--- title: "Element not found" slug: "element-not-found" description: "Learn why Userflow can't find elements and explore solutions for issues like dynamic text, long load times, and CSS changes to enhance your flows." tags: ["Element Selector", "Dynamic Elements"] updated: 2026-11-09T16:31:51Z published: 2026-11-09T16:31:51Z canonical: "help.userflow.com/element-not-found" --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.userflow.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Element not found An "element not found" message means Userflow couldn't find the element a tooltip step points at, so it can't show the step. This page lists the quick fixes to try first, then the common causes and how to fix each. ## What do you and your users see when an element isn't found? While you preview a flow, Userflow shows a yellow message on the step where it can't find the element. Your users never see that message. ![The yellow element not found message on a step in preview](https://cdn.us.document360.io/9697557a-eb5d-476f-9b09-062b0f7bdcbd/Images/Documentation/image(582).png) In a published flow, what users see depends on your theme's [Missing tooltip target behavior](/userflow/docs/missing-tooltip-target-behavior): the flow can end, show a warning like the one below, or show the step as a speech bubble. ![The warning users see when a tooltip's element can't be found, with Start over and Close guide buttons](https://cdn.us.document360.io/9697557a-eb5d-476f-9b09-062b0f7bdcbd/Images/Documentation/navigated-away-published.png) ## Try these first - **The element loads slowly.** Give Userflow more time to find it: go to **Settings > Themes**, select the theme your flow uses, open **Tooltip**, and raise **Missing tooltip target tolerance**. For a page that loads slowly after a click, also add an **Element is present** trigger on the step before (see "The page takes a long time to load" on this page). - **You reselected the element and it still fails, or picks the wrong one.** Adjust the strictness slider. See [Userflow picked the wrong element? in Selecting elements](/userflow/docs/tooltip-element-selection#userflow-picked-the-wrong-element-try-these-first). - **The element's text changes for each user.** Tick **Dynamic text** (see "The element has dynamic text" on this page). If none of these work, check the common causes in the rest of this page. ## The element isn't on the page You, or a user going through the flow, may have moved to another page where the element doesn't exist. Go back to the right page, or reselect the element, to clear the message. To send users to the right page before a flow starts, see [How to navigate to a page when a flow starts](/userflow/docs/go-to-page-when-flow-starts). ## The page takes a long time to load If the element can't be found because the page is slow, change the trigger that moves to the next step to **Element is present**, pointing at a unique element on the **next** page. This is often the same element the next step points at. The flow carries on once the page has loaded and the element is there. ![A step trigger with an Element is present condition pointing at an element on the next page](https://cdn.us.document360.io/9697557a-eb5d-476f-9b09-062b0f7bdcbd/Images/Documentation/element-is-present.png) You can also add a **Wait** condition, on the same step or on a [hidden step](/userflow/docs/hidden-steps). Load times vary between users, though, so **Element is present** is usually more reliable. ![A step trigger with a Wait condition](https://cdn.us.document360.io/9697557a-eb5d-476f-9b09-062b0f7bdcbd/Images/Documentation/wait-condition.png) For how long a step can wait, see [Flow step timeouts](/userflow/docs/flow-step-timeouts). ## The element changed If something in your app's code changed a lot and Userflow can no longer find an element it found before, reselect the element and publish the flow again. ## The element has dynamic text If part of the element's text changes for each user, such as their name, tick **Dynamic text** when you select the element. Elements with a lot of text are treated as dynamic automatically. ![The Dynamic text checkbox in the element's options](https://cdn.us.document360.io/9697557a-eb5d-476f-9b09-062b0f7bdcbd/Images/Documentation/dynamic-text.png) ## The element looks different for different users An element sometimes looks different for different users, for example trial and paid users. Usually this doesn't matter, but sometimes it does. - If the part that changes is text, tick **Dynamic text** (see "The element has dynamic text" on this page). - If it isn't text, select a part of the element that doesn't change, or adjust strictness. - If that doesn't work, use **Go manual** to enter a CSS selector. See [Go manual in Selecting elements](/userflow/docs/tooltip-element-selection#go-manual). ## The flow never moved on from the previous step Sometimes Userflow can't find the element because the flow is still on an earlier step from an earlier page, even though you've moved to the page for the next step. This is usually a trigger that isn't set up right. - Preview the flow: the yellow message shows on the step where Userflow is stuck. - Or open [the users list](https://app.userflow.com/app/_/users), select the user, and check their activity and sessions. To check a step's triggers, see [Flow builder basics](/userflow/docs/flow-builder-basics). If the step has nothing leading to it, see [Disconnected steps](/userflow/docs/disconnected-steps). ## The element uses dynamic CSS Some apps use CSS class names that change for each user or after each deploy, so to Userflow the element is no longer "the same". You'll need your developers' help to fix this. See [Element inference and dynamic class names](/userflow/docs/element-inference-and-dynamic-class-names). ## Element selection works on public pages but not after logging in This isn't an element selection problem. It's a Userflow.js installation problem: the Chrome extension needs Userflow.js to be running in your logged-in app. See the "Extension works on public pages but not in your app" section of [Chrome Extension not working](/userflow/docs/chrome-extension-not-working). ## Related articles - [Missing tooltip target behavior](/userflow/docs/missing-tooltip-target-behavior) - [Selecting elements](/userflow/docs/tooltip-element-selection) - [Flow step timeouts](/userflow/docs/flow-step-timeouts) - [Flow not starting](/userflow/docs/flow-not-starting)