How to change your WordPress Theme
This three part article gives you instructions on how to install a WordPress theme from the WordPress theme library and how to install a new theme that you purchased or found somewhere else. The process is easy and similar for the two ways. We also included a third part on how to manually do the install by uploading the theme to your server. This is more complicated and is rarely needed. Finding a new theme (or "Skin" or Template" – they all mean the same thing) is easy by using the WP Themes Tab under the Appearance Tab in the sidebar of your WordPress Admin Panels (there are over 1000 that you can find there and they auto install AND auto de-install. How cool is that?). Once you have a Theme you like You can click on this link to read our article on How to put Adsense on WordPress if you want to make money off of your blog!
PART 1 – installing a new theme (or "Skin") from the WordPress library
Follow these steps to search hundreds of free WP Themes that are all available for download from within your WordPress Admin panel by:
1) Log in to the WordPress Administration Panel.
2) Click on the Appearance tab (about 6 tabs down the left column)
3) Then Click on Themes.
3) This brings up the Themes management console within your admin panel.
4) Now just click on the "Install Themes" tab.
5) Now click on the Word "Search". This will bring up a screen to let you search for new themes by using a variety of filters.You can enter the Theme name, or search by selecting attributes like colors or by selecting a tag (a term that identifies the Theme like "Magazine Theme" or "SEO Optimized" and then click on the "Search" button.
6) This will pull up any Themes with the name or that meets the criteria you entered.
7) You can then just click on "Install" to install the Theme!
8) Don't worry, you can always go back to your old Theme by installing it and trying again!
PART 2 How to install a Template you found somewhere else
Here is the easy way:
Follow these steps to add a new theme that you found somewhere else. You will do it all from within your WordPress Admin panel:
1) Save the Theme you want to install to your computer in zipped format. A zip file is one that allows you to store files with the same formats together such that they can be referred to easily. The resulting file becomes smaller and is easier to download.
2) Log in to the WordPress Administration Panel.
3) Click on the Appearance tab (about 6 tabs down the left column)
4) and then Click on Themes.
4) Then click on Install Themes
5) Now click on the word "Upload"
6) Now click on the "Choose File" button.
7) This will bring up a window that lets you find and select the zipped theme file that you have stored on your PC.
8) Once you have selected the file you will be returned to the Choose File Screen and the box will be filled with the file you have selected.
9) Now click on the "Install Now" Button and your Theme will be installed!
Part 3) How To Install a WordPress Theme Manually by uploading it to your server
- The first thing to do is downloading and unzipping the WP themes files that interests you.
- The second thing is uploading the WP theme and
- The final step is activating it.
1) To download the zipped files,
- Just click on the word ‘download now’.
- You will be prompted to save the files at a position where you can easily access them.
- Once the WP Themes files have been downloaded, they need to be unzipped or decompressed. This converts them into normal files that are ready for use.
- The matter of whether you need unzipping software for your WordPress theme depends on the type of the computer that you are using.
- All recent computers that operate on windows have no problem handling this software.
- AND MOST DECENT WEBHOSTS WILL HAVE A FTP PROGRAM THAT FTP's THE FILE AND HANDLES UNZIPPING FOR YOU.
- To have access to your FTP, you need to have a username as well as a password.
- Your web host provides you with this information.
- These details also enable you to access your website directory.
- FTP client is what you need before you can start off.
- Navigate through the website until you locate WordPress, the ultimate destination for your WordPress theme.
- (when I say Navigate I mean click on a folder to open it and get to the next folder/directory. If you go to far find the back button or click on the prior folder).
- The position varies depending on the web host. Normally it is found inside a directory which is known as “public html”.
- You then want to navigate to the "WP-content" folder/directory.
- Then the "Themes" folder within WP-Content
- Create a directory to contain your theme in the WP-content/themes directory provided by WordPress. For example, a theme named Test should be in WP-content/themes/test. Your theme may provide this directory as part of the archive.
- Having done this, you can now upload the theme.
- Log in to the WordPress Administration Panel.
- Select the Appearance panel, then Themes.
- From the Available Themes section, click on the theme title (or theme screenshot) for the theme you wish to activate.
- A preview of the theme will be shown.
- To activate the theme click the Activate "Theme Name" link in the top right.
- NOTE: if the WP Theme is blank don't activate it. You should be able to see a preview of the Theme
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The end!