Why Is the Squarespace Editor So Slow? (How to Fix It)

Jul 8

If you feel like you are stuck waiting for 5, 10, or even 15+ minutes for a section of Squarespace 7.1 to load, you are not mistaken. You’re suffering from the platform’s most maddening and widespread performance problem: editor sluggishness.

It’s not just a nuisance - it’s a major drain on your workflow, productivity, and project turnaround times.

In this post, we’re going to cover:

Why the Squarespace 7.1 editor slows down
What typically causes the issue
How to fix it and speed it up
Pro tips for developers and designers

What’s Going On With the 7.1 Editor?

Squarespace 7.1 employs a live browser-based editing experience by way of content blocks and sections. Which, YES, makes building a site feel intuitive, but under the hood, it also means the system has to render every single block, image, line of code, and interactive script in real time while you’re editing.

When the editor gets slow, it is typically one of:

  
        Cause
        Description
      
        Large or complex pages
        Dozens of sections, images, or animations overwhelm the browser
      
        Heavy custom code
        Excess CSS/JavaScript in Code Blocks or CSS panels
      
        Browser memory usage
        Chrome or Safari can lag with large DOMs and real-time rendering
      
        Embedded third-party scripts
        External tools (e.g., Calendly, Instagram, YouTube) introduce an extra load
      
        Squarespace-side issues
        Backend lag, CDN sync delays, or temporary platform bugs

Common Symptoms of Editor Lag

Loading of the section popup is 5-10 minutes
blocks or sections are slow or frozen to move around
The Site Styles panel lags or crashes, / The Site Styles panel moves too slowly
Editor times out, or reloads unexpectedly
Heavy CPU load or frozen browser tabs

How to Speed Up the Squarespace 7.1 Editor

Here’s what you can do right now to reduce lag and improve performance in the editor.

1. Clear Browser Cache & Restart

Navigate to browse settings → clear cache and cookies
Close and reopen your browser (or your computer)
Reopen Squarespace and try again

That alone will fix a lot of the temporary editor problems experienced for cached scripts or bad sessions.

2. Try a Different Browser

Though Chrome is popular, it is sometimes slow with Squarespace’s heavy pages. Try:

Firefox – better with complex DOMs
Safari – better for Mac users.
Edge – good performance on Windows devices

Also, try private/incognito mode (no extensions, clean cache).

3. Temporarily Remove Heavy CSS or JS

If you’ve added a lot of custom CSS or injected scripts, try disabling them temporarily:

Comment out large CSS blocks inside Pages → Custom code → Custom CSS
Remove or defer embedded scripts (e.g., chat widgets, custom fonts)
Avoid injecting large libraries like jQuery or GSAP unless necessary

Keep your styling modular and lightweight during active editing.

4. Split Large Pages into Smaller Ones

A single page with:

10+ sections
25+ image blocks
3–5 code blocks
…will almost always choke the editor.

Solution: break the page into smaller subpages or use folders to create a multi-page layout.

5. Disable Browser Extensions

Browser extensions like ad blockers, Grammarly, or SEO plugins can interfere with the editor.

Try editing in:

Incognito/private window
Or disable extensions one by one to identify the culprit

6. Switch Networks (Or Avoid VPNs)

Sometimes the issue isn’t your browser — it’s your connection:

Avoid VPNs or proxies when editing
Try a different Wi-Fi network if available
Use a wired connection for better performance

7. Use a Clean Page for Edits, Then Copy

For particularly problematic pages:

Create a new blank page
Rebuild only 1–2 sections
Add your new content
Copy it back into the original page

This limits the load during editing and avoids crashing the main content.

Developer & Power User Tips

  
        Strategy
        Description
      
        Move heavy styles to Code Blocks
        Reduces CSS load from global site styles
      
        Load scripts in the footer only
        Minimizes initial load strain
      
        Use inline SVG or compressed assets
        Avoid loading large image files during edit mode
      
        Disable animations temporarily
        Especially GSAP, ScrollMagic, Lottie, etc.

What Squarespace Has (and Hasn’t) Done

Squarespace has acknowledged performance issues in support documentation and forums. However:

There is no formal fix yet for long-term editor slowness
Platform updates are rolled out silently and without changelogs
Feature-rich templates and 7.1’s unified styling system may continue to put strain on browsers

Final Thoughts

If your Squarespace 7.1 editor is unbearably slow, you're not alone — but you’re not powerless either.

By understanding the root causes and applying smart editing habits, you can drastically reduce lag and make your workflow manageable again.

Quick Recap: Editor Speed Checklist

  
        Action
        Result
      
        Clear browser cache
        Fixes temporary memory bugs
      
        Use Firefox or Edge
        Smoother page rendering
      
        Disable custom CSS/scripts temporarily
        Lighter editor load
      
        Avoid heavy embeds and animations
        Faster editing experience
      
        Edit in clean pages and copy back
        Bypass problematic layouts
      
        Don’t use a VPN during editing
        Stable connection with Squarespace CDN

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Why is my Squarespace 7.1 editor slow?

The editor is slow because of big pages, a lot of custom code, third-party scripts, or is overwhelmed by the browser's memory. Squarespace’s live visual editing loads everything in real-time, and it burdens your browsers.

Why is the editor running slowly simply because of images and sections?

Yes. I’ve experienced major lag on pages with 10+ sections, multiple high-res images, or several code blocks.

Can my browser impact how Squarespace works?

Absolutely. Chrome (especially) seems prone to choking on oversized Squarespace pages. Switching to Firefox, Safari, or Edge will make a huge speed increase for the editor.

How can I tell if it’s something in our custom code that’s causing it to be so slow?

If your site loads slowly only in the editor (not for visitors), it’s often due to CSS or JavaScript in the Custom CSS panel or Code Blocks. Try commenting out large sections to test.

Will disabling browser extensions help?

Yes. Extensions such as ad blockers, SEO tools, or grammar checkers can cause conflicts with the editor. Roll back a few edits in an incognito /private window or disable extensions one at a time.