---
title: "Tabs/Tours Elementor Widget Settings Overview"
url: https://theplusaddons.com/docs/tabs-tours-elementor-widget-settings-overview/
date: 2023-02-13
modified: 2026-09-13
lang: en
author: "Aditya Sharma"
description: "Tabs split long content into sections that open one at a time, so a page stays short. Product details, pricing plans, service lists and step-by-step guides are typical uses. The..."
image: https://theplusaddons.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Tours-Elementor-Widget_-Settings-Overview-1024x536.jpg
word_count: 874
---

# Tabs/Tours Elementor Widget Settings Overview

## 

- The Plus Addons for Elementor Tabs/Tours widget adds vertical layouts, templates, icons, hover, autoplay, swipeable titles, columns and phone-friendly modes on top of basic tabs.
- Tabs/Tours is available in Free edition, with extra features in Pro, and it is switched on under The Plus Addons > Widgets after Elementor is installed and activated.
- Force Accordion turns the tabs into an accordion on screens up to 600 px wide, and only one item stays open at a time.
- Swiper Effect keeps many titles in one row for drag or arrow navigation, while Tab Columns places titles in 1 to 6 equal columns per row.

Tabs split long content into sections that open one at a time, so a page stays short. Product details, pricing plans, service lists and step-by-step guides are typical uses.

The **Tabs/Tours** widget in The Plus Addons for Elementor adds vertical layouts, templates, icons, hover, autoplay, swipeable titles, columns and phone-friendly modes on top of basic tabs.

***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/tabs/?utm_source=tpae&utm_medium=docs&utm_campaign=text)

## Before You Start

- **Edition:** Free, with extra features in Pro. The table below shows which.- **Widget to enable:** Tabs/Tours, switched on under **The Plus Addons > Widgets**.- Elementor (free) installed and activated.

## How to Activate the Tabs/Tours Widget

Go to **The Plus Addons > Widgets**, search for **Tabs/Tours** and turn on its switch.

![Turning on the Tabs/Tours widget in The Plus Addons widget settings](https://theplusaddons.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Tpae-Tabs-Tours-Activate-1024x326.png)

## Free or Pro?

| Feature | Free | Pro |
| ------- | ---- | --- |
| Horizontal and vertical layouts, title position and alignment | Yes | Yes |
| Text content or an Elementor template per tab | Yes | Yes |
| Font Awesome and Font Awesome 5 icons before the title | Yes | Yes |
| Force Accordion on phones | Yes | Yes |
| Icons Mind and image icons, outer icon, Description, Hint, Unique ID | — | Yes |
| On Hover Tab, Second Click Closed, Arrow, Autoplay | — | Yes |
| Active Tab, Swiper Effect, Tab Columns, Carousel Connection ID | — | Yes |
| Full Width and One By One on phones, Force All Close / First Tab Active per device | — | Yes |

In the free plugin, some Pro options are still listed with a PRO badge, but turning them on only shows an upgrade notice, and the page ignores them.

## Layout

- **Layout**: click the **Horizontal** picture (titles in a row) or the **Vertical** picture (titles in a column). See [vertical tabs](https://theplusaddons.com/docs/vertical-tabs-in-elementor/).- **Alignment**: Left, Center or Right alignment of the titles.- **Position**: Top or Bottom for horizontal tabs, Left or Right for vertical tabs.

![The Layout section of the Tabs/Tours widget with the Horizontal and Vertical layout pictures](https://theplusaddons.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/tabs-layout.webp)

## Content

Add a tab with **+ Add Item**. Each tab has:

- **Title**: the clickable title. It accepts an HTML link; see [links in tab titles](https://theplusaddons.com/docs/add-links-to-tab-title-in-elementor/).- **Type**: **Content** for text, or **Page Template** to show an Elementor template (free). See [templates inside tabs](https://theplusaddons.com/docs/elementor-template-inside-tabs-widget/).- **Description** and **Hint** (Pro): a line of text under the title and a small label on it.- **Show Inner Icon** and **Show Outer Icon** (Pro): icons before and after the title. See [icons](https://theplusaddons.com/docs/add-icons-to-elementor-tabs/).- **Unique ID** (Pro): lets a link open this tab. See [anchor links](https://theplusaddons.com/docs/anchor-link-a-tab-item-in-elementor/).

