How To Install A WordPress Theme
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Do you want to install a new WordPress theme? If you are a new blogger you may want to try out a few different blog themes before you find the one you love.
The good news is installing and switching themes in WordPress is really easy!
Not sure what theme to use? Don’t miss my ultimate guide to choosing a WordPress theme!
How To Install A Free Theme In WordPress
If you are wanting to use a free theme in the WordPress directory the easiest way is to install the theme inside your WordPress dashboard.
First login to your WordPress dashboard.
Then click on the Appearance menu in the left sidebar, and then select themes.
In the next window that opens click on the add new button at the top of the screen.
Here you can simply type the name of a theme or layout type into the search bar and see what comes up.
For example, you could type in magazine into the search bar and WordPress will show you themes with a magazine style layout. You can type in food blog and themes that have been tagged with food blog will be shown.
If you already know the name of the free WordPress theme you want to use you can also simply type that into the search bar too.
You can also use the filter option to select what type of theme you are looking for. Do you want one with 2 or 3 columns? Do you want a customizable header area?
When you are done click the filter button and look through the themes WordPress suggests.
Click on the theme preview to see what it would look like in full screen before installing. When you have found a theme you like click on the install button. Then when you are ready to use that theme click on activate and it will become your live theme.
How To Upload A Theme To WordPress
The method above will only work with WordPress themes that are offered in the WordPress theme directory. If you have bought a premium WordPress theme or paid a designer to make you a custom theme you will need to upload it to your blog manually.
The good news is it’s also really easy to upload a new theme to your WordPress blog.
First, you’ll need to download your theme from where ever you have bought it. Make sure you don’t unzip the zip file when you download it.
Next, go into the Appearance section in the left sidebar and select themes.
Then click on add new.
Click the option to upload a theme.
Then click chose file, find the theme zip file on your computer and select it. Then click install now.
The file will be uploaded and installed, if you want to activate the theme right away click the activate button and it will be switched to your live theme.
These ways of installing a WordPress theme will only work on self-hosted WordPress sites (WordPress.org). This means that you are paying to host your blog on a service like Lyrical Host or Siteground and using the free version of WordPress software installed on your own host.
If you are blogging on WordPress.com then they don’t allow you to install your own themes unless you are using one of their paid plans. For the ability to upload custom themes on WordPress.com you would need their business plan.
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