{"id":120,"slug":"elementor-no-deactivate-with-content-issue-5667","title":"Elementor: no built-in \"deactivate but retain content\" option — open feature request since 2018","kind":"reference","scope":"business","status":"current","audiences":["claude-code","candid-team"],"topics":["wordpress","platform-lock-in"],"reference_body":"**Claim:** **Elementor has no built-in mechanism to deactivate and retain content as standard HTML/WordPress markup.** This is tracked as an open feature request on GitHub: `elementor/elementor` issue **#5667**. Visual Composer/WPBakery and similar page builders write content to non-standard database tables or shortcodes that become orphan content on deactivation.\n\n**Sources:** GitHub elementor/elementor issue #5667; Nelio Software analysis; WordPress Help Blog migration guides.\n\n**Confidence:** Industry-consensus.\n\n**Implication:** Elementor lock-in is **structural** rather than malicious — the builder's data model is fundamentally different from WordPress's native post_content. Practical exit requires either (1) a content rebuild, (2) commercial migration tools (Nelio, etc.), or (3) staying on Elementor. Related: [[divi-4-shortcode-lockin-et-pb]], [[acf-data-broken-in-xml-export]].","rationale_body":null,"metadata":null,"links":{"outgoing":[{"slug":"divi-4-shortcode-lockin-et-pb","title":"Divi 4 stored content as proprietary [et_pb_*] shortcodes — orphan text on theme deactivation (Divi 5 fixes this)","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"}],"incoming":[{"slug":"acf-data-broken-in-xml-export","title":"ACF custom fields don't survive WordPress's native XML export — image IDs + serialized arrays break","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"},{"slug":"research-brief-owning-your-stack","title":"Research brief: Owning your stack — why agency-managed platforms cost more than they save (piece 4 of 15)","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"},{"slug":"generatepress-cannot-convert-elementor-code","title":"GeneratePress official: \"You cannot convert Elementor's code to the code required by the Block Editor\"","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"},{"slug":"content-extraction-decision-tree","title":"Content extraction decision tree — WP REST API default, WXR XML fallback, direct DB only for hidden postmeta","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"}]},"created_at":"2026-05-22T19:17:26.824Z","updated_at":"2026-05-22T19:17:26.824Z"}