![The Title field of a tab item in the Content section of the Tabs/Tours widget](https://theplusaddons.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/tabs-title.webp)

## Special Option (Pro)

| Option | What it does | Guide |
| ------ | ------------ | ----- |
| On Hover Tab | Opens a tab when the mouse moves over its title | [Hover](https://theplusaddons.com/docs/elementor-tab-on-hover/) |
| Second Click Closed | Clicking the open tab’s title closes it; clicking again reopens it | — |
| Arrow | Adds a small arrow to the active and hovered title. Type offers In and Out | — |
| Autoplay | Opens the next tab every few seconds, with an optional play/pause button | [Autoplay](https://theplusaddons.com/docs/elementor-tabs-autoplay/) |

![The Second Click Closed switch in the Special Option section of the Tabs/Tours widget](https://theplusaddons.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/tabs-second-click.webp)

## Extra Option (Pro)

| Option | What it does | Guide |
| ------ | ------------ | ----- |
| Active Tab | Which tab is open on page load, or All Close | [Active tab](https://theplusaddons.com/docs/openclose-specific-tab-by-default-in-elementor/) |
| Swiper Effect | Keeps many titles in one row that visitors drag (Swipe) or move with arrows (Slide). Horizontal only | [Swipe or slide](https://theplusaddons.com/docs/swipe-or-slide-effect-on-elementor-tabs/) |
| Tab Columns | Places the titles in 1 to 6 equal columns per row | [Columns](https://theplusaddons.com/docs/divide-elementor-tabs-into-multiple-columns/) |
| Carousel Connection ID | Links the tabs to a Carousel Anything widget with the same ID | [Carousel](https://theplusaddons.com/docs/connect-a-carousel-with-tabs-in-elementor/) |

## Style

The **Style** tab has sections for the **Inner Icon**, **Outer Icon** (Pro), **Title Bar**, **Description** (Pro), **Tab Hint** (Pro), **Underline** (Pro), **Title Bar Background**, **Arrow Style** (Pro), **Navigation Area Background**, **Swiper Slide** (Pro), **Content** and **Extra Option**. In the free plugin some are named differently: **Main Icon**, **Tab Title Bar** and **Tab Title Bar Background**.

### Phones and Tablets

**Style > Extra Option > Tab Navigation Responsive** changes the titles on small screens:

| Option | What it does |
| ------ | ------------ |
| None | Keeps the normal tabs. Titles wrap onto more lines when they do not fit |
| Full Width (For Less tabs) (Pro) | Keeps the titles in one full-width row. Only for a few short titles: four titles overflowed a 390 px phone screen in our test |
| One By One (Pro) | Stacks the titles one below the other, full width |
| Force Accordion | Turns the tabs into an accordion on screens up to 600 px wide (free) |

![The Tab Navigation Responsive dropdown in the Style tab Extra Option section set to Force Accordion](https://theplusaddons.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/tabs-responsive.webp)

![The tabs shown as an accordion on a phone screen with Force Accordion](https://theplusaddons.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/tabs-result-accordion-mobile.webp)

The same section has **Force All Close in Tablet**, **Force All Close in Mobile**, **First Tab Active in Tablet** and **First Tab Active in Mobile** (Pro); see [the Active Tab doc](https://theplusaddons.com/docs/openclose-specific-tab-by-default-in-elementor/).

![Tabs closed by default on a tablet screen](https://theplusaddons.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/tab-closed-tablet.gif)

![Tabs closed by default on a mobile screen](https://theplusaddons.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/tab-closed-mobile.gif)

**Description Field Show on Active Tab** (Pro) shows the description of the open tab only.

![Tab descriptions shown only on the active tab](https://theplusaddons.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Tpae-Tabs-Tours-Description-On-Active-Tab.gif)

## How It Behaves

- Only one tab is open at a time. By default the first tab is open when the page loads.- Clicking the open tab’s title keeps it open, unless Second Click Closed is on.- With Force Accordion, one accordion item is open at a time, and clicking the open item keeps it open.

