UI, action bars & unit frames · Addon guide
ElvUI for WoW Forever
ElvUI replaces the entire interface: unit frames, action bars, bags, chat, the lot. It is one decision instead of fifteen addons, and it is the heaviest change you can make to how the game looks.
Classic version exists — Forever support not confirmed
Last verified · All WoW Forever addons
Download ElvUI
ElvUI_Vanilla.toc in the official repository. Addons are free: Blizzard's UI Add-On Development Policy requires it. If a site asks you to pay, or hands you an .exe instead of a folder, close the page.
What ElvUI does
- Replaces unit frames, action bars, the minimap, bags, chat and the loot window with one consistent set.
- Runs an install wizard that sets a usable layout in about a minute.
- Supports imported profiles, so you can copy a layout someone else built.
- Scales sensibly on wide monitors, where the default UI leaves the action bars stranded in the middle.
How to install it
- Download the addon from one of the official pages above.
- Close the game, including the Battle.net launcher. Addons are read at startup.
- Unzip the download. Inside you get the folders
ElvUI,ElvUI_Libraries,ElvUI_Options. - Move them into your WoW Forever install under
Interface/AddOns. Do not nest a folder inside a folder of the same name — that is the most common reason an addon does not show up. - Start the game. On the character select screen, open AddOns and make sure it is ticked.
If it still does not appear, tick "Load out of date AddOns" in that list: a Classic build can be marked for an older interface version than the Forever client reports.
Set it up before you level
- Run the install wizard when prompted. Skipping it leaves the UI half-configured.
- Set the UI scale to match your resolution before you move anything, or you will place everything twice.
- Do not install separate bag, chat or unit frame addons alongside it — that is what it replaces.
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
| /ec | Opens the configuration window. |
| /moveui | Unlocks every frame so you can drag it. |
ElvUI in WoW Forever
Status: Because it replaces so much of the interface, it is also the most likely to need fixes if Forever changes the default UI.
- A full UI replacement touches more of the default interface than any other addon, so it is the one most likely to break on a new Forever build and the one to disable first when something goes wrong.
- If the game looks broken after a patch, log in with addons disabled to confirm it is ElvUI before reporting a bug to Blizzard.
Hitting crashes or a frozen client instead? That is a graphics setting, not an addon: see the crash and freeze fixes.
Addons that pair with it
- Bartender4Replaces the default action bars with bars you can move, resize, hide and page, including stance and pet bars.
- QuestiePuts quest givers, objectives and turn-ins on your map and minimap, adds a quest tracker and shows which quests are available around you. The most used quest helper in Classic.
- Leatrix PlusA long list of optional interface tweaks: auto-repair and selling junk, faster looting, hiding clutter, a larger quest log and more. Nothing is switched on until you pick it.
- TomTomShows your coordinates and lets you set waypoints with /way, with an arrow that points to the next one. Many guides and other addons use it.
- Details! Damage MeterRecords damage, healing, interrupts and deaths per fight and shows them in compact bars, with a detailed breakdown per player and spell.
- Deadly Boss Mods (DBM)Warns you about boss abilities with timers, on-screen alerts and sounds. Install the core addon plus the Vanilla module for Classic dungeons and raids.
ElvUI FAQ
Is ElvUI too much for a first character?
It changes everything at once, which is a lot while you are still learning a class. Leatrix Plus and a unit frame addon get you most of the comfort with less to relearn.
Can I keep my old UI settings?
ElvUI stores its own profiles per character. Your default UI settings are untouched and come back if you disable it.
Addon behaviour changes with every update. Something out of date here? Tell us. This is a fan site, not affiliated with Blizzard or with the addon's author, and we host no addon files other than our own.