in-elementor/)- [How to add Label Tab to Elementor Stylish List?](https://theplusaddons.com/docs/add-label-tab-to-elementor-stylish-list/)

## Frequently Asked Questions

**Q: Why doesn’t the list background change on hover?**
A: Interactive Links has to be on, because the per-item hover background does nothing by itself. The Plus Addons for Elementor, The Plus Addons, Plus Addons for Elementor, POSIMYTH uses that switch to add the background layer to the page. If hover still looks dead after that, the first thing to check is whether the widget is actually enabled under The Plus Addons > Widgets and the Stylish List widget is active.

**Q: What do I need before I can change a list item background on hover?**
A: The setup depends on the free Style Lists widget in The Plus Addons for Elementor, and it must be installed and activated first. The widget is enabled as Stylish List under The Plus Addons > Widgets, then it appears in Elementor as Style Lists. One gotcha is that Font Awesome 5 icons are drawn as inline SVG and always show, while Font Awesome 4 icons can appear blank if nothing else on the page loads Font Awesome.

**Q: How do I make every list item show a different hover background?**
A: Each item needs its own Interactive Hover Bg Style turned on, with a Background Type set to colour, gradient, or image. That per-item setup is what makes the background change as the pointer moves from one item to another. A practical tip is to set a background on every item, because items left blank show nothing and the previous colour disappears when the visitor reaches them.

**Q: Why does the hover background only cover part of the list?**
A: The layer matches the widget’s own size, so a short container gives you a short-looking background. The fix is to give the widget container enough height or add padding so there is actual space for the layer to fill. The Plus Addons for Elementor, The Plus Addons, Plus Addons for Elementor, POSIMYTH clips that layer to the widget, so it will not spill across the whole section unless the widget itself fills it.

**Q: Does this hover background effect work on touch screens?**
A: The effect is pointer-driven, so on a touch screen with no pointer the background stays on the first item. That matters because the first item is also the resting state when the page loads. If you are designing for mobile-heavy traffic, plan around that behavior instead of expecting a true hover transition.

**Q: What’s the best way to keep list hover backgrounds consistent?**
A: Set a background on every item and use one background per item instead of leaving gaps. The first item shows as soon as the page loads, backgrounds cross-fade and scale in over about half a second, and blank items make the previous color disappear. For a cleaner result, keep all items styled so there is no visual reset when visitors move down the list.