Undrar du vad du bör göra innan du byter WordPress themes?
När du byter ditt WordPress theme finns det några mycket viktiga steg som du måste ta för att säkerställa att processen går smidigt och att du inte förlorar några viktiga data.
Vi har arbetat med otaliga webbplatser och bytt teman utan problem, så vi vet en sak eller två om hur man gör det på rätt sätt.
I denna WordPress checklista delar vi med oss av de saker som du högst upp måste göra innan du byter WordPress themes.
Editor’s Note: Om du letar efter steg-för-steg-instruktioner om hur du byter themes, vänligen se vår guide för nybörjare om hur du byter WordPress theme på rätt sätt.
Att byta tema är ett viktigt beslut som varje ägare av en website fattar åtminstone en gång vartannat år.
Självklart måste du bestämma dig för din motivering till varför du byter och välja ett theme som passar all dina behov.
Vi har en lista över de bästa WordPress multi-purpose themes och bästa WordPress blogg themes som du kan kontrollera om du letar efter rekommendationer.
När du har valt det theme som du vill byta till är det viktigt att du följer checklistan under för att säkerställa att du inte förlorar något content eller data under processen.
1. Obs/observera alla WordPress Theme Customizations
Vissa WordPress-webbplatsägare kommer att customize sina WordPress-teman genom att lägga till code snippets direkt till sina temafiler. Code snippets kan vara ett bra sätt att add new funktioner till din website som inte ingår i standardtemat.
Men om du addar dessa snippets direkt till dina theme-filer kan det vara lätt att tappa bort dem.
Om du eller en webbutvecklare gjorde dessa ändringar, se till att du går igenom dina aktuella theme-filer och noterar all extra kod som har lagts till.
För att lägga till code snippets i framtiden rekommenderar vi alltid att du använder ett code snippets plugin som WPCode. På så sätt kan du behålla dessa snippets även om du byter themes senare.
Mer detaljer finns i vår guide för nybörjare om hur du klistrar in snippor från webben i WordPress.
2. Få aktuella metrics för WordPress Theme Performance
Innan du byter theme bör du kontrollera din nuvarande websites laddningshastighet och prestanda. Detta gör att du kan jämföra eventuella skillnader i sidans laddningstid efter att du byter themes.
Eftersom WordPress hastighet och prestanda spelar en viktig roll i användarupplevelsen och WordPress sökmotorsoptimering, måste du se till att det nya temat är snabbare än det du använder nu.
Du kan enkelt kontrollera din nuvarande webbplats hastighet metrics med hjälp av en WordPress hastighetstestverktyg som IsItWP: s gratis webbplats hastighetstestverktyg.
Mer detaljer finns i vår guide om hur du run testar hastigheten på en website.
3. Obs/observera nuvarande temas sidebars och widgetar areas
Sidebars används för att lägga till olika widgetar på din website, gillar formulär för prenumeration av nyhetsbrev, knappar på sociala media, populära posts och mycket mer.
Eftersom alla teman har olika area för widgetar kan dina widgetar oväntat flytta sig eller försvinna från din site om du byter theme.
Det är därför det är viktigt att du obs/observerar vilka widgetar du använder i dina sidebar i WordPress och andra widget-områden på din website innan du byter theme. Då kan du enkelt replikera dem efter bytet.
Om du har add to någon custom code eller shortcodes, se då till att kopiera denna kod och save den på ett säkert ställe så att du kan använda den med ditt new theme.
4. Kopiera befintliga tracking-koder för WordPress
Många användare kommer att add to analytics tracking code direkt till sina theme-filer. Some WordPress themes also allow you to add tracking codes directly into your theme options panel.
Det är ett vanligt misstag att förbise dessa viktiga tracking-koder.
Du måste se till att du kopierar alla dina webbplatsspårningskoder som du använder för analys, Advertising med mera, så att du kan add to dem till din nya website.
Om du vill göra det enkelt för dig själv rekommenderar vi att du använder ett plugin som gillar MonsterInsights för att installera Google Analytics i WordPress.
