---
title: Close triggers
slug: close-triggers
description: How close triggers work in Personizely: closing a widget after a time or at a scroll depth, why interacting cancels them, and how they count for frequency.
image: https://archbee-image-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/1y1Fr-DMGy_apx7FwibyA/ORDTWfNKMXiY3ZRv0QSgP_personizely-docs-og.png
docTags: 
createdAt: 2026-10-16T20:12:52.804Z
---

Close triggers hide a widget automatically after it has appeared: either after it has been visible for a number of seconds, or when the visitor scrolls to a point on the page. They keep bars, callouts and popups from lingering for visitors who ignore them. As soon as the visitor interacts with the widget, its close triggers are cancelled, so it never disappears while someone is using it.

**Available on:** all platforms.

## How it works

1. The widget is shown by one of its [triggers](https://docs.personizely.net/triggers).
2. Its close triggers start: the **Time** countdown begins, and the **Scroll** close trigger starts watching the scroll position.
3. If the visitor interacts with the widget first, the close triggers are cancelled for this view.
4. Otherwise, the first close trigger to be reached closes the widget.

Close triggers are set per widget in the **Close triggers** card ("Close the widget automatically") on the widget's page. Click **Add trigger** and pick **Time** or **Scroll**. In a [widget A/B test](https://docs.personizely.net/widget-experiments-and-ab-testing) they're set per variation.

## Close trigger types

| Close trigger | Closes the widget when                                         | Option                   | Default |
| ------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------ | ------- |
| **Time**      | The widget has been visible for **Delay** seconds              | Delay (sec)              | **20**  |
| **Scroll**    | The visitor scrolls to **Scroll distance** percent of the page | Scroll distance (1–100%) | **100** |

### What counts as interacting

- Clicking or tapping anywhere inside the widget.
- Focusing a field inside the widget, for example to type an email, or pressing a key while focus is in the widget.

When a popup or callout opens, Personizely may move focus into it for accessibility. That automatic focus doesn't count as interacting.

## Behavior details and limitations

- **Closing this way counts as a close.** A close trigger closes the widget the same way the close button does, so a [Frequency](https://docs.personizely.net/frequency) rule set to "once closed" applies. If the widget has a [teaser](https://docs.personizely.net/widget-teaser) with **On close** turned on and the visitor hasn't converted, the widget is minimized to the teaser instead, which counts as minimized.
- **Scroll uses the current position.** The Scroll close trigger fires when the visitor scrolls to the set percentage, measured from the top (0%) to the very bottom (100%) of the page. If the visitor is already past that point when the widget appears, it closes on their next scroll movement. Don't set it at or below the percentage of a [Scroll trigger](https://docs.personizely.net/scroll-trigger) on the same widget.
- **Pages that can't scroll.** On a page too short to scroll, the Scroll close trigger never fires. Add a Time close trigger as well.
- **Time counts while visible.** The countdown starts when the widget appears. It isn't paused if the visitor switches tabs.
- **Control group.** Visitors in a widget A/B test's control group see nothing, so close triggers don't apply to them.
- **Embedded widgets.** They have no close button, but close triggers still remove them from the page.

## Examples

- **Shipping bar that steps aside:** Top bar with a Landing trigger and a Scroll close trigger at 25%, so it disappears once the visitor starts browsing.
- **Short-lived callout:** Callout with a 10-second Time trigger and a 15-second Time close trigger.
- **Exit popup that doesn't nag:** Exit popup with a 30-second Time close trigger; visitors who start typing in the form keep it open.

## Troubleshooting

- **Widget closes immediately** → the Scroll close trigger is at or below the point where the widget appeared. Raise its percentage.
- **Widget doesn't close** → the visitor clicked inside it or focused a field, which cancels close triggers for that view.

## Related

- [Triggers overview](https://docs.personizely.net/triggers)
- [Frequency rule](https://docs.personizely.net/frequency)
- [Teaser](https://docs.personizely.net/widget-teaser)
- [Bar widgets](https://docs.personizely.net/bar-widgets)
- [Callout widgets](https://docs.personizely.net/callout-widgets)