To add scrolling text in Elementor without Elementor Pro, install the free MarqueeX plugin and drag the Text Marquee widget onto the page. Type your messages, set the speed, direction and edge fade, and turn on pause on hover. For headlines that change in place, use the Animated Heading or Animated Word Roller widget.
Add a Text Marquee
- Install and activate MarqueeX (Elementor 3.5 or newer).
- Edit a page with Elementor and search the widget panel for marquee.
- Drag Text Marquee into a full-width container.
- Add your messages as separate items — "Free shipping over $50", "New collection out now".
- Set speed, direction (left, right, up or down) and pause on hover.
- Turn on edge fade so text fades at the edges instead of being cut off.
- Style typography, colour, spacing and background.
- Publish.
Three common layouts
| Layout | How to build it |
|---|---|
| Announcement bar | Text Marquee in a thin full-width container at the top of the header template, contrasting background, small text |
| Big statement strip | Large display font, slow speed, between two sections — a popular agency look |
| Two-direction band | Two Text Marquees stacked, opposite directions, different colours |
Animated headings instead
Sometimes you want the headline itself to move:
- Animated Heading cycles through phrases with Slide, Slide Horizontal or Typing animations: "We build websites / stores / brands".
- Animated Word Roller keeps the headline fixed and rotates one word beside it.
Both are free. MarqueeX Pro adds 8 more heading animations (3D Rotation, Construct, Twist, Line, Wave, Swing, Tilt and Lean), gradient and image-masked text, and 4 more Word Roller transitions.
Mobile tips
- Shrink the font with Elementor's responsive controls — a strip that reads well on desktop can be huge on a phone.
- Slow it down slightly on mobile so text is readable on a narrow screen.
- Keep it short. Two or three messages loop better than ten.
Accessibility
Moving text is harder to read for some visitors. Turn on pause on hover, don't put essential information only in the marquee, and keep speeds moderate. MarqueeX respects the visitor's reduce-motion setting.
Using the block editor too?
MarqueeX also has a Text Marquee block for the block editor, and a block and its matching widget can sit on the same page without their styles colliding.
Next: build a logo carousel or a news ticker, or see how MarqueeX compares with Marquee Addons in our marquee plugin round-up.