Do you own a WordPress website and want to install a good WordPress theme? If yes, then you might need this guide.
Thousands of WordPress themes are available. If your site is new, you might want to try out a few WordPress themes to find a suitable one. This guide provides a detailed step-by-step guide to help you install a WordPress theme. We’ll review three different ways of installation. Choose the one that seems convenient to you.
Install a WordPress Theme using the WordPress Admin Theme Search
WordPress.org has a huge themes directory. You may try out a few WordPress themes from the directory.
To Install Using The Built-In Theme Search:
- First, log in to the WordPress Admin account.
- From the side menu, go to the Appearance menu and select Themes.
- From the Themes page, click the Add New button.
- The next screen will show a few categories of themes, including Features, Popular, Latest, Favorites, Feature Filter, or search a particular theme from the Search theme bar.
- Select the category you want, and a collection of themes will appear.
- Choose a theme using the mouse pointer.
- When you bring the mouse pointer on top of the theme thumbnail, you see a few buttons, including Install, Preview, and Details.
- Click the Install button to install the theme.
- After installing the theme, activate the theme as well. Some themes require the installation of additional plugins. You can customize an activated theme using the Customize button.
Use the Upload method
Only free available themes can be installed using the WordPress theme directory. If you like to install a paid theme from a third-party provider, then you need to use the Upload method.
- First, buy a theme from a provider and download it to your desktop or laptop.
- Log in to your Admin account and navigate to the Appearance menu.
- From the Appearance menu, select the Themes page.
- Use the Upload Theme option to upload the downloaded theme and install it.
A prompt box will appear, allowing you to select on top of the
- the theme from your computer or device. Select the theme to upload it.
- After uploading the theme, click the Install button.
- Click on the Activate button to apply the theme to your site.
Remember that this functionality is accessible for self-hosted WordPress.org users, not for WordPress.com.
Using FTP
This method requires some skills and effort. If you’re uploading a WordPress theme for the first time, then it may not be best suited for you.
- Download a theme to your computer and unzip the folder.
- Extract the files to your computer.
- Connect your site using an FTP client.
- From the FTP, go to the themes folder.
- Inside, you’ll see theme files. Select the theme you want to upload to your site.
- Once uploaded, go to the Themes page from the Appearance menu.
- There, you’ll see uploaded themes. Select the theme you just uploaded.
- Move the mouse pointer on top of the theme and click the Install button.
- When installed, click the Activate button to apply the theme to your site.
You can use one of the above methods to upload & install a WordPress theme to your site.