ElvUI Chat: How to Move, Resize, Hide, and Fix Chat Windows

The short answer: choose Chat, then move the correct window

For the common ElvUI chat setup question, do not start by deleting the profile. Type /ec, open the Chat module and identify whether you are editing the main chat, a second tab, a combat log or a separate right-side window. Then open Movers and drag the matching anchor. A chat panel can look missing when it is simply off-screen, collapsed, attached to another frame or hidden by a visibility rule.

Keep Chat separate from ActionBars and UnitFrames. The chat module controls tabs, message display, bubbles, font and background behavior; the ElvUI Action Bars guide covers buttons and paging, while the Cast Bar guide covers spell progress. Testing one module at a time makes a profile problem much easier to isolate.

• Use /ec outside combat when possible.
• Select the exact chat window or tab before changing its appearance.
• Use Movers for position instead of guessing coordinates.
• Export a working profile before importing a community layout.
• Treat the generated chat illustration on this page as a concept image, not an exact ElvUI screenshot.

Where to find ElvUI chat settings and Movers

Open ElvUI with /ec and find Chat in the module list. Depending on the client branch and release, you may see general chat controls, individual windows, tabs, edit boxes, chat bubbles and message-type filters in different groups. The useful rule is stable: select the window that is visibly wrong, change one control and test a real message before changing every panel.

Movers handles the saved position. Enter the mover mode, locate the anchor for the active chat window and drag it to a readable area. If the anchor is not visible, first make sure the window is enabled and has a visible tab or message. The ElvUI addons guide explains how to rule out an optional skin or chat replacement before you reset the base profile.

1. 1

   Open the configuration

   Type /ec and wait for the ElvUI panel to finish loading. Leave combat before moving several anchors.

2. 2

   Choose Chat

   Open the Chat module and identify the main window, the second window, the edit box or the bubbles you actually want to change.

3. 3

   Enable a simple test

   Keep one visible tab, send a short message and temporarily reduce filters. This confirms that the panel exists before you style it.

4. 4

   Use Movers

   Enter the mover view, drag the matching chat anchor and check that it does not cover action bars, raid frames or the quest area.

5. 5

   Save the working state

   Export the profile or keep a dated WTF backup before importing a new layout, changing fonts or enabling a chat skin.

How to move, resize, or remove the right chat

To move an ElvUI chat window, use Movers and drag the anchor rather than repeatedly changing scale. To resize it, adjust width and height for the selected window, then check the font and edit-box size separately. A wider panel can still feel cramped when the text is too large, while a smaller panel can remain readable if tabs and message spacing are controlled.

If you want to remove the right chat in ElvUI, first decide whether it is a second ElvUI window, a combat log, a Blizzard panel or another addon. Hide the matching window in Chat settings, remove its tabs only when you understand the result, and reload. Do not cover it with the main chat or delete saved variables: overlapping panels make future profile imports harder to diagnose.

Change tabs, font size, bubbles, background, and message filters

Chat readability comes from several small settings rather than one magic switch. Start with the tabs you actually use, then decide which message types belong in each window. Keep system, loot, combat and social messages separated only when that separation helps you act; too many tabs can make a panel appear empty because the message was routed somewhere else.

For chat bubbles, check whether the display is controlled by ElvUI, Blizzard or a separate addon. Bubble scale and chat-window font size are different controls, so changing one may not affect the other. If a background looks too bright or too dark, adjust opacity and border styling after the text is readable. Keep a profile export before applying a skin that changes fonts or textures.

• Use a simple tab layout before adding message filters.
• Change font size and frame size separately so the cause stays clear.
• Check chat bubbles independently from the window and edit box.
• Route one message type at a time when diagnosing an empty tab.
• Treat fonts, textures and chat skins as separate dependencies from the base profile.

Fix chat that disappears, keeps moving, or fails in instances

When ElvUI chat is not working in instances, compare the message-routing and visibility rules before reinstalling. A panel may be hidden in combat, attached to a frame that changes in a dungeon, or filtered so aggressively that no test message qualifies. Send a party message, open the chat tab and check whether the frame moved or whether the message went to another window.

If the chat keeps moving after a reload, look for an imported profile, a mover reset, Edit Mode interaction or another addon that owns the same frame. Disable one competing source, reload and repeat the same test. If the issue began after an update, close WoW and replace ElvUI, ElvUI_Libraries and ElvUI_Options from one verified release. The update guide covers clean replacement without deleting saved variables.

For a missing or duplicated window, create a temporary profile and enable only base ElvUI. If the chat works there, compare filters, anchors and optional plugins with the original profile. If it still fails, verify the active Retail or Classic AddOns path using the installation guide before touching WTF.

Profiles, Retail and Classic differences

A profile stores configuration, not every font, texture or optional chat addon shown in a screenshot. Before importing one, export the current profile and note the client branch, resolution and required media. If the imported chat is too large or disappears, switch back to the saved profile first; a full reset should be the last step, not the first.

Retail and Classic share the basic /ec and Movers workflow, but available chat modules, Edit Mode interactions, protected frames and message behavior can differ. Test the client you actually launch and keep separate profiles when the layouts serve different resolutions or game branches. ElvUI 15.24 is the current release checked for this guide; a later client patch can change a label or visibility rule without changing the troubleshooting logic.

• Back up the working profile before changing chat anchors.
• Record the client branch and resolution beside a profile export.
• Test optional chat skins after base ElvUI works.
• Do not call a profile a complete addon package when it needs separate media or plugins.
• Use the current Tukui release for the active client and keep historical tags separate.