Genom att använda MonsterInsights kan du vara säker på att det inte kommer att bli några avbrott i din analys eller förlorade data. Du kommer också att låsa upp bonusspårning som gillar spårning av linklick och knappklick, WordPress kategori- och tagganalys, författarspårning och mycket mer.
För alla andra tracking-koder kan du använda det gratis tillägget WPCode. För mer details, se vår guide om hur du lägger till header- och footer-kod i WordPress.
5. Säkerhetskopiera din nuvarande website i WordPress
Det är alltid en bra idé att säkerhetskopiera din website med jämna mellanrum. Innan du byter theme bör du säkerhetskopiera dina posts, pages, plugins, media och databaser.
Det enklaste sättet att göra detta är att använda ett WordPress backup plugin för att skapa en backup av hela din site.
Vi rekommenderar att du använder tillägget Duplicator. Det allow you att enkelt skapa automatiserade, tidsinställda backups och save dem på molnlagringstjänster som Dropbox, Google Drive, med mera.
Det finns också en gratis version av Duplicator för att få dig att komma igång. För mer detaljer, se den här guiden om hur du gör backup på en site i WordPress.
Detta hjälper dig att se till att du enkelt kan återskapa din website om något går fel när du byter themes.
6. Sätt din WordPress site i underhållsläge
När du gör ändringar på din site är det alltid en bra idé att sätta den i underhållsläge. Maintenance mode gör att du kan displayed ett användarvänligt notice till dina visitors.
På så sätt undviker du att dina visitors ser din website när den är halvfärdig eller under uppbyggnad.
För att göra detta rekommenderar vi att du använder SeedProd plugin. Det är den bästa drag and drop WordPress page builder som används av över 1 miljon websites.
Det låter dig enkelt skapa custom underhållslägesidor, landing pages, coming soon pages, 404 pages och mer.
För mer detaljer, se vår guide om hur du sätter din WordPress site i underhållsläge.
7. Testa all funktionalitet och installerade tillägg till WordPress
När du har aktiverat ett nytt tema för WordPress måste du se till att du har samma funktionalitet som tidigare och att alla dina gamla tillägg fungerar med ditt nya tema.
Du kan börja med att lägga tillbaka de code snippets som du kopierade från dina gamla WordPress theme-filer. Mer detaljer finns i vår guide för nybörjare om hur du klistrar in code snippets i WordPress.
Lägg sedan lite tid på att använda de funktioner på din site som drivs av tillägg till WordPress. Om du upplever några error i det här läget, se vår guide för nybörjare om felsökning av WordPress-fel.
8. Testa new WordPress Theme i olika webbläsare och på olika devices
Cross-browser testing hjälper you att se till att din new website ser bra ut på olika webbläsare, skärmstorlekar, operativsystem och mobila devices.
De flesta av dina besökare kommer förmodligen att använda Google Chrome för att besöka din WordPress blogg. Men andra web browsers som Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Safari med flera används fortfarande av hundratals miljoner användare över hela världen.
Om din new website inte fungerar i någon av dessa webbläsare går du miste om besökare och trafik.
Som tur är kan du använda allsköns tools för cross-browser testing för att se hur din website ser ut i olika webbläsare och på olika devices.
För mer detaljer, se vår guide om hur du testar en WordPress site i olika webbläsare.
9. Delete WordPress tillägg som du inte längre behöver
Vissa teman i WordPress förinstallerar tillägg när du installerar temat. Vissa av dessa kan vara användbara, men andra gånger behöver du dem inte.
Gå bara till Plugins ” Installed Plugins för att se om your theme har lagt till några nya plugins.
Nu är också en bra tid att gå igenom hela din lista över tillägg för att se om några plugins är värda att borttages.
Om du letar efter högkvalitativa tillägg att använda med ditt new theme, se våra val av de permanentaktiverade tilläggen till WordPress.
10. Låt dina användare veta att din nya website är Live
När du är redo att ta ditt new theme för WordPress i drift kan du stänga av underhållsläget.
You should also get contact with your läsare to tell them about your new website. Detta kommer att förbereda din publik så att de inte blir förvirrade av några stora designförändringar, och det kommer också att bidra till att hålla dina prenumeranter engagerade och återvända till din webbplats för att se den nya designen.
