Speculative Loading
What it does
Speculative Loading uses WordPress 6.8+ speculation rules to prefetch or prerender the likely next page so navigation feels instant. Nitro applies safe exclusions for cart, checkout, account, and admin paths. Logged-in visitors stay excluded.
Watch the walkthrough
Starts at 22:21 in the Divi Nitro 5.0 walkthrough.
Where to find it
Divi Engine → Nitro Settings → Speculative Loading
Requirements
- WordPress 6.8 or newer
- Pretty permalinks (not Plain). Use Settings → Permalinks (for example Post name)
- A stack that does not already force conflicting speculation rules
Settings
| Setting | Type | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enable speculative loading | Toggle | Off | Let Nitro configure how WordPress prepares the next page. Off keeps WordPress’s own default |
| Preparation mode | Select | Prefetch | Prefetch downloads HTML early (safer). Prerender builds the page in the background (faster feel, more data) |
| How early to prepare | Select | Moderate | Conservative on click. Moderate on hover (similar to Instant.page). Eager starts even earlier — use carefully on mobile |
| Paths to never prepare | Text | empty | One path per line. Cart, checkout, account, and admin are always skipped |
Tips
- Prefer prefetch if prerender causes odd flashes on dynamic pages.
- Do not combine with similar “instant page” / prefetch features in another performance plugin.