--- title: "FAQ: Triggering Popups" description: "Short answers to common questions about popup triggers — the events that make your popup appear. Click the links in each answer to dive deeper. Looking for a different topic? Browse all [Frequently Asked Questions](/docs/compatibility/frequently-asked-questions/). If any terminology is confusing,…" url: "https://wppopupmaker.com/docs/triggering-popups-common-questions-issues/faq-triggering-popups/" updated: "2026-10-31" category: "Common Questions & Issues / Triggering Popups" --- # FAQ: Triggering Popups Short answers to common questions about popup triggers — the events that make your popup appear. Click the links in each answer to dive deeper. Looking for a different topic? Browse all [Frequently Asked Questions](/docs/compatibility/frequently-asked-questions/). If any terminology is confusing, check our [Popup Maker Glossary of Terms](https://wppopupmaker.com/docs/getting-started/popup-maker-glossary-of-terms/). Table Of Contents - [What Is a Popup Trigger?](#what-is-a-popup-trigger) - [How Do I Make My Popup Show Automatically?](#how-do-i-make-my-popup-show-automatically) - [Use an Auto Open Trigger](#use-an-auto-open-trigger) - [How Can I Have a Popup Open With a Click?](#how-can-i-have-a-popup-open-with-a-click) - [Use a Click Open Trigger](#use-a-click-open-trigger) - [How Can I Get CSS Selectors?](#how-can-i-get-css-selectors) - [1. Popup Maker's Built-in Selector Tool](#1-popup-makers-builtin-selector-tool) - [2. Browser Developer Tools (like Chrome)](#browser-developer-tools-like-chrome) - [How Can I Open a Popup from a WordPress Nav Menu?](#how-can-i-open-a-popup-from-a-wordpress-nav-menu) ## What Is a Popup Trigger? [A popup trigger](https://wppopupmaker.com/docs/getting-started/triggers/) is an *event* (e.g., a click, some time delay, or submitting a form) that makes your popup appear. See the glossary's [Popup Trigger](https://wppopupmaker.com/docs/getting-started/popup-maker-glossary-of-terms/#popup-trigger) entry for the full definition. In the video below, the popup shows up using a [click trigger](https://wppopupmaker.com/docs/triggering-popups/trigger-click-open-overview-methods/). Clicking the download button triggers a popup to open. [Popup Maker click open demo.](https://www.youtube.com/embed/BEnK9_sBMy8?feature=oembed&enablejsapi=1&origin=https://wppopupmaker.com&modestbranding=1&showinfo=0&rel=0) Think of it like a "light switch" for your popup. When the right action happens, your popup comes into view! These are 2 other popular popup triggers that come with the free Popup Maker version. 1. [Time Delay / Auto Open](https://wppopupmaker.com/docs/getting-started/a-beginners-guide-to-popup-triggers/#time-delay): is a popup trigger that automatically displays a popup after a time delay. For this trigger, **time** is the *event* that makes the popup appear. 2. [Form Submission](https://wppopupmaker.com/docs/getting-started/a-beginners-guide-to-popup-triggers/#form-submission): launches a popup after someone submits a form. You can use Popup Maker’s **Form Submission** trigger as long as your [form plugin has a Popup Maker integration](https://wppopupmaker.com/docs/form-integration/popup-maker-integration-with-wordpress-form-builder-plugins/#form-plugins-supported). ## How Do I Make My Popup Show Automatically? ### Use an Auto Open Trigger You need to use a [Time Delay / Auto Open](https://wppopupmaker.com/docs/triggering-popups/time-delay-auto-open-settings-cheat-sheet/) trigger. ![Auto open trigger](https://wppopupmaker.com/wp-content/uploads/pm-triggers-auto-open-closeup.png) To create a popup that automatically opens, follow our [step-by-step guide for creating your first popup](https://wppopupmaker.com/docs/getting-started/create-your-first-popup-summary-guide/) (auto opening). For more details about each **Auto Open** setting, read our [Time Delay / Auto Open Settings Cheat Sheet](https://wppopupmaker.com/docs/triggering-popups/time-delay-auto-open-settings-cheat-sheet/). ## How Can I Have a Popup Open With a Click? ### Use a Click Open Trigger You can use the [Click Open trigger](https://wppopupmaker.com/docs/triggering-popups/trigger-click-open-overview-methods/) to open a popup by clicking any element on your post or page. ![pm triggers click open closeup 1](https://wppopupmaker.com/wp-content/uploads/pm-triggers-click-open-closeup-1.png) After you set up the **Click Open** trigger for your popup, you need to *connect* the trigger to an element (e.g., text, link, button, image) on your page. The 2 easiest ways to do that are the following: 1. [Add the default Popup Maker classes](https://wppopupmaker.com/docs/getting-started/a-beginners-guide-to-popup-triggers/#click-open) to your element. 2. [Assign existing or custom selectors](https://wppopupmaker.com/docs/getting-started/a-beginners-guide-to-popup-triggers/#extra-css-selectors) from your element to your **Click Open** trigger. Follow our [A Beginner’s Guide to Popup Triggers](https://wppopupmaker.com/docs/getting-started/a-beginners-guide-to-popup-triggers/#click-open) to learn how to *connect* your **Click Open** trigger to an element on a post or page. If you're wondering how to find existing CSS selectors (for option 2), see the FAQ [How Can I Get CSS Selectors](#how-can-i-get-css-selectors)? ## How Can I Get CSS Selectors? A [CSS selector](https://wppopupmaker.com/docs/getting-started/popup-maker-glossary-of-terms/#css-selectors) is the part of a CSS rule that targets an HTML element. You've got two ways to grab one: ### 1. Popup Maker's Built-in Selector Tool - Go to your page while logged into WordPress - Hover over the Popup Maker admin bar - Click **Get Selector** under **Tools** - Click **OK** in the alert - Click the element you want - Copy the selector - Paste it into your popup settings ### 2. Browser Developer Tools (like Chrome) - Right-click the element you want - Click **Inspect** - Right-click the highlighted HTML - Select **Copy** > **Copy selector** Just be careful. Browser tools can sometimes give you super long selectors that are tricky to use. Get more details and even [watch a video](https://youtu.be/w5Ez5vWgaKU?t=209) on how to use the Popup Maker tool in our [Getting CSS Selectors guide](https://wppopupmaker.com/docs/triggering-popups/getting-css-selectors/). [How to Launch a Popup Maker Popup From any Page Element](https://www.youtube.com/embed/w5Ez5vWgaKU?start=209&feature=oembed&enablejsapi=1) ## How Can I Open a Popup from a WordPress Nav Menu? You've got [three cool ways to open a popup from a nav menu](https://wppopupmaker.com/docs/menu/open-a-popup-from-a-wordpress-nav-menu/): 1. Select the popup directly from a dropdown in the menu settings 2. Add a custom link using the [popup's ID](https://wppopupmaker.com/docs/getting-started/popup-maker-glossary-of-terms/#popup-id) (like '#popmake-123') 3. Add the popup's CSS class to your menu item Read how in our [Open a Popup from a WordPress Nav Menu guide](https://wppopupmaker.com/docs/special-popups/open-a-popup-from-a-wordpress-nav-menu/).