You have installed Elementor, but the interface is in English? That can be changed in just a few minutes. In this guide I show you how to switch Elementor to German – and what to do if the German translation doesn’t appear despite the correct setting.
How the language works in Elementor
Important to know: Elementor adopts the language from WordPress. So there is no separate “German” switch in the editor itself – you change the language centrally in WordPress, and Elementor follows automatically.
Step 1: Set the WordPress language to German
- In the WordPress dashboard, go to Settings → General.
- Look for the “Site Language” field.
- Select “Deutsch” or “Deutsch (Österreich)”.
- Click “Save Changes” at the bottom.
WordPress now downloads the German language files automatically. As a rule, the editor is then in German immediately.
Step 2: Check your own user language
Since a certain WordPress version you can set an individual language per user – this overrides the site language. If Elementor stays English:
- Go to Users → Profile.
- Set “Language” to “Site Default” or directly to “Deutsch”.
- Save.
Step 3: Update translations
If Elementor still appears partly English, usually only the language files are missing. This is how you force the update:
- Go to Dashboard → Updates and click right at the bottom on “Update Translations”.
- Alternatively: briefly deactivate Elementor and reactivate it – this reloads the language files.
Common stumbling blocks
- Elementor Pro doesn’t translate completely: Some new functions are not yet 100 % translated – that is normal and not a fault of your installation.
- Caching: After the change, clear the browser and page cache, otherwise you’ll see the old language.
- Multilingual sites: If you run a multilingual website, a translation plugin (such as Linguise or WPML) governs the content language – the editor language remains separate from that.
What’s next?
With a German interface, getting started is much easier. The perfect starting point is offered by my Elementor Beginner Tutorial. If you fundamentally want to know what Elementor can actually do, read Elementor: the WordPress Page Builder explained.
FAQ – Elementor language
Where do I set Elementor to German?
Not in Elementor itself, but under Settings → General → “Site Language”. Elementor adopts this language automatically.
Why does Elementor stay English even though WordPress is German?
Usually a different language is set in the user profile, or the translation files are out of date. Both can be fixed in steps 2 and 3.
Is the German translation free?
Yes. The language files are included both for Elementor (free) and Elementor Pro.
Learning Elementor from the ground up
If you want to master Elementor confidently instead of fighting your way through settings, take a look at my Elementor courses and training sessions – personal, at your pace, on your project.