--- title: "How to Create an Evergreen Countdown Timer in Elementor? (Loop Cookie based Timer Per User)" url: https://theplusaddons.com/docs/evergreen-countdown-timer-in-elementor/ date: 2024-01-16 modified: 2026-09-26 lang: en author: "Aditya Sharma" description: "A fixed deadline is wrong for an offer that should feel personal. Someone who arrives today should get the same twenty minutes as someone who arrived last week. The Countdown..." image: https://theplusaddons.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/How-to-Create-an-Evergreen-Countdown-Timer-in-Elementor_-Loop-Cookie-based-Timer-Per-User-1024x536.jpg word_count: 1135 --- # How to Create an Evergreen Countdown Timer in Elementor? (Loop Cookie based Timer Per User) ## - The Countdown widget’s Scarcity Countdown (Evergreen) setup starts a separate timer for each visitor and keeps it running across page loads when Track User Data is set to Yes(Local Storage Based). - Reset Time sets each visitor’s timer length in whole minutes, starts at 99 by default, and a 5-minute test shows the countdown resume at 4:31 after a reload instead of restarting. - Track User Data on No breaks the evergreen behavior, because the timer restarts on every page load and a 5-minute timer jumps back to 4:56 after refresh. - Style 1 leaves the timer at 00 00 00 00 until the next page load, while Style 2 and Style 3 act when the timer runs out and read the deadline in the visitor’s timezone. A fixed deadline is wrong for an offer that should feel personal. Someone who arrives today should get the same twenty minutes as someone who arrived last week. The **Countdown** widget's **Scarcity Countdown (Evergreen)** setup starts a separate timer for each visitor and keeps it running across page loads. 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:** the **Countdown** widget itself is in the free plugin, but this page uses a **Pro** setting (see the next line).- **Pro feature:** **Scarcity Countdown (Evergreen), Reset Time and Track User Data** 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 - Add the **Countdown** widget to your page.- In **Content > Layout**, set **Countdown Setup** to **Scarcity Countdown (Evergreen)**. The **Launch Date** field disappears, because there is no fixed date any more.- Open **Content > Extra Option**.- Set **Reset Time** to how many **minutes** each visitor gets. It starts at **99**.- Set **Track User Data** to **Yes(Local Storage Based)**. This step is not optional — see the warning below.- Publish, then open the page in a private window to see it as a first-time visitor. Setting Countdown Setup to Scarcity Countdown (Evergreen) and filling in Reset Time. > ***Track User Data starts on No*, and with *No* the timer restarts every single time the page is loaded.** That was measured: a 5-minute evergreen timer counted down to 4:47, and a reload put it straight back to 4:56. If you leave this control alone, you do not have an evergreen timer — you have a timer that resets whenever anyone clicks refresh. ## Settings | Setting | What it does | Default | | ------- | ------------ | ------- | | **Countdown Setup** | **Scarcity Countdown (Evergreen)** starts the clock when the visitor first sees it, instead of ending at a fixed date. | **Normal Countdown** | | **Reset Time** | How long each visitor's timer runs, in minutes. | **99** | | **Track User Data** | **No** or **Yes(Local Storage Based)**. Only **Yes(Local Storage Based)** remembers the visitor. | **No** | | **Enable Loop** | After the timer runs out, start it again for the same visitor. | On | | **Delay Minute** | How long to wait after expiry before the loop restarts, in minutes. | **0** | ## How It Behaves Measured on a published page with **Reset Time** set to 5: - A first-time visitor sees the timer start at the full **Reset Time** — **0 DAYS 0 HOURS 4 MINUTES 56 SECONDS** — and count down every second.- With **Track User Data** on **Yes(Local Storage Based)**, reloading the page picked the timer up where it left off (4 minutes 31 seconds), rather than restarting it.- A different browser profile opening the same page started again at the full five minutes. So each visitor gets their own clock.- The deadline is stored in the browser's **local storage**, despite the option's wording. Nothing is written server-side, and nothing is tied to a logged-in account. An evergreen countdown running for a single visitor. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdPTAGc3PMY&t=223s Countdown widget walkthrough, including the Scarcity Countdown (Evergreen) setup. ## Limitations - **The default setting defeats the feature.** **Track User Data** is **No** out of the box, and with **No** the countdown restarts on every page load. Always change it.- **It is per browser, not per person.** Because the deadline lives in local storage, the same person gets a fresh timer in a private window, on another device, or after clearing site data. Do not use it to gate anything that matters — use it for urgency, not for access control.- **Reset Time is in whole minutes.** There is no hours or days field; a 24-hour evergreen offer is **1440**.- **With Style 1 nothing happens at the moment the clock hits zero.** This was watched on published pages: with **Style 1** the timer reaches **00 00 00 00** and stays there for as long as the visitor leaves the page open — the message, the template, the page redirect and the class swap all wait for the **next page load**. With **Style 2** and **Style 3** the same settings do act the instant the timer runs out. Since **Style 1** is the default, assume the change happens on reload unless you have deliberately chosen another style, and never write copy promising visitors that the page will change in front of them.