---
title: "How to Show an Elementor Template Section after Countdown Ends?"
url: https://theplusaddons.com/docs/show-an-elementor-template-section-after-countdown-ends/
date: 2024-01-17
modified: 2026-09-26
lang: en
author: "Aditya Sharma"
description: "A single line of text is often not enough at the end of a promotion. You may want a whole block: a heading, an image and a button pointing at..."
image: https://theplusaddons.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/How-to-Show-an-Elementor-Template-Section-after-Countdown-Ends_-1024x536.jpg
word_count: 915
---

# How to Show an Elementor Template Section after Countdown Ends?

## 

- The Countdown widget in The Plus Addons for Elementor loads a saved Elementor template after the deadline, replacing the timer with a whole block such as a heading, an image, and a button.
- Select Action and Template is a Pro feature in The Plus Addons for Elementor Pro, while the Countdown widget itself is in the free plugin and requires Elementor installed and active.
- Launch Date stores hours and minutes only, so a deadline set for 10:30 fires at 10:30:00 and does not depend on seconds.
- The template swap happens on the next page load, so a visitor who stays on the page when the timer reaches 00 00 00 00 sees only zeros until reloading the page.

A single line of text is often not enough at the end of a promotion. You may want a whole block: a heading, an image and a button pointing at what comes next.

The **Countdown** widget can load a saved Elementor template in place of the timer once the deadline has passed, so the page changes on its own.

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:** **Select Action and Template** 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.- **Prerequisite:** a saved Elementor template. Build it first under **Templates > Saved Templates**, or you will have nothing to pick in the **Template** dropdown.

## Steps

- Build the block you want people to see afterwards and save it under **Templates > Saved Templates**.- Edit the page and drop the **Countdown** widget in.- In **Content > Layout**, keep **Countdown Setup** on **Normal Countdown** and set the **Launch Date**.- Open **Content > Special Option**, leave **After Expiry Action** on and set **Select Action** to **Template**.- Pick your saved template in the **Template** dropdown.- Publish the page.

Choosing Template as the After Expiry Action and selecting a saved Elementor template.

## Settings

| Setting | What it does | Default |
| ------- | ------------ | ------- |
| **After Expiry Action** | Master switch for the end-of-countdown behaviour. | On |
| **Select Action** | Set to **Template** for this page. | **None** |
| **Template** | The saved Elementor template that is rendered after the deadline. The list is empty until you have saved at least one. | None selected |

## How It Behaves

Checked on a published page:

- Before the deadline, the timer runs normally.- A page loaded **after** the deadline renders the saved template's content in place of the timer — the template's own heading, layout and styling, exactly as you saved it.- A visitor who is already on the page when the deadline passes sees the timer stop at **00 00 00 00**. The template appears only on the next load.- The template is rendered inside the Countdown widget, so the widget's own spacing and alignment still apply around it.

The saved template rendered in place of the countdown on a page loaded after the deadline.

## Limitations

- **The Template action prints Elementor's own placeholder text on the live page.** With **Select Action** set to **Template**, a published page shows **Select Template** and **Please select a template to display its content.** underneath the running countdown — to real visitors, not just in the editor — and that line stays there after the template content appears. There is no setting that turns it off. If that is unacceptable on your page, use the **Message** action or the **Class Based Section Visibility** approach instead.- **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.- **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.- **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**.- **One template, one widget.** The **Template** dropdown takes a single template. If different pages need different endings, use a separate Countdown widget on each.

## Troubleshooting

### The Template dropdown is empty

There are no saved templates yet. Save one under **Templates > Saved Templates** first, then reopen the page in Elementor.

### I can see “Please select a template to display its content” on the live page

That line is printed by the widget whenever **Select Action** is **Template**, even when a template *is* selected, and there is no setting that hides it. If it cannot be there, switch to the **Message** action or use **Class Based Section Visibility** to swap a real section in and out instead.

### The timer ran out but the template did not load

Reload the page. The swap happens on page load, not while the page is open.

## Not verified

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

- **Templates of every kind.** A saved *section* template was used. Page and popup templates were not tried in this slot.- **Whether a template containing another Countdown widget works.** Nested countdowns were not tested.

## Related Docs

- [How to Show Custom Text Message After Countdown Timer Ends?](https://theplusaddons.com/docs/show-custom-text-message-after-countdown-timer-ends/)- [How to Redirect to Different Page After Elementor Countdown Ends?](https://theplusaddons.com/docs/redirect-to-different-page-after-elementor-countdown-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: What do I need before I can show a template after a countdown ends?**
A: A saved Elementor template is the key prerequisite, because the Countdown widget can only render something that already exists under Templates > Saved Templates. The Plus Addons for Elementor, The Plus Addons, Plus Addons for Elementor, POSIMYTH also needs its Countdown widget enabled, and Elementor must be installed and active. If the template has not been saved first, the Template dropdown has nothing to show.

**Q: Why is the Template dropdown empty in the countdown settings?**
A: An empty Template dropdown usually means there are no saved templates yet. The widget only lists templates that already exist under Templates > Saved Templates, so create and save the block first, then reopen the page in Elementor. That matters because the end-of-countdown swap cannot happen without a stored template to render.

**Q: Why does the live page show “Please select a template to display its content”?**
A: That placeholder is printed by the widget whenever Select Action is set to Template, even on a published page with a valid selection. There is no setting that hides it. If that line would look wrong on your page, the cleaner fallback is to use the Message action or switch to Class Based Section Visibility instead.

**Q: Why did the timer hit zero but the template did not appear right away?**
A: The swap happens on page load, not while the page is already open. If someone stays on the page until the timer reaches 00 00 00 00, they just see zeros until they reload or revisit after expiry. That behavior matters for promotions, because anything important should not rely on an in-place change at the exact second the countdown ends.

**Q: What is the best way to use a template instead of text after a countdown ends?**
A: Use a saved Elementor template when you need more than a short message at expiry, such as a heading, image, and button in one block. The Plus Addons for Elementor, The Plus Addons, Plus Addons for Elementor, POSIMYTH lets that template replace the timer content after the deadline passes. A practical gotcha is that only one template can be assigned per Countdown widget.

**Q: Does this countdown-to-template setup work with cached pages?**
A: Elementor’s element cache can interfere because it stores rendered markup for a day and may serve stale deadline content. For this widget, cache should be set to Inactive under Advanced > Layout > Cache Settings, or disabled site-wide in Elementor > Settings > Performance. That keeps the expiry behavior tied to the real deadline instead of cached output.