> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://vr-it-services-pro.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Missing header or footer

> The header, footer, or page content is missing or misaligned.

# Missing header or footer

Either the site chrome has disappeared, or a page is rendering with the wrong layout.

## First: is it one page or the whole site?

That single question determines the cause.

| Scope | Most likely cause | Go to |
| - | - | - |
| **One page** | A page builder owns it, or a stale template | [One page is affected](#one-page-is-affected) |
| **Every page** | A child theme or plugin removed it | [The whole site is affected](#the-whole-site-is-affected) |

## One page is affected

### The page builder is taking over

This is the expected behaviour on builder pages, not a bug.

**Confirm it**

View source on the affected page and look for `vara-saas-builder-page` on the `body` element. If
it is there, the theme has deliberately stepped aside.

If the header and footer are genuinely missing — not just full-width — a plugin is likely removing them. See [Plugin conflicts](/troubleshooting/plugin-conflicts.md).

### The page has no content

`template-page-builder.php` renders only content. A page assigned to it with nothing in it produces an empty canvas.

**1. Open the page in the block editor**

**Pages → All Pages → your page → Edit**.

**2. Check it has content**

A page saved with Elementor but with an empty Elementor document has no post content.

**3. Switch the template if needed**

**Page Attributes → Template → Default Template**.

### Stale Elementor cache

Content renders empty or unstyled.

**1. Regenerate Elementor's CSS**

**Elementor → Tools → Regenerate CSS & Data**.

**2. Clear every cache**

Page cache, object cache, CDN, browser.

**3. Re-save the page in Elementor**

This forces a rewrite of the Elementor data.

## The whole site is affected

### A plugin is removing them

**1. Deactivate all plugins**

**2. Check the site**

If the header and footer return, a plugin is the cause. Bisect to find it — see [Plugin conflicts](/troubleshooting/plugin-conflicts.md).

**3. Look for the usual suspects**

Page builders, header/footer builder plugins, white-label plugins, and maintenance-mode plugins.

### A child theme is responsible

> [!WARNING]
>
> **`header.php` and `footer.php` must call `get_header()` and `get_footer()`.** A child theme that replaces them without calling the parent versions, or that outputs an unbalanced tag, will break the page structure.

```php theme={null}
<?php
/**
 * header.php in your child theme
 */

get_header();   // Outputs <body>, the site header, and opens <main>
```

```php theme={null}
<?php
/**
 * footer.php in your child theme
 */

get_footer();   // Closes </main> and outputs the site footer
```

Check that your child theme's versions are not swallowing or duplicating these calls.

### Unbalanced HTML

The most insidious version of this problem: the page looks visually fine but is structurally broken.

> [!WARNING]
>
> **`get_header()` opens `<main id="site-content">` and `get_footer()` closes it.** If your child theme opens its own `<main>`, the page has two main landmarks — exactly the accessibility failure this theme is built to avoid — and browsers may re-nest content in ways that look wrong.

Validate the markup at the [W3C Validator](https://validator.w3.org/) to find unclosed tags.

## Content is narrower or wider than expected

A different symptom with a different cause.

| Symptom | Cause | Fix |
| - | - | - |
| **Page is very wide** | Container set to **Wide** | Set **Boxed** in the Layout section |
| **Page is narrow** | Container set to **Boxed** | Set **Wide** |
| **Content narrower than the header** | A sidebar is rendering empty | Turn the sidebar off, or add widgets |
| **Content wider than expected** | Elementor container width | Set the Elementor section width |
| **Only on one page** | That page's template | Check Page Attributes |

![Screenshot: wide and boxed container layouts compared](https://mintlify.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/vr-it-services-pro/images/screenshots/missing-header-footer-widths.png)

**Admin path:** Appearance → Customize → Vara SaaS → **Layout → Container layout**

**Builder pages ignore your container setting**

On any page owned by Elementor, Beaver Builder, Divi, or Bricks, the theme removes its container
entirely. Your width there is controlled by the builder. See
[How the theme works](/introduction/how-it-works.md).

## An empty sidebar column

If there is an unexplained gap beside your content, the sidebar area is rendering with no widgets.

> **Check it is switched on**
>
> **Customize → Vara SaaS → General → Enable sidebar**.

> **Check it has widgets**
>
> **Appearance → Widgets → Primary Sidebar**.

> [!WARNING]
>
> An empty sidebar still reserves its column on wide screens, which reads as a layout bug. If you do not use widgets, turn **Enable sidebar** off. See [Sidebars and widgets](/customization/sidebars-and-widgets.md).

## Double footer or content repeated

Almost always the header or footer markup being emitted twice.

| Cause | Fix |
| - | - |
| A child theme that calls `get_header()` inside a template part | Remove the redundant call |
| A cached page mixing old and new markup | Clear page and object caches |
| A page builder template duplicating the footer | Remove it |

## Diagnostic checklist

**1. Does it happen on every page or one page?**

Every page → plugin or child theme. One page → template or builder.

**2. View source and check for vara-saas-builder-page**

Confirms whether the theme deliberately stepped aside.

**3. Deactivate all plugins**

The fastest isolation step.

**4. Disable your child theme**

Rename its folder via FTP if you suspect it.

**5. Validate the HTML**

The [W3C Validator](https://validator.w3.org/) will find unclosed tags.

**6. Clear all caches**

Last, but frequently the actual answer.

## Related

> **[Header and menus](/customization/header-and-menus.md)**
>
> How the header is meant to be built.

> **[Template files](/developers/template-files.md)**
>
> What each template renders and how to override it.


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