Description

Preloader shows a loading screen while your page loads, then fades it out once everything is ready. Pick a lightweight CSS template or use your own GIF or PNG image, choose where and for whom it appears, and you’re done.

Features

Easy to use – set up your preloader in just 3 steps.
Choose from a collection of free, lightweight templates built with HTML and CSS3.
Customize the templates: background color, fill color, and scale, with a live preview.
Or use your own GIF or PNG image, and customize its size and background color.
Select where to show the preloader (entire site, blog page, posts, pages, categories, tags, author pages, WooCommerce pages, etc).
Choose who sees the preloader: everyone, visitors only, or logged in users only.
Works with any WordPress theme – no need to re-integrate after theme updates or changes.
Compatible with all major browsers.
Available in 7 languages: English, Arabic, German, Spanish, French, Japanese, and Portuguese.
Lightweight and optimized for performance. Each template is no more than 2KB.
Clear documentation and helpful FAQ section.

Preloader Premium

Want more? Preloader Premium turns your preloader into a smart loading screen:

80+ templates, including Typing Effect (show a message or a coupon while the page loads) and Real Percentage (real loading progress).
Image animations for your GIF or PNG image: Spin, Swing, Flip, Pulse, Heartbeat, Bounce, Float, and Fade.
7 fade effects: Fade Out, Slide Up, Slide Down, Zoom Out, Circle Reveal, Circle Expand, and Blur Out.
Delay Before Fade and Fade Speed: keep the preloader on screen as long as you want.
Cookie-based display: show the preloader once per visitor, then again after a set number of days. GDPR compliant.
Device targeting: mobile devices only, any device except mobile, iPhone, iPad, or Android.
Always or never show the preloader on specific content by their IDs.
Specific WooCommerce pages and custom post types.
Hide the preloader on a specific screen width.

Try Preloader Premium for free with one click. No sign-up, no download:
Try Premium Free

Get it now: Get Premium Version

Full tutorial, a complete walkthrough of Preloader Premium (How to Add a Preloader in WordPress | Loading Screens Plugin Tutorial):

Live Demo & Usage Guide

Plugin Reference & Live Demo

Installation

Installation & Configuration

Upload the ‘the-preloader’ folder to the ‘/wp-content/plugins/’ directory.
Activate the plugin through the Plugins menu in WordPress.
Go to the Preloader menu > General tab and enable the preloader.
Go to the Templates tab to choose one of the free templates and customize its colors and scale. Or, go to the Image tab to upload your GIF or PNG image, then choose “Your Image” in the Templates tab.
Go to the Display tab to select where to show the preloader (entire site, posts, etc), and choose who sees the preloader (everyone, visitors only, or logged in users only).
Save changes.
Clear your site’s cache if you’re using a caching plugin.

Finally, if the preloader doesn’t show, click on the “Integration” tab, and follow the instructions there.

For common issues and helpful tips, check the FAQ tab.

Usage Guide

FAQ

Where can I find more help?

For common issues and helpful tips, go to Preloader > FAQ tab inside your WordPress dashboard. You can also read the usage guide or contact us:

Can I try the premium version before buying it?

Yes. Try Preloader Premium for free with one click. No sign-up, no download: Try Premium Free.

Reviews

Mohaymenul Islam Mayo 25, 2025 1 reply

such simple thing as preloader, didn't expect so many affiliate links

RED_Android Setyembre 18, 2024

Preloader got stuck and never disappeared to display the website. Also you are limited to 128x128px

brian7997 Hunyo 4, 2021

Couldn't get it to work on a very basic WP install. Better preloader plugins to choose from. Sadly it seems a quickly built plugin just designed to generate some ad revenue and waste people's time. Very little features. Requires editing your theme files to work.

Steve Pringle Agosto 5, 2020

Not sure when this happened but now the Dashboard is littered with affiliates with this installed. Current version installed: 1.0.9 Date noticed: 2020/08/04 // Add plugin meta links function WPTime_preloader_plugin_row_meta( $links, $file ) { if ( strpos( $file, 'preloader.php' ) !== true ) { $new_links = array( '<a href="http://wp-plugins.in/the-preloader" target="_blank">Explanation of Use</a>', '<a href="http://www.elegantthemes.com/affiliates/idevaffiliate.php?id=24967&tid1=preloader_plugin_m&url=35248" target="_blank">Elegant Themes</a>', '<a href="https://www.bluehost.com/track/wptime/preloader-plugin-m" target="_blank">Bluehost</a>', '<a href="http://wp-plugins.in" target="_blank">More Plugins</a>' ); $links = array_merge( $links, $new_links ); } return $links; } add_filter( 'plugin_row_meta', 'WPTime_preloader_plugin_row_meta', 10, 2 );

whatanoisybird Hunyo 17, 2020

Well, the preloader background does not disappear after the content of the page has been loaded. Developer does not answer support requests on the support forum. So you'd better try a plugin where you can have support in case of problem.

troyw2015 Hunyo 2, 2020

Not sure what's up with this plug in but when I added the code <div id="wptime-plugin-preloader"></div> after <body> in header.php, the website died. Tried different locations in header.php file, but kills website mo matter where it is placed. ***PLUGIN DELETED***

Read all 41 reviews

Contributors & Developers

“Preloader” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin.

Alobaidi

Translate “Preloader” into your language.

Interested in development?

Browse the code, check out the SVN repository, or subscribe to the development log by RSS.

Changelog

2.1

Added translations: the plugin is now available in 7 languages (English, Arabic, German, Spanish, French, Japanese, and Portuguese).
Added 5 new free templates: Expanding Circle, Rotating Lines, Wave Dots, Dual Ring, and Circle Scatter.
Added “Author Pages” to the display locations.
Added PNG image support (GIF and PNG are supported).
New “Image” tab with a live image preview.
Redesigned settings pages: “Go to Selected” and “Top” buttons in the Templates tab, and a questions list in the FAQ tab.
Improved security, performance, and compatibility with WordPress 7.1.

All your settings are kept. After updating, please clear your site’s cache if you’re using a caching plugin (e.g., WP Super Cache), so the new improvements work correctly. Enjoy!

2.0.2

Improved performance.

The plugin is now faster with improved performance. After updating, no action is required on your part.

2.0.1

Optimized plugin initialization.
Added a new menu icon.

After updating, no action is required on your part. Enjoy!

2.0.0

Everything has changed in this version! Explore it yourself.
Go to the Preloader menu > General tab, enable the Preloader and adjust your settings.
For common issues and helpful tips, go to Preloader > FAQ tab.
How to Use v2.0.0

1.0.9

Fixed header.php file URL in settings page.
Improved preloader performance in JavaScript.

1.0.8

Preloader Image Size Extension is ready!

1.0.7

Added < noscript > tag in to hide preloader when JavaScript is disabled.

1.0.6

Fixed preloader delay issue.
Note: After updating, please go to Plugins menu > Preloader and add the preloader HTML element after the body tag in your theme’s header.php file.

1.0.5

Fixed script location – all scripts now properly loaded in head tag.

1.0.4

Added support for Front Page.
Added support for 404 Error Page.

1.0.3

Added conditional JavaScript loading.

1.0.2

Fixed critical issue.
Added new display location settings (homepage only, posts only, etc.).
Added PHP file protection.
Added uninstall functionality.

1.0.1

Removed is_admin() function.

1.0.0

Initial release.

So many affiliate spam

Got stuck on preloading screen

Terrible, Don’t Waste Your Time.

Spams Dashboard with Affiliate Links

Preloader stuck, only background color remaining

Code killed website when added to header.php