Här är ett exempel på ett inlägg som vi delade på Facebook om vår nya webbplats.
Vi rekommenderar att du aviserar din publik via ditt nyhetsbrev via e-post, sociala media och push notifications.
Om du letar efter fler sätt att främja din site kan du läsa vår guide om hur du delar dina blogginlägg med läsarna.
11. Testa hämtarhastigheter för ditt new theme i WordPress
När ditt nya theme är live och du har gått igenom stegen ovan är det dags att göra ett nytt hastighetstest. Idealiskt sett kommer din new website att vara snabbare och få bättre poäng på ditt hastighetstest.
För att göra detta använder du helt enkelt samma website speed tool som you använde tidigare och jämför resultaten.
Om det nya temat är långsammare än ditt gamla tema, se till att du run flera tester, testa från olika area och kontrollera om du har några inställningar för caching eller firewall som kan orsaka dip.
12. Övervaka bounce rate på din website i WordPress
Avvisningsfrekvensen är den procentandel av besökarna som landar på din website och lämnar den utan att gå vidare till en andra page. En hög avvisningsfrekvens innebär att du inte lyckades övertyga din visitor att stanna kvar på din site tillräckligt länge för att vidta action.
När du har bytt themes är det viktigt att övervaka din avvisningsfrekvens. Vissa teman är helt enkelt vänligare när det gäller att hjälpa besökare att navigera runt på din site.
Om din avvisningsfrekvens har gått upp sedan du bytte theme, vill du arbeta för att sänka den. Du kan göra detta genom att förbättra dina navigation menyer, lägga till en populära inlägg widget, lägga till fler interna länkar, och mer.
För mer detaljer, se vår guide om hur du ökar sidvisningar och minskar avvisningsfrekvensen i WordPress.
13. Lyssna på återkoppling från läsare för att förbättra din website i WordPress
Slutligen är det viktigt att du lyssnar på läsarnas återkoppling när du byter till ett new theme. Vissa Läsare kanske älskar eller hatar vissa delar av din design.
You behöver inte lyssna på alla läsare och göra de ändringar som de föreslår. Men om det finns en grupp läsare som upplever samma issue, då är det förmodligen värt att titta närmare på.
Du kan samla in återkoppling från besökarna genom att lägga till ett kontaktformulär på din website eller genom att runna en undersökning där du ber läsarna om återkoppling på din new design.
Det enklaste sättet att göra detta är genom att använda WPForms. Det är det bästa WordPress-enkätpluginet på marknaden som används av över 6 miljoner webbplatser.
Det låter dig enkelt skapa engagerande undersökningsformulär med drag and drop-byggaren.
Dessutom skapar reporting section automatiskt beautiful reports för att hjälpa dig att analysera dina resultat.
För mer detaljer, se vår guide om hur du skapar en undersökning i WordPress.
Vi hoppas att den här artikeln hjälpte dig att lära dig exakt vad du bör göra innan du byter WordPress themes. You may also want to see our list of best WordPress themes for fashion blogs and how to customize your WordPress theme.
If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.
Syed Balkhi
Hey WPBeginner readers,
Did you know you can win exciting prizes by commenting on WPBeginner?
Every month, our top blog commenters will win HUGE rewards, including premium WordPress plugin licenses and cash prizes.
You can get more details about the contest from here.
Start sharing your thoughts below to stand a chance to win!
Julie
Just wanted to say…AMAZING! What a fantasitc resource this site is. I am a complete novice with all this stuff, and you explain it clearly and in plain language that is easy to understand. I will be regularly visiting your site.
Thank you so much for helping so many strangers, like myself.
With gratitude
Julie
WPBeginner Support
Thank you, glad our articles can be helpful
Administratör
Stanley
Hi
Thanks for the pos. However I have a problem about my theme
Google adsense is not showing on some pages and i don’t know the reason.
please could you review my site and tell me why this is happening, thanks
WPBeginner Support
Google Adsense likely does not have a recommended ad for the page it’s not displaying on for the reason the ad is missing.
