Beginners Guide: How to Install a WordPress Theme

There are thousands of WordPress themes available on the market (both free and paid). However, choosing and installing the right one is super important for creating a visually appealing WordPress site.

The right theme not only sets the tone for your website’s design but also impacts its performance and usability.

We have worked with a lot of different WordPress themes across our different websites, and we’ve also helped plenty of beginners install the right themes for their needs.

In this beginner’s guide, we will share detailed step-by-step instructions on how to install a WordPress theme. We will cover three different ways to install a WordPress theme, so you can choose the method that works best for you.

Before You Install a WordPress Theme

Installing a WordPress theme is easy, but keep in mind that if you activate a new theme, then it will change how your WordPress website looks and functions.

If you are switching from an existing theme, then you may want to look at our checklist of things you need to do before changing WordPress themes.

If you are installing a theme when starting a new WordPress website, then you are good to go.

Bonus Tip: See our list of the best and most popular WordPress themes for some ideas.

Method 1: Install a Theme Using WordPress Admin Theme Search

If you are looking to install a free WordPress theme from the WordPress.org themes directory, then you can explore this directory from inside your WordPress dashboard.

To do this, log in to your WordPress admin area. Next, visit the Appearance » Themes page and click on the ‘Add New’ button in the top right corner.

On the next screen, you can choose from Popular, Latest, or Favorites.

If you already know the theme that you want to use, then simply type its name into the ‘Search themes…’ field.

Clicking on ‘Feature Filter’ will allow you to sort themes based on different characteristics.

You can sort themes by subject, specific features, and layout.

Based on your search, you will see a list of themes that meet your criteria. In our case, we searched for the popular Astra theme.

When you see the theme that you want to install, simply hover your mouse over its image. This will reveal the Install, Preview, and ‘Details & Preview’ buttons.

Go ahead and click on the ‘Install’ button.

WordPress will now install your theme.

When your theme is ready, WordPress will show a success message.

WordPress will also display the ‘Activate’ and ‘Live Preview’ buttons.

To start using this theme on your WordPress website, click on the ‘Activate’ button. You’ve now successfully installed and activated your WordPress theme.

If you visit your site, it will now be using this new theme.

Some themes have additional settings that you may need to configure.

For instance, your theme may ask you to install some must-have WordPress plugins, download demo data, or review its settings.

You can follow the onscreen instructions. As you can see, the Astra theme adds an ‘Astra Options’ section.

You can also edit your theme using the built-in WordPress theme customizer.

To do this, you must select Appearance » Customize.

For more details, see our guides on how to use the WordPress theme customizer like a pro.

If you are using a WordPress block theme, then you will need to go to Appearance » Editor instead. This will launch the full site editor, allowing you to edit your theme’s page templates and template parts.

For more details, see our guide on how to use WordPress full site editing.

Method 2: Install a Theme Using the Upload Method From WordPress Admin

The first method that we covered only allows you to install free themes that are available in the WordPress.org theme’s directory.

What if you want to install a premium WordPress theme from companies like StudioPress, Elegant Themes, or Themify?

Or what if you want to install a custom theme? In this case, you would need to install the theme by uploading it to your WordPress account.

Start by downloading the .zip file of the theme that you purchased from a marketplace or a commercial theme shop.

Next, head over to the Appearance » Themes page in your WordPress admin area and click on the ‘Add New’ button at the top.

This will take you to the Add Themes page showing featured free themes.

Since you already have the theme you want to install, simply click the ‘Upload Theme’ button.

You can now click on ‘Choose from’ and select the .zip file that you downloaded earlier from your computer.

Then, simply click on the ‘Install Now’ button.

Once your theme is installed, you will see a ‘Theme installed successfully’ message.

You’ll also see links to preview or activate your theme. To start using this theme on your WordPress website, just click on ‘Activate’.

If you visit your website, you should now see your new theme in action.

Some themes add extra settings that you may need to configure. Depending on your theme, you may need to make these changes in the WordPress customizer or through a separate theme options panel.

In the following screenshot, you can see the Hestia Options menu. This is a special theme options panel that you can use to configure the Hestia WordPress theme.