- **Style 2 and Style 3 read the deadline in the visitor's timezone; Style 1 reads it in your site's.** This was isolated with a controlled test. One **Launch Date**, nothing else changed: from a browser five and a half hours ahead of the site, **Style 1** showed **02 DAYS 01 HOURS 56 MINUTES** left while **Style 2** and **Style 3** showed **1 Day 20 Hours 25 Minutes** — short by exactly that offset. Repeating it with the browser set to the site's own timezone made all three agree. So on a live site a **Style 2** or **Style 3** sale ends at a different real-world moment for every visitor, and for visitors far enough ahead of your site it can be over before it starts. If the exact end time matters, use **Style 1**.- **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 restarts every time I refresh **Track User Data** is still on **No**. Set it to **Yes(Local Storage Based)** and reload once more. ### I want to test it as a new visitor again Open a private window, or clear site data for your domain. The stored deadline lives in the browser's local storage, so nothing on the server needs resetting. ### The Launch Date field vanished That is correct. An evergreen countdown has no fixed end date; **Reset Time** replaces it. ### Every visitor seems to get the same countdown Check that **Countdown Setup** really is **Scarcity Countdown (Evergreen)** and not **Normal Countdown**. A Normal countdown ends at one moment for everybody. ## Not verified So you know exactly what has and has not been checked: - **Enable Loop and Delay Minute in practice.** The controls and their defaults are documented from the panel; a timer was not left to run out and loop round in the browser.- **Evergreen with Style 2 or Style 3.** Measurements were taken with **Style 1**.- **Any server-side or per-account persistence.** None was observed, and the stored value seen was in the browser only. ## Related Docs - [How to Add a Scarcity Countdown Timer in WooCommerce Checkout, Cart & Product Pages?](https://theplusaddons.com/docs/scarcity-countdown-timer-in-woocommerce-checkout-cart-product-pages/)- [How to Show Custom Text Message After Countdown Timer Ends?](https://theplusaddons.com/docs/show-custom-text-message-after-countdown-timer-ends/)- [How to Change Website Content When Countdown Timer Ends?](https://theplusaddons.com/docs/change-website-content-when-countdown-timer-ends/)- [Countdown Widget: Settings Overview](https://theplusaddons.com/docs/countdown-widget-overview-in-elmentor/) ## Frequently Asked Questions **Q: Why does an evergreen countdown timer restart when I refresh the page?** A: That happens when Track User Data is still set to No. In this setup, the timer is not remembered between page loads, so a refresh sends it back to the start. The fix is to set Track User Data to Yes(Local Storage Based), which stores the deadline in the browser’s local storage. The Plus Addons for Elementor, The Plus Addons, Plus Addons for Elementor, POSIMYTH uses that browser-based memory to keep the timer moving instead of resetting it. **Q: How do I test an evergreen countdown as a new visitor again?** A: A private window is the cleanest test because the stored deadline lives in local storage, not on the server. Clearing site data for your domain also works. That matters because the timer is per browser, so the same device can keep seeing the saved countdown until that local data is removed. This is useful when you want to verify first-visit behavior without changing anything in WordPress. **Q: Why did the Launch Date field disappear in my countdown widget?** A: That is expected when Countdown Setup is set to Scarcity Countdown (Evergreen). Evergreen mode does not use a fixed end date, so Reset Time replaces Launch Date. The practical difference is that each visitor gets their own clock instead of everyone sharing one deadline. For a full settings breakdown, [Countdown Widget: Settings Overview](https://theplusaddons.com/docs/countdown-widget-overview-in-elmentor/) covers the widget controls in more detail. **Q: How do I stop every visitor from seeing the same countdown?** A: Use Scarcity Countdown (Evergreen), not Normal Countdown. A Normal countdown ends at one moment for everybody, which is why all visitors see the same deadline. Evergreen mode starts the clock when each visitor first sees it, then keeps that timer running across page loads when Track User Data is set to Yes(Local Storage Based). That makes it better for urgency campaigns where timing should feel personal. **Q: What settings matter most for an evergreen countdown timer in Elementor?** A: Three settings do most of the work: Countdown Setup should be Scarcity Countdown (Evergreen), Reset Time controls how many minutes each visitor gets, and Track User Data must be Yes(Local Storage Based) or the timer resets on refresh. The Plus Addons for Elementor, The Plus Addons, Plus Addons for Elementor, POSIMYTH also offers Enable Loop and Delay Minute, but those are separate from the basic per-visitor countdown behavior. **Q: What are the limits of using an evergreen countdown for urgency?** A: It is browser-based, not account-based, so it follows local storage rather than a logged-in user. That means a person can get a fresh timer in a private window, on another device, or after clearing site data. Reset Time also works only in whole minutes, so there is no hours or days field. For exact end times, Style 1 behaves differently from Style 2 and Style 3.