Have you ever heard that anyone in this world is living without a face? Yes, it’s a fact, the same thing works for your website, without any theme your site will look like a scrap. So it’s important to choose a good theme for your website, so choose this wisely. See our complete guide and learn how to install a WordPress themes.
Like installing WordPress plugins, WordPress themes can be installed from the dashboard or FTP software.
I’m going to tell you both ways and this guide will be the complete solution about installing the WordPress theme.
Well installing a WordPress theme is a kind of easy work, no need to take the headache. If you already have installed theme and want to switch from your existing theme to a new theme.
Some resources where you can download your WordPress themes, there are many free WordPress themes available to download, I’ve given also some premium themes you can use them if you like to:
- WordPress official Theme directory ( Free Themes)
- InHype WordPress Theme (SEO optimized Theme)
- Newspaper X Theme (Popular in 2020)
- Digiqole WordPress Theme
We’ve given 3 Steps to install WordPress theme.
- STEP-1: Installing WordPress Theme Directly From Theme Dashboard
- STEP-2: Installing WordPress Theme using Upload Method
- STEP-3: Installing WordPress themes using FTP (File Transfer Protocol)
- STEP-4: Installing/deleting theme using cPanel(File Manager)
Install Theme Directly From Theme Dashboard
You can easily download and install your WordPress theme from your dashboard.
This is the easiest way to do it.
Typically, most themes come in a .Zip format, which you need to upload from your dashboard. But in this you do not need to do that, you just need to open your WordPress dashboard, go to Appearance then themes, you will see your installed themes, to add new theme select on add theme button.
Open your WordPress Dashboard. select Appearance, then click on themes.
At themes, you can see your pre-installed themes. To add a new theme select on Add Theme button
Now you can see many themes, you can choose the theme you like for your website. There are also some categories given like Featured, Popular, Latest, Favorites, Filter, Search ( You can search a category of themes)
When you see your desired theme that you want to install, simply take your mouse to the theme. This will reveal the install button, preview button, and details button. select on the install button to install the theme.
When the theme is installed WordPress shows you a success message along with ‘Activate’ or ‘Live preview’ buttons.
Activate your theme and customize it as you want.
Installing WordPress Theme With Upload Method
So, we have covered our first method but you’re only allowed to install free theme which is available in WordPress.org theme’s directory
But if you want to install a premium WordPress theme from companies like StudioPress, Theme-forest, Elegant Themes, etc., then for this you have to use the upload method from your WordPress admin.
Well, most of the premium theme providers offer themes in .Zip format, so you can directly install it from the dashboard.
Let’s say you have downloaded the theme. Next, go to the Appearance » Themes page and select on the Add button at the top.
This will take you to the next option which is ‘Upload’. Since you already have that theme you want to install, select the ‘Upload Theme’ button at the top.
Now you need to choose the zip file that you downloaded earlier. Select the file and click install now.
In this case, I’m uploading my Newspaper X Theme that I’ve downloaded from ThemeForest.
After installing the theme you will see a success message along with the link to activate and preview theme.
This is the Newspaper X Theme dashboard after activation, you can see how it looks like after installing and activating the theme.
How to delete/uninstall WordPress themes
The way you install a theme, you can also delete a theme. you can easily delete your theme from your WordPress dashboard. Like this, But remember you cannot delete your activated theme.
By the way, I cannot delete my activated Newspaper theme, so I have chosen this to delete.
Installing WordPress themes using FTP (File Transfer Protocol)
Installing theme directly from your WordPress dashboard is an easy task, but sometimes when your server security doesn’t allow you to install theme from your WordPress dashboard, like it shows error installing a theme. This is where FTP method is very useful, it can be considered as manual WordPress theme installation.
Before using the FTP protocol, your cPanel should allow FTP access. To use FTP use need to have a software like FileZilla.
In the FTP method, we can easily remove the theme or upload it directly to your theme folder. The WordPress theme folder is located in the WPcontent folder, under the public_html folder of your WordPress directory
Unzipping the theme
As I mentioned, most of the theme’s pack comes in .zip format, because WordPress supports .zip compression at this time. So, you first need to unzip your downloaded theme.
If you don’t have any such software installed, you can download the free version of WinRAR from the official site. Now after installing WinRAR, rightselect on your .zip theme folder and select Extract here, See the screenshot below:
Uploading to theme directory
Now after Unzipping your theme, you need to upload it to your wpcontent/Themes folder.
You can see my server status( what happening to the server), at local site you can see you see your device folder from where your theme is located, you can see our open shop theme has been successfully uploaded to the server.
You can use drag and drop work to drag your folder and drop it in your website (server), or Select your unzipped theme folder from your computer and then upload it to your website (server)
Once you have uploaded the theme, you would need to go to your WordPress admin area and click on Appearance » Themes. To activate your uploaded theme.
But I will always prefer you to use the Dashboard method is the best way to install or uninstall theme.
Remember: If you are switching from your existing WordPress theme, Don’t forget to export and import to your theme.
Read abou: The Ultimate WordPress Theme Switch Checklist: 10 Steps to Avoid Disasters
I hope this guide will help you with the WordPress theme. If you have any query related to WordPress, let me know.
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