Administratör
Byju
Hello,
I am a starter. When I changed the theme, all the sidebars like, home, shop, contact etc disappeared. But in the real theme model it is showing. What did I wrong
WPBeginner Support
It would depend on your specific theme but normally you would want to check under Appearance>Widgets if it is content from the sidebar that is missing.
Administratör
Lori
I have a WP site that I want to change. I’ve found a theme I like and want to download and start working on. My question is, if I download this theme is there a way I can work on it without disrupting the current site theme until I’m ready to make the new theme live? If not, what do I do? How/where can I set this theme up and add content without changing the current site?
WPBeginner Support
If you preview the new theme under Appearance>Customize then as long as you don’t save you can see what your site would look like with that theme. If you wanted to set it up more in-depth, you could create a staging environment as we show in our article here:
https://www.wpbeginner.com/wp-tutorials/how-to-create-staging-environment-for-a-wordpress-site/
Administratör
Mark
Hi Team,
I have an old non-responsive theme – and wish to migrate. My site Googles #1 in its’ space and I CANNOT lose that. Do I need to use the same permalinks / naming / structure? Can I obtain the info from my WP All in one SEO plugin and transfer? Do I need to add all the tags – cut n’ paste ect? Any advice would be helpful!
Mark
WPBeginner Support
It would be best to keep your same permalinks but changing your theme shouldn’t affect those normally so it shouldn’t be an issue. IF you reach out to your SEO plugin they can let you know what SEO information they can transfer for you.
Administratör
Travenjo
Hi author,
Great article.
Thanks for sharing the awesome piece of information.
WPBeginner Support
You’re welcome
Administratör
Mucky
I was getting the 500 error message. Your advice on removing plugins and slowly adding them back was a great help. I have used those plugins for a long time but maybe they do not like my new theme. Thanks for the help.
WPBeginner Support
Glad our recommendation was helpful
Administratör
Indiatechmoney.com
Very nice post
WPBeginner Support
Thank you
Administratör
dipak
i want to Make my site SEO how i can ? i dont know how to rank my website
WPBeginner Support
For understanding SEO you would want to take a look at our page here: https://www.wpbeginner.com/wordpress-seo/
Administratör
Marvin
I am the webmaster/developer of many Department Sites built with Dreamweaver over many many years. On Site alone has over 300 web pages with over 7000 files/links (documents, media, images, etc). I’m retiring in 3 years and want to transition everything into another software where people in the various departments and section can update their own pages. I would like to get some idea how I should tackle this. I can’t use the same urls while developing because I’ll have to run parallel while developing.Wordpress replacements. Any advice would be appreciated
WPBeginner Support
You could create a local installation for what it sounds like you’re looking for: https://www.wpbeginner.com/how-to-install-wordpress/#installlocal
Administratör
Alex Joe
An Awesome Content it really helped me out
WPBeginner Support
Glad it helped
Administratör
Nazeer Ahmec
Hi
I m new, I create a WordPress blog and select a theme, in 2nd step I like to change theme and insert links into images. (Clickable image) when we click image, it will open new document.
1- Unfortunately, my themes not changed even after selection I click activate button. (Same old theme appear)
2- there is not option add link to image. (Create a clickable image) , I just add through HTML codes in thml mode but not working.
I need help in both problems. Thankd
WPBeginner Support
1. Try clearing your caching to see if that is preventing you from seeing your changes.
2. When you select the image in the block editor, there is a Link Settings section where you can change where the image links to on click.
Administratör
John
I find that WP Beginner is a great and useful site with lots of information, both for beginners as well as seasoned WP people on the net. A lot of work has gone into this site so Thank You for your efforts.
WPBeginner Support
Hi John,
Thanks for the kind words.
Administratör
MClay
Hi. I have a site up and running currently. I’d like to download a new theme and play with it/build it out while my other site is still live. How do I go about this? I am looking and it appears I can download the new theme, but can I be working on it in the background while logged in and not effect the live site?
WPBeginner Support
Hi MClay,
You can install a theme but as soon as you activate, it would become live on your site. The best way to test themes is to install them on a local server.
Administratör
Lawrence
Hello everybody
Quick question: If I use the theme customizer on a specific theme but later change to another theme do I have to re-enter all the customizer settings for the new theme?
