Elementor Header & Footer Templates: How to Bulk Edit Shared Content
Introduction
Header and footer content built with Elementor's Theme Builder is already shared across your whole site by design — one template, applied everywhere. So why does updating it still sometimes go wrong? Usually because of conditional display rules, multiple header templates for different sections, or content that got copied into a page-level override instead of the shared template.
This guide covers how to edit shared header/footer content correctly and how to catch the exceptions.
What you'll learn:
- How Theme Builder templates and display conditions work together
- Editing the shared template directly
- Finding pages that don't use the shared template
How Theme Builder Templates Work
A header or footer built in Elementor's Theme Builder is its own elementor_library entry, assigned to display based on conditions you set (e.g., "Entire Site," or "Entire Site except a specific page"). Sites with more than one header — a different one for a landing page campaign, for example — have multiple templates, each with its own display conditions and its own separate content.
The Problem: If you edit the wrong template, or forget that a second header template exists, your change won't appear where you expect — and it's not obvious from the front end which template is controlling any given page.
Method 1: Edit the Template Directly
When to Use This Method
- You know which template controls the section you're changing
- You only have one header/footer template, or a small number of them
Step-by-Step Process
- Go to Templates → Theme Builder
- Check the "Conditions" column to confirm which template applies where
- Edit the correct template with Elementor and update the text
- Preview a few different pages to confirm the change applies everywhere it should
✅ Pros: One edit, instant, applies everywhere the template is assigned.
❌ Cons: Easy to edit the wrong template if you have more than one and don't check the conditions first.
Method 2: Find Page-Level Overrides
When to Use This Method
- You updated the shared template, but the old text still shows on some pages
- You suspect some pages use a custom header/footer instead of the shared one
Step-by-Step Process
- Back up your database
- Install Better Search Replace and run a dry run for the old text
- Any remaining matches point to a page-level override or a second template you missed
- Run the replace for real, then clear the Elementor cache
✅ Pros: Catches every leftover instance regardless of how many templates exist.
❌ Cons: Doesn't tell you why a page had an override — worth investigating if it happens repeatedly.
Method 3: Search & Replace Inside the Elementor Editor
Search & Replace for Elementor works across Theme Builder templates the same way it works on regular pages, so it catches header/footer content and any hidden overrides in a single pass, with a preview of each change.
✅ Pros: Covers templates and overrides together, visual, no database step.
❌ Cons: Paid — worth it if header/footer content changes more than occasionally.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How many header templates can a site have? A: As many as you create — each with its own display conditions, checked in priority order in the Theme Builder.
Q: Why does a specific page show a different header than the rest of the site? A: Check its display conditions — a more specific condition (like "this exact page") takes priority over a general one (like "entire site").
Q: My footer change isn't showing up. Why? A: Clear the Elementor CSS cache and any page caching plugin — footers are cached like any other template.
Q: Can I have a different footer for just one page? A: Yes, create a second footer template and set its display condition to that specific page — it will override the site-wide default there.
Q: Is it safe to run search/replace on Theme Builder templates? A: Yes, they're stored the same way as regular Elementor pages, so the same serialization-safe tools apply.
For the general in-editor method, see how to do search and replace in Elementor.
Global widgets elsewhere on the page have the same global-vs-copy issue — see how to update Elementor global widgets across your entire site.
Found a rogue header template? Tell us about it in the comments!
