My WordPress themes come with pre-built headers and footers. You can change the colors, logo, menu and other settings through the WordPress Customizer.
That works well when you already like the basic design and only want to adjust it to match your brand. But sometimes you want a completely different layout.
Perhaps you want the logo in another position, a larger call-to-action button, a different mobile menu or a header that only appears on certain pages. More experienced WordPress users may prefer to build the whole thing themselves.
My themes did not offer that flexibility.
When customers asked how they could create a custom header or footer, I referred them to a header & footer builder plugin that handled this well. It allowed them to design the layout visually and use it instead of the header or footer included with the theme.
For several years, that was a good solution.
When a small plugin becomes a large toolkit
The plugin eventually changed its name and grew into a broader plugin. It added widgets, templates and other features that had little to do with headers and footers.
Nothing wrong with that, but it was no longer the plugin I originally recommended to my customers.
I looked at the alternatives. Many had also grown into complete theme-building packages for Elementor. The few lightweight options I found often came with their own custom-designed admin screens instead of using the familiar WordPress interface.
I wanted something smaller.
It should let people build a header or footer with Elementor, choose where it appears and get out of the way. It should feel like part of WordPress rather than another system that users have to learn.
So I decided to build it myself.
Meet Qreative Header Footer Designer
Qreative Header Footer Designer is a free WordPress plugin for building custom headers and footers with Elementor.
You create a template, choose where it should appear and design it with Elementor. There is no need to edit theme files or write PHP.
The plugin uses familiar WordPress screens and settings, so there is no separate interface to learn. If you already know your way around WordPress and Elementor, the workflow should feel familiar.
The basic process is short:
- Create a new header or footer template.
- Choose where you want to display it.
- Open the template in Elementor and build your layout.
Once the template is active, it replaces the header or footer from your theme in the selected locations.
What you can do with the free plugin
The free version contains the complete header and footer builder.
You can create custom layouts for your entire website or use different templates on selected pages. For example, you could create a transparent header for the homepage and use a regular header everywhere else.
The plugin also includes the widgets commonly needed inside a header and footer:
- Site logo
- Navigation menu
- Search overlay
- Copyright information
You can combine these with regular Elementor widgets. Add a button, phone number, social icons or anything else that works inside an Elementor layout.
Headers can be made sticky so the navigation remains visible while someone scrolls. The menu widget includes separate controls for desktop and mobile layouts, including spacing, colors, typography, submenu indicators and how the menu opens.
Display conditions let you decide where a template appears. You can use it throughout the website, limit it to certain pages or exclude it from places where you want to keep the theme’s original layout.
The plugin also works with WPML and Polylang, so multilingual websites can use a different header or footer for each language.
The free version will remain free
I wanted the free plugin to be useful on its own.
You do not need the Pro add-on to build a header or footer. There is no trial period and the basic builder is not locked behind a paid upgrade.
If all you need is a custom header, footer, sticky navigation or mobile menu, the free version covers that.
What the Pro add-on adds
I also created an optional Pro add-on to fund further development and support. It adds tools for people who want to build more than headers and footers.
Mega menus let you create larger menu layouts containing columns, images, buttons or other Elementor content. You build the layout in Elementor and assign it to an existing WordPress menu item.
Off-canvas panels can be used for mobile navigation, contact details, promotions or other content that slides into view when someone clicks a button.
The popup builder supports manually opened popups as well as automatic triggers based on a delay, scroll position or exit intent. There is also an announcement bar builder for promotions, notices and other messages above the main header.
Pro also includes:
- More detailed display conditions
- Additional sticky-header options
- Reusable Elementor sections
- A WooCommerce slide-out cart
- More control over overlays, panels and animations
These features are optional. Installing Pro extends the free plugin, so you can keep the headers and footers you have already built.
Built for my themes, available for others
One reason I built the plugin was to give my theme customers a solution I could test and support myself.
Instead of sending them to an unrelated toolkit, I can now recommend a lightweight plugin that I know works with my themes.
Qreative Header Footer Designer is not restricted to QreativeThemes products. You can use it with other classic WordPress themes that do not already provide their own header and footer builder.
Block themes work differently because they use the WordPress Site Editor to manage templates. Compatibility may vary when a theme already takes control of its headers and footers through that system.
For a regular WordPress theme using Elementor, the plugin gives you a straightforward way to replace the existing header or footer without rebuilding the rest of the site.
Download Qreative Header Footer Designer
You can view Qreative Header Footer Designer, compare Free and Pro, and download the free version.
I originally built the plugin for customers who wanted more control over my themes, but it works with any classic WordPress theme that uses Elementor. It is available for everyone through the WordPress.org plugin directory.
