How to Add Columns in Elementor

Learning how to add columns in Elementor is essential for building flexible and responsive layouts. Whether you're working with traditional sections or the new container layout, Elementor makes it easy to customize your design with multiple columns.

Understanding Elementor Column Basics

Columns are the building blocks of any Elementor layout. Each section or container can hold multiple columns that help organize content visually and functionally.

Section vs. Container. Elementor now supports both traditional sections and the modern Flexbox-based container layout. Both support columns, but containers offer more layout control.

How to Add a Column in Elementor

To add a column in Elementor, start with a section or container. Here's how to do it step by step:

Using traditional sections

1. Drag a Section widget to your page.
2. Hover over the column handle, right-click, and select "Add New Column".
3. Repeat to create multiple columns in Elementor.

Using Elementor container layout

1. Enable Flexbox Containers in Elementor settings (if not already active).
2. Add a new Container widget.
3. Inside it, drag in additional Containers horizontally to simulate columns.
4. Set Direction to Row and adjust Width settings for each child container.

Customize Elementor Column Width

Controlling the width of each column is key to layout precision. Elementor allows fixed or percentage-based widths.

Edit Columns in WordPress Elementor

After creating your column layout, Elementor gives you full control to fine-tune spacing, alignment, and visual structure—ensuring your design looks polished on every device. Here's how you can customize each column effectively:

• Margin & Padding: Access these settings in the Advanced tab of each column. Padding adds space inside the column boundary (pushing content inward), while margin adds space outside the column (separating it from other elements). You can also use device-specific icons to apply different values for desktop, tablet, and mobile views.
• Vertical Align: Found under the Layout tab of the column, this setting lets you align the content to the top, middle, or bottom. It's ideal when you're working with uneven column heights or want to vertically center buttons, text, or icons.
• Column Gap: This setting adjusts the spacing between all columns in a section or container. To use it, click on the section that contains the columns, go to the Layout tab, and select a gap option such as Default, Narrow, or Extended. For advanced control, use Custom Width with padding adjustments. This helps maintain consistent spacing across your design.

Advanced Layout with Elementor Columns

To build more complex layouts, combine multiple rows, nested columns, or container grids. This enables a flexible grid design in Elementor.

Ideas for advanced structure

• Nested containers for different layout zones
• Responsive breakpoints for rearranging columns
• Dynamic width and alignment with Flex settings

Common Troubleshooting Tips

Sometimes adding or managing columns in Elementor doesn’t go as expected. Below are some of the most frequent problems users face—and how to fix them quickly:

• Column not appearing: Make sure the column was added inside the correct Section or Container. If using the older section layout, right-click the section and choose “Add Column.” If you're working with Flexbox Containers (enabled via Elementor Experiments), ensure you’re placing the new column within a properly structured container.
• Layout breaks on mobile: Column-based layouts may not automatically adapt to small screens. Open Responsive Mode in the bottom panel and switch to Tablet or Mobile views. From there, you can stack columns vertically, adjust padding/margins, or hide certain elements on smaller devices using the Responsive settings in the Advanced tab.
• Cannot drag a new column: If you're unable to add columns inside a container, check that the Flexbox Container feature is enabled via Elementor > Settings > Experiments. Also, ensure you're not trying to add a column inside a widget or an incompatible layout type. Sometimes clearing cache or refreshing the editor can resolve drag-and-drop glitches.

Useful Links

Basic Layouts Using the Container – Official guide on how to set up container layouts (flex and grid), adjust direction, alignment, width and nesting in Elementor’s modern container system.

Container Layout Tab Settings – Detailed reference for container layout options (direction, wrap, justify, align-content) to fine‑tune column-based designs.

Flexbox Containers Feature Overview – Elementor’s official feature page explaining benefits of the new flexbox-based containers, including performance and responsive flexibility.

Grid Container Layout Options – Official documentation on using Grid containers for multi‑row/column designs, column and row settings, gaps, and spacing.

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Conclusion

Mastering how to add columns in Elementor gives you complete control over your website layout. Whether you’re using classic sections or the modern container system, Elementor’s intuitive interface helps you create responsive, well-structured designs. Explore the container layout for even more advanced layout flexibility in WordPress Elementor.

Ready to build flexible columns? Start experimenting with Elementor’s drag-and-drop editor and explore its full layout potential.