--- title: "How to Create a Countdown Timer for Coming Soon Page in Elementor?" url: https://theplusaddons.com/docs/create-a-countdown-timer-for-coming-soon-page-in-elementor/ date: 2024-01-17 modified: 2026-09-26 lang: en author: "Aditya Sharma" description: "A coming-soon page with no date on it asks visitors to come back at some unspecified moment. A running clock asks them to come back on Thursday. The Countdown widget..." image: https://theplusaddons.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/How-to-Create-a-Countdown-Timer-for-Coming-Soon-Page-in-Elementor_-1024x536.jpg word_count: 904 --- # How to Create a Countdown Timer for Coming Soon Page in Elementor? ## - The Countdown widget counts down to a Launch Date and can change what the page shows once that date arrives, with Style 1, Style 2, and Style 3 available in the free plugin. - The Plus Addons for Elementor Pro adds after-launch actions such as Select Action, Expiry Message, Template, and Page Redirect, while the free plugin only includes a fixed Launch Date and the three Countdown Style presets plus Inline Style. - The countdown updates once a second, uses the site’s WordPress timezone, and ends at the same instant for every visitor regardless of location. - Elementor’s Element Cache can serve a stale deadline for a day, so Advanced > Layout > Cache Settings is set to Inactive on the Countdown widget or disabled site-wide under Elementor > Settings > Performance. A coming-soon page with no date on it asks visitors to come back at some unspecified moment. A running clock asks them to come back on Thursday. The **Countdown** widget counts down to a date you set, and can change what the page shows once that date arrives. For the full settings tour of the **Countdown** widget, see [Countdown Widget: Settings Overview](https://theplusaddons.com/docs/countdown-widget-overview-in-elmentor/). ***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/countdown-timer/?utm_source=tpae&utm_medium=docs&utm_campaign=text) ## Before You Start - **Edition:** **Free** — a countdown to a fixed **Launch Date**, the three **Countdown Style** presets and **Inline Style** are all in the free plugin.- **Pro feature:** **The after-launch actions (Select Action, Expiry Message, Template, Page Redirect)** is part of The Plus Addons for Elementor **Pro**. In the free plugin the control is either missing or replaced by an upgrade notice.- **Prerequisite:** [Elementor](https://wordpress.org/plugins/elementor/) (free) installed and active.- **Widget to enable:** go to **The Plus Addons > Widgets**, search for **Countdown** and turn its toggle on. ## Steps - Create or open your coming-soon page in Elementor.- Drag in the **Countdown** widget under the headline.- In **Content > Layout**, leave **Countdown Setup** on **Normal Countdown**.- Set **Launch Date** to your launch date and time. This is read in your WordPress timezone.- Pick a **Countdown Style** — **Style 1**, **Style 2** or **Style 3**.- Optionally open **Content > Special Option** and set **Select Action** so the page changes itself after launch.- Publish. ![The Launch Date picker in the Countdown widget](https://theplusaddons.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/countdown-launch-date.webp) Adding the Countdown widget to a coming soon page and setting its Launch Date. ## Settings | Setting | What it does | Default | | ------- | ------------ | ------- | | **Countdown Setup** | **Normal Countdown** ends at the same moment for everyone. That is what a launch needs. | **Normal Countdown** | | **Launch Date** | The date and time the countdown runs out. | One month ahead | | **Countdown Style** | Three visual presets for the timer. | **Style 1** | | **Select Action** | What replaces the timer after launch: **None**, **Message**, **Template** or **Page Redirect**. | **None** | ## How It Behaves - The digits update once a second. This was watched on a published page: the seconds fell from 14 to 10 over four seconds.- The deadline comes from your site's clock, so every visitor sees it end at the same instant regardless of where they are.- With **Select Action** left on **None**, the timer stays on the page showing **00 00 00 00** after the launch date.- With any other action, the change happens on the next page load after the deadline, not while a visitor is watching. A coming soon page with the countdown running to its launch date. The **Special Option** section is where you choose what the page shows once the launch date has passed: Choosing what happens when the countdown ends, under Special Option. ## Limitations - **The after-expiry action only happens on the next page load.** This was watched on a published page: the timer counts down normally, reaches **00 00 00 00** — and then nothing else happens for as long as the visitor leaves the page open. The message, the template and the page redirect all appear only when the page is loaded again after the deadline has passed. A visitor who is already sitting on the page when the timer runs out just sees a row of zeros. Plan for that: put the real information somewhere the zeros cannot contradict, and do not promise visitors that anything will change in front of them.- **A finished countdown left on None looks broken.** Zeros stay on the page indefinitely. Always set a **Select Action** on a coming-soon page, even if it is only a one-line **Message**.- **Launch Date is only accurate to the minute.** The date picker stores hours and minutes; seconds are dropped. A deadline set for 10:30 fires at 10:30:00, so do not build anything that depends on a particular second.- **The deadline is your site's clock, not the visitor's.** The target time is rendered from the WordPress timezone on the server. Visitors in other timezones all see the timer end at the same moment, which is usually what you want — but it will not match “midnight” where they are.- **Turn Elementor's element cache off for this widget.** Elementor's **Element Cache** is on by default and stores rendered markup for a day, which can serve a stale deadline. Set **Advanced > Layout > Cache Settings** to **Inactive** on the Countdown widget, or disable it site-wide under **Elementor > Settings > Performance**. ## Troubleshooting ### The timer shows the wrong time Check **Settings > General > Timezone** in WordPress. The **Launch Date** is interpreted in that timezone, not in the visitor's and not in your browser's. ### The page still shows the countdown after launch day Either **Select Action** is still **None**, or the visitor is looking at a page that was loaded before the deadline. Reload it. ### The countdown does not appear at all Make sure the **Countdown** widget is turned on under **The Plus Addons > Widgets**. A widget that is switched off is not offered in the Elementor panel and does not render. ## Not verified So you know exactly what has and has not been checked: - **Any particular coming-soon or maintenance-mode plugin.** The countdown was tested on an ordinary published Elementor page. Plugins that replace the whole front end may load their own template and were not tried.- **The Style tab.** Only the three **Countdown Style** presets were rendered; individual colour and typography controls were not exercised. ## Related Docs - [How to Redirect to Different Page After Elementor Countdown Ends?](https://theplusaddons.com/docs/redirect-to-different-page-after-elementor-countdown-ends/)- [How to Show Custom Text Message After Countdown Timer Ends?](https://theplusaddons.com/docs/show-custom-text-message-after-countdown-timer-ends/)- [How to Style Elementor Countdown Timer in Block or Inline Style?](https://theplusaddons.com/docs/style-elementor-countdown-timer-in-block-or-inline-style/)- [Countdown Widget: Settings Overview](https://theplusaddons.com/docs/countdown-widget-overview-in-elmentor/)