And secondly if i change back to the original theme when it still have the original customizer settings or will it have adopted the settings from the second theme?
thanks in advance…
WPBeginner Support
Hi Lawrence,
Customizer settings are for a particular theme. If you switch theme then you will have to configure the new theme. If you switch back to the old theme, your settings will be there.
Administratör
godwin christo
If we change anything in the site often our site traffic gets low?
Jenn
I plan to upgrade from a free wordpress blog to an upgraded (premium) one in the future. At what point do you suggest making the switch? When you have 100 followers? 1000 views? Just whenever you’re ready? I don’t want to commit $8/month without knowing my blog is getting traffic.
Any advice appreached!
Thanks!
WPBeginner Support
Hi Jenn,
We assume you are talking about WordPress.com. Please see our guide on the difference between self hosted WordPress.org vs free WordPress.com blog.
Administratör
Rushil
Hi,
As per my real experience (Wordpress.com) , I suggest you to buy the premium plan (Maybe something like personal) because wordpress.com has really very less features and modifications that you can make to make your Site look the best! To be honest , the first time I started with a premium plan of wordpress.com but ended up cancelling it and moving over to wordpress.org (It’s amazing!).
mark
i have been asked to rebuild a wordpress website – i have content and SEO expertise but limited knowledge of any back end stuff. (i managed to muddle through building one wordpress site a few years ago using an avada theme) other than the domain name i am not looking to keep any of the content or structure from the existing site, so do i follow the steps to change the theme? or should i create a staging site in the same spot as the current site, build the new content there and then simply switch over when its ready for publishing? thinking of using avada theme again as it seems to rate well – i am building a small brochureware style of site.
Corinne
Hi I love the info here and am a newbie so forgive me for what may seem like simple questions. I am currently running a .org site and want to switch to a new theme. I’ve uploaded the new theme but not activated it as I need to work on it before launching, the old theme info will not be transferred. (I own the domain) I believe I have to set up a sub directory in order to do this so it’s not seen until I’m ready…how??
Also will the new theme affect my current search results (do I have to copy any info to keep my status)
Surya
For my wp website, I am planning to upgrade from the free version of the theme to the pro version of the same theme. Currently I have plugins installed. Do I need to deactivate the plugins before upgrading to pro version & then reinstall?
WPBeginner Support
Hi Surya,
Yes, you should. In case a plugin causes conflict with the theme you wouldn’t be able to find out which plugin. Disabling them will allow you to activate them one by one to see if they all work nicely with new theme.
Administratör
Alex
I am preparing to move from WP.com to WP.org self hosted. I checked and I can keep my old theme on org but I would like to use a new premium theme going forward on the new site. Can you please advise what is the best way to go about it? I would also like to do a clean-up of my blog and refresh posts, delete posts that are no longer relevant and of course, revamp the look. Many thanks!
WPBeginner Support
Hi Alex,
Please see our guide on properly switching WordPress themes.
Administratör
Michael
I recently installed the flatsome theme in my Wordpress/WooCommerce website. I’m trying to load products from my t-shirt fulfillment company but their POST requests are being ignored by my website like there’s nothing there. I’ve whitelisted all there IP addresses and give them the api key. They are unable to establish webhooks as well. Could this be a problem with the flatsome theme?
WPBeginner Support
Hi Michael,
Please see our WordPress troubleshooting guide, it will help you figure out what’s causing the issue and how to fix it.
Pearl Allard
Very helpful! Thank you for providing this checklist. Excited to switch themes on my blog.
Charles Pedley
Hello!
From one perennial newbie to other newbies ….
Before I change ANYTHING on my WP site, I use the Export function under Tools in your dashboard – it is the fastest, accurate way of making sure you lose no content.
I save the xml file in a Documents folder on my hard drive. Then if you change a theme and it messes stuff up, then you import the xml file you saved on your hard drive back into the new Wordpress theme.
I know there are all kinds of other ways but I challenge anyone that says that they are easier or cheaper. A standard XML file can be exported and imported so fast and saved so you do not lose your site. It only takes a few minutes and you do not have to pay for any of the expensive backup programs like Backup Buddy. Not saying Backup Buddy is bad, just expensive!
