Elementor stores each global widget as a JSON entry in the elementor_library post type. When you save changes, Elementor writes the new JSON and regenerates CSS/JS files. If the write fails or the data is corrupted, the front‑end continues to load the previous version.
The issue appears when the saved widget is not served to visitors. Admin users may see the updated widget because the editor bypasses cached files. Logged‑out users receive the stale markup, resulting in blank areas or broken placeholders.