How to Install a WordPress Theme

WordPress allows the use of custom themes for a blog. There are a couple of options for obtaining custom themes to use on your WordPress site:

  • Download a theme from the internet onto your local computer; then upload it via the WordPress Dashboard.
  • Search for a theme via the WordPress Dashboard Themes section.

Search for a Theme via WordPress Dashboard

WordPress allows you to search for themes based on specific keywords and/or features. To begin searching from your WordPress Dashboard:

  1. In the left-side navigation menu, click Appearance > Themes.
  2. Along the top of the screen, click on Install Themes.

From here, you can browse all available WordPress themes or search by a specific keyword, author or tag.

Downloading and Installing a Theme

After downloading a theme through your preferred method, follow the instructions below to install the theme on your WordPress site.

Note: Not all WordPress themes are compatible with the latest version of WordPress.  Be sure the theme being installed is compatible with the version of WordPress installed.
  1. Log into the WordPress Dashboard via https://yourdomain.com/wp-admin.php or https://yourdomain.com/wp-login.php. Replace yourdomain.com with your actual domain.
  2. From the left-side navigation menu, click Appearance > Themes.
  3. Along the top of the screen click the Install Themes tab.
  4. Click Upload, select Browse and navigate to the appropriate file on your computer.
    Be sure the files are compressed in a .zip format.
  5. Click Install Now.
  6. Click Activate.

Problems?

If blank pages are encountered after installing a new theme, please refer to the following article for additional information:

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