And maybe it is not for you if you are an amateur like me. I do my own sites. I do not do sites for others.
Good luck and happy exporting and importing!
-Charles Pedley
WPBeginner Support
Hi Charles,
The method you described above works only for your posts, pages, and comments. It is not a full database backup. It can be used to import content only but it wouldn’t import any website settings stored in the database.
If price is your main concern, then you can try the free version of Updraft Plus. Also see our list of WordPress backup plugins for alternates.
Administratör
Monika
Great article thanks. i have changed my theme several times 2017 to 2016 but now i am using Genesis and genesis sample child theme. i tried to change my header image but the code is not responsive. the image still stays the same. also when i tried to write a code in a text widget on the side bar it is not responsive. what could be wrong. thanks!
WPBeginner Support
Hi Monika,
If you are editing code, then you need to make your changes in child theme. Theme frameworks use their own filters and functions that may sometimes override what you are trying to do in a child theme. See Genesis documentation for more help on customizing your child theme.
Administratör
Jimmy Lai
Hello…I have recently installed WP and upon instalation my website was replaced with a WP Theme ”Twenty Seventeen” with all my contents gone. I attempted to undo everything to restore the original website and received a error message stating ”Twenty Sixteen” directory not found. I uploaded the ”Twenty Sixteen” theme but none of my original contents moved over. Please advise what I need to do to restore my original website.
Thanks
WPBeginner Support
Hi Jimmy,
Did you install WordPress in a folder where another non-WordPress website was already installed? In that case, WordPress will overwrite your website. Your website files may still be there. Please ask your hosting provider, they may be able to provide you with a backup of your website or restore your website to an earlier state.
Administratör
Jimmy
Thank you for your response! WordPress was installed in the same folder with a previous version of my website created via Word Press. I have spoke with my hosting company and they were not able to restore the website to a earlier version. We located the files and was advised to reinstall WP, which led to a response of ”Twenty Sixteen” directory not found.
Mike Harwood
Jimmy, do you mean you installed ANOTHER version of Wordpress? As far as I know you can only install 1 version of Wordpress so you may have inadvertently overwritten all of the previous installed version of Wordpress included content, theme etc and unless your hosting company can help restore from an old back up you are going to have to re-build from scratch. Have to admit, if your host does not have a back-up that is very odd and you should consider moving your hosting to a more responsible company.
Allison P
I am getting ready to do a total redesign of a client’s website. I have backed it up and chosen a new WP theme but am not sure how to make the transition easy. Once you install a new theme, what do you do with the backed up version? Can you access it and copy and paste certain content back onto the new site?
Ex. They want to keep the bios of their directors but the current theme includes an element that allows you to add individual staff members info. It then creates a shortcode which you can add to any page on the site linking it to their bio. I will be using as the new theme but it doesn’t have a Staff feature. Any suggestions?
WPBeginner Support
Hi Allison,
That’s one downside of using themes that rely on shortcodes or include functionality inside the theme instead of plugin. Your best option is to copy code blocks from their own theme, and try to add it into a site-specific WordPress plugin.
Administratör
Ratul Ahmed
I am new to wordpress. So Can you please tell me whether changing the theme can cause data/content loss or broken href ?
WPBeginner Support
Hi Ratul,
No, all your posts and comments are safely stored in your WordPress database.
Administratör
Kishore Seal
Changing the theme will delete the plugins?
WPBeginner Support
Hi Kishore,
No, it will not. However, if you are using a plugin that has some Theme Specific settings, then you may need to readjust those settings after switching the theme.
Administratör
Pete Hogg
What happens to all your current url’s when you change your wordpress theme?
Do you keep them and and content?
Thanks
WPBeginner Support
Hi Pete,
Yes, changing theme does not delete your content. However, it may change your site’s navigation menu which you can restore by visiting Appearance » Menus page.
Administratör
Paul Rak
You should NEVER directly edit theme files. If you do, then you will lose all your changes when you update the theme. Create a child-theme instead, and edit that. Then, when the underlying theme gets updated, you haven’t lost your changes.