## Limitations

- **Arrow Type** In and Out currently look the same.- With **Force Accordion** and an Active Tab other than 1, the phone view highlights the first title while another tab’s content is open.- The default icon of a new tab uses the older Font Awesome library, which the widget does not load; it can show as an empty space. Use Font Awesome 5 or turn the icon off.- A link to `#id` on the same page does not switch the tab; see [anchor links](https://theplusaddons.com/docs/anchor-link-a-tab-item-in-elementor/).

## Troubleshooting

### A Pro option only shows an upgrade notice

That option needs The Plus Addons for Elementor Pro. See the table above.

### An option I read about is missing

Some options depend on others: Swiper Effect is hidden for vertical tabs, Center Mode needs Mode Slide, and the Force All Close and First Tab Active switches depend on the Active Tab value.

## Related Docs

- [Create vertical tabs](https://theplusaddons.com/docs/vertical-tabs-in-elementor/)- [Use an Elementor template inside tabs](https://theplusaddons.com/docs/elementor-template-inside-tabs-widget/)- [Choose which tab is open by default](https://theplusaddons.com/docs/openclose-specific-tab-by-default-in-elementor/)- [Accordion widget settings overview](https://theplusaddons.com/docs/elementor-accordion-widget-settings-overview/)

## Frequently Asked Questions

**Q: Why does the Tabs/Tours widget only show one section at a time?**
A: That behavior is built into the widget so long content stays compact instead of turning into a huge page. The Plus Addons for Elementor, The Plus Addons, Plus Addons for Elementor, POSIMYTH provides Tabs/Tours for product details, pricing plans, service lists, and step-by-step guides where one open section is easier to scan. By default, only one tab is open on load, which keeps the layout focused and reduces scrolling.

**Q: How do I use an Elementor template inside a tab instead of plain text?**
A: The Content type supports Page Template, which lets a tab show an Elementor template rather than just text. That matters when a tab needs richer layout inside the panel, not just copy. The page also notes that text content is supported in free mode, so template-based tabs are part of the same content system in The Plus Addons for Elementor. A practical use case is mixing short titles with more structured content inside each panel.

**Q: What should I do if a Pro option only shows an upgrade notice?**
A: That usually means the setting belongs to The Plus Addons for Elementor Pro. The page says some options are still listed in the free plugin with a PRO badge, but turning them on only shows an upgrade notice and the page ignores them. That is normal for Pro-only controls like On Hover Tab, Autoplay, or Active Tab. If you need those behaviors, they are part of the Pro edition rather than the free widget.

**Q: How does the Tabs/Tours widget behave on phones and tablets?**
A: Phone and tablet behavior is controlled under Style > Extra Option > Tab Navigation Responsive. The free option Force Accordion turns tabs into an accordion on screens up to 600 px wide, while Pro adds Full Width and One By One layouts for small screens. That matters because narrow devices need different navigation patterns than desktop tabs. The page also notes that titles can wrap normally when they do not fit.

**Q: What is the best layout choice for vertical tabs versus horizontal tabs?**
A: Horizontal works best when you want titles in a row across the top or bottom, while Vertical puts titles in a column on the left or right. The page says alignment can be Left, Center, or Right, and position changes depending on layout: Top or Bottom for horizontal tabs, Left or Right for vertical tabs. For denser content lists, vertical tabs are often easier to scan because they leave more room for the active panel.

**Q: Why is my tab link not opening the right tab when I use a #id anchor?**
A: A same-page link to #id does not switch the tab in this widget. The page calls that out as a limitation and points to [anchor links](https://theplusaddons.com/docs/anchor-link-a-tab-item-in-elementor/) as the related approach. That means normal page anchors are not enough if you want direct tab targeting. Unique ID in Pro exists specifically so a link can open a tab item by its own identifier.