Note: The theme upload feature is only available for self-hosted WordPress.org users. If you are using WordPress.com, then you will not see this option because it limits you.

In order to use the custom theme upload feature, you need to use self-hosted WordPress.org. For more details, see our comparison between WordPress.com vs. WordPress.org.

If you want to switch from WordPress.com to WordPress.org, then read our tutorial on how to properly move from WordPress.com to WordPress.org.

Method 3: Installing a WordPress Theme Using FTP

If you are feeling adventurous and want to take your skills to the next level, you can learn how to install a new WordPress theme using FTP.

Remember, this method is not for true beginners because it is a little bit more advanced.

First, download the theme .zip file to your computer. Then, unzip the file.

This will create a new folder with the theme’s name on your computer. We downloaded the free version of the Hestia WordPress theme.

Now that you have the theme files, you are ready to upload them to your website.

To do that, you must connect to your WordPress hosting account using an FTP client. If you need help, then see our guide on how to use FTP to upload WordPress files.

Once connected, you have to go to the /wp-content/themes/ folder. Inside, you’ll see folders for all themes currently installed on your website.

You can upload your new theme by adding it to the wp-content/themes folder.

Select your unzipped theme folder from your computer. You can then drag and drop this theme folder into your website’s themes folder.

Once you have uploaded the theme, switch back to your WordPress dashboard. Then go to Appearance » Themes.

You should now see the theme that you just uploaded.

To use this theme on your website, hover your mouse over it and click on the ‘Activate’ button.

FAQs About Installing WordPress Themes

The following are some of the most commonly asked questions about installing WordPress themes.

1. How many themes can I use in WordPress?

You can only use one theme at a time. However, you can install as many themes as you like. Not all installed themes on your WordPress website are active.

As soon as you activate a WordPress theme, it automatically deactivates your previous active theme and makes the new theme your active one.

2. What is a child theme in WordPress?

A child theme in WordPress is a sub-theme that inherits all the functionality, features, and style of its parent theme. To use a child theme, you’ll need to install both parent and child themes on your website and then activate the child theme.

For more details, see our guides on how to create a child theme in WordPress and how to install a child theme in WordPress.

3. Can I build my own WordPress theme? 

It is possible to create a custom WordPress theme. Even better, you can design, build, and publish your theme without writing any code.

To do this, you just need a WordPress plugin.

SeedProd is the best WordPress theme builder on the market. You can easily create completely custom pages for your website using SeedProd’s drag-and-drop builder.

You can also use SeedProd to build your WordPress themes. For more details, please see our guide on how to easily create a custom WordPress theme.

4. What is a WordPress theme framework?

Theme frameworks are highly optimized WordPress themes that are designed to be used as parent themes.

Intended for advanced users and developers, these theme frameworks contain several code and speed optimizations that help other developers quickly build upon them to create their own themes.

Genesis by StudioPress is the best example of a WordPress theme framework. For more information, you can see our article on WordPress theme frameworks.

5. Premium vs Free themes – Which one should I use?

If you are just starting out on a limited budget, then we recommend choosing a flexible free theme. See our pick of the best free WordPress themes for blogs and best free themes for business websites.

If you can spend a little more, then we recommend choosing a premium theme. These themes come with priority support which comes in handy, particularly for beginners.

For more on this topic, see our guide on free vs. premium WordPress themes, or check out how much it really costs to build a WordPress website.

6. How do I choose the best theme for my website?

There are so many WordPress themes out there, and most of them are designed by professionals, so they look really great.

This makes it a bit confusing for beginners to choose the perfect theme for their website.

We recommend keeping it simple. Choose a minimalist theme that closely resembles the finished design you have in mind. Make sure that the theme looks great on mobile, and run a website speed test on the theme’s demo site.

See our beginner’s guide on how to choose the perfect WordPress theme for your website. You may also want to take a look at our expert pick of the best web design software.

7. Can I use the same theme I have seen on another WordPress site?

If it is not a custom WordPress theme, then you can find and use the same theme on your own website. See our guide on how to find out which WordPress theme a site is using.

We hope this step-by-step guide helped you install a WordPress theme on your site. You may also want to see our guide on things to consider when selecting a WordPress theme and our expert picks for the best WordPress themes for graphic designers.

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