Gregory Constant
Hi, how are you doing? Congratulation for your Blog. I really like it, and It always sold my problem. Keep going and thanks for creating this blog. Can you please help me or give me an idea. I’m gonna build a E commerce website that also have more feature than shopping. I bought a multi purpose eCommerce template and I customized it but not the CSS code but I put some new Icon, widget, and customize some new pages. I had to update my theme because it was not compatible with the woocommerce new version. I used a plugin called Easy Update theme & plugin cause I didn’t want to delete and upload the theme again. After I update the theme, the woocomerce plugin still not updated and the search bar missing on the front page it looks like the page deform. Do you have an idea where I can get a ecommerce multi purpose Child theme where I can just update it like I update all my plugin through WP . Where I dont have to delete my theme and uninstall my plugins and reinstall them again. I need a theme where I can get a serial number and update it automatically through WP. Thanks for anyone suggestion.
Tom Robinson
Please help +++ I bought a theme to try and revive my charity’s website look. It said nothing or no files would be changed or lost – not so. My front page with nice sliding picture disappeared and was deleted. I reverted back to my own theme but the front page was lost. I have another part of the site which is our US version. I want to copy its front page back to the UK version but on my admin side bar the tools tab is missing so I cannot import that page. I am desperate and have tried searching the web about tools missing without success.
my site is
the US version is
Please can you help me.. Thanks
WPBeginner Support
Hi Tom,
When you buy a new theme, you should always test it out on a staging website or on local server. Once you got it setup, you can move it to the live site. Always backup your complete website before switching themes to stay safe.
Your previous theme may have a different setup process to add slider and other things. Go to your site’s US version and visit theme settings, or Appearance -> Customize page to see how it is setup. Then try to replicate them on your UK version.
Hope this helps.
Administratör
Noelle
Hi, when you say ”Once you got it setup, you can move it to the live site”, how do you do this? Do you upload the theme as per normal and then the theme settings by exporting/importing a specific database table from the staging to the live site?
Franklin
I didn’t even think of using a maintenance mode plugin until I came here. Thanks sooooooo much for that idea! This really helps out a lot because it makes the transition to a new website A LOT more professional. I’m not going to be able to finish the web redesign tonight, so this really comes in handy.
Radha
Hi Wpbeginner,
I have an issue with deleting wp default theme 2017.
My default theme in wp is 2017,when trying to remove it completely by clicking delete button(and install a new theme from elementor) failed!!!
Can you please help me to resolve the issue?
Being a non techie i dont want to touch and mess the existing settings unknowingly….a step by step guide will surely help ….
Radha
Terry Chadban
Hi Radha, that can happen if you don’t have a backup theme installed and 2017 is the only theme available. If you haven’t already tried it, try installing the new theme and activating it first, then trying to delete the 2017 theme and see if that helps.
But my advice would be to install and activate the new theme but leave 2017 theme there as a backup theme in case anything happens to your new theme.
Terry
Upali Obeyesekere
How do I get my new posts on WordPress to be sent by email. To clarify, lets say I created a new post. I want the post to appear in my inbox. How do I handle this? Please advise.
David
Use IFTTT , they have a service that emails you new content in blogs.
Gary Ferguson
Excellent. This is my second day with wordpress/themes. One suggestion for the old/new; Use notepad. Paste useful links such as:
https://www.wpbeginner.com/beginners-guide/checklist-15-things-you-must-do-before-changing-wordpress-themes/#respond
Into your notes and save a copy of what you did into your site folder.
Old school but effective.
Ali Hassan
thanks for such a useful article
beatrice johnston
cujstomer wants to change the hosting co… we keep the same domain….—
MY question: if i don’t transfer the whole site and later with the new hosting i choose another theme (or the same), how i am sure i will have all the images of my library i have now…? WP will have them or better copy / transfer to my external harddrive?…… — never did someething like this… is this a dumb question?
the site still under construction and small … no e-commerce….
thank you for any info you may provide….
BJ
Mike
Hi Beatrice
I would recommend downloading a full copy of your database before switching web host. And for safety I would transfer all media onto a hard drive.
Once you switch host, you can then upload the database to the new host server.
Mike
Dan
Thanks.
This was informative.
What about themes that claim AMP compatibility? We can’t just check the theme demo on AMP validator. Right?
Juan Moore
switched to a broken theme and now I am locked out of the WP dashboard and my site. I have my site hosted on Amazon EC2. I don’t use Linux, just Windows machine. How can I can into my files? I am totally locked out and confused. Thank you.
WPBeginner Support
Hey Juan,
You can use FTP or SSH to connect to your server and delete the theme that you installed.
Administratör
Asu
Log into your hosting via cpanel. Delete the last themes folder you activated. Wordpress will work behind to automatically exchange itself to default themes. Once you deleted it, try to log into your wordpress site. I hope this step will help you.
Steve
I’d like to hire a Wordpress consultant who can take care of these maintenance issues for me, and maybe train me in some Wordpress basics. Is there a preferred way to find one?
WPBeginner Support
Hi Steve,
You can find freelance WordPress developers and consultants on websites like UpWok, Fiverr, etc.
Administratör
Meghan
Hey,
I’ve just switched my blog from Wordpress.com to self hosted using bluehost. I imported all my posts from my .com account but now they are not formatting to my new theme.
My new theme is by mojo and has a post background box, but my old imported posts go outside this box border. Can any one help me to get my old posts to format properly to my new theme?
Thanks!
Carly Compass
I am sorry I didn’t see this post until it was too late. My website is hosted on wp .org and while I was on the .com website I ruined my entire website in just a few short clicks. I didn’t realize they were connected.
I have been working to fix all the bugs created, but I still have one issue.
On my iPhone my website doesn’t seem to be responsive, the featured image is non existent and I see a bit of a boarder outside of the text, whereas before it filled the screen.
Do you have any suggestions for that?
Thank you for your time and attention on this, I really appreciate it.
Dan
Thanks a lot,
1 question – is there any way to observe / test the site with the new theme, before it goes live? something like a test environment, where the old theme is still in place but I can already ”play and test” the new one?
Dan
WPBeginner Support
Hi Dan,
You can install WordPress on your local computer. You can also just install a theme and then go to Appearance > Themes page. Click on the preview button below the theme you want to preview.
Administratör
James Lohse
I zip up all my theme files and copy them into a subdirectory on my website, copy the database, use phpMyAdmin to change the site URLs to the subdirectory, set it for no search engines and test things there.
I have toyed with the idea of a local install but then you have to maintain the exact same versions of PHP, Wordpress, MySQL etc to really have a proper testbed.
Here’s an article that’s good for showing how to migrate:
Monique Rene Coates
I am a new Wordpress web developer and I am now using a couple of WordPress themes that I have changed back and forth between themes without really asking anyone HOW TO DO IT. I sometimes learn best this way . . by JUST DOING IT and making mistakes.
This is what I found . . .
1. The old theme or themes do NOT go away or get replaced with the NEW THEME UNTIL one refreshes using the ”VIEW SITE” tab up top.
2. Take heed, I found that the NEW THEME was usually NOT what it looked like in the preview of all of the pretty and Free WordPress themes. Upgrade time!
3. I have kept initial coding changes minimal until I get to final theme. Just in case all gets wiped out.
4. I also have all site / page text backed up. So I can copy & paste if all gets wiped out from a theme change.
Hope this helps someone, even a little.
Happy New Year!
Lesley
Hi. I just switched themes. All of my post are full of the regular text that I wrote as well as gibberish (i assume it’s code). Do i have to go through all posts to remove or is there a plugin that can do that? Thanks!
Kerrin Ambrose
I have inherited a web site which has been created in Wordpress Twenty Eleven the me which I would like to update to Twenty Sixteen. Can you tell me if these two themes are compatible? Also Wordpress version is 4.5 and there is a notice to upgrade it to 4.7. Should I upgrade this prior to changing the theme?
Gautham sevar
It’s entirely upto you to update WordPress or not, but it is recommended to upgrade.
Every theme is unique even same theme’s update patch is also unique, it’s upto blog maintainer to adapt to newer themes
Hope this helps!!
Vincent de Paul
I purchased a WordPress responsive theme to use on our WordPress blog but when I went to upload it I found that WordPress is not accepting own theme uploads. What can I do