---
title: "How to Delay Popup on User Inactivity in WordPress?"
url: https://nexterwp.com/docs/popup-on-user-inactivity-in-wordpress/
date: 2023-02-06
modified: 2026-09-14
lang: en
author: "Aditya Sharma"
description: "Interrupting someone mid sentence is rude; catching them once they have stopped reading is not. After Inactivity waits for a stretch of no scrolling, typing or movement, then opens the..."
image: https://nexterwp.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/popup-on-user-inactivity-in-wordpress-1024x519.jpg
word_count: 368
---

# How to Delay Popup on User Inactivity in WordPress?

## Key Takeaways

- Nexter Blocks Popup Builder delays a popup on user inactivity by turning on Display Conditions > After Inactivity.
- Inactivity Seconds sets the delay in seconds, so the popup trigger waits for the equivalent duration before appearing.
- Popup Load Settings sets the Type to Hidden when there are no popup trigger elements on the page.

Interrupting someone mid sentence is rude; catching them once they have stopped reading is not.

After Inactivity waits for a stretch of no scrolling, typing or movement, then opens the popup.

*For every Popup Builder setting in one place, see the [Popup Builder block guide](https://nexterwp.com/docs/add-popup-builder-in-wordpress/).*

[LIVE BLOCK LINK](https://nexterwp.com/nexter-blocks/builder/wordpress-popup-builder/)

## Before You Start

- **Edition:** **Pro** — the Popup Builder block is part of Nexter Blocks Pro.- **Block to enable:** Popup Builder, switched on under **Nexter > Blocks** in your WordPress dashboard.- **The popup's content decided:** a short message, a form, or a saved pattern to load into it.

## Learn via Video Tutorial

https://youtu.be/cUqsOejgx3w?t=961

## Steps

- Add the **Popup Builder** block to your page and click **Design from Scratch**.

- In the **Content** panel, choose a **Type** and set the popup's size.

![The Content panel with the Type setting](https://nexterwp.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/popup-builder-type.webp)

- Set **Content Type** and add what the popup should show.

![The Content Type setting with Pattern, Content, Editor and Shortcode](https://nexterwp.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/popup-builder-content-type.webp)

- Open **Display Conditions** and switch **After Inactivity** on.

![The Display Conditions panel with After Inactivity and its seconds field](https://nexterwp.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/popup-builder-inactivity.webp)

- Set how many seconds of quiet should pass before the popup opens.

- Publish the page and test it on the front end.

> *A popup can have more than one display condition switched on at once. Leave **On Button Click** on only if you also want the button to open it.*

## How It Behaves

- The seconds you set are written into the page and the script counts idle time from there.- Any activity resets the count, so an engaged reader is not interrupted.- It works on touch devices as well as desktop, which makes it a good partner for exit intent.- Switch **On Button Click** off if the popup should only appear this way.

## Limitations

- **Pro only.**- A visitor reading a long passage without scrolling counts as inactive, so do not set the delay too short.- Idle time is counted per page view, so moving to another page starts the count again.- It cannot tell the difference between someone thinking and someone who has walked away.

## Troubleshooting

### The popup opens while people are still reading

Raise the number of seconds. Ten to twenty is usually safer than five on a text heavy page.

### It never opens

Check the seconds field is filled in and that the condition is switched on, then test on the published page.

## Related Docs

- [Create an exit intent popup](https://nexterwp.com/docs/exit-intent-popup-in-wordpress/)- [Show a popup after page scroll](https://nexterwp.com/docs/popup-after-page-scroll-in-wordpress/)- [Popup Builder block: all settings](https://nexterwp.com/docs/add-popup-builder-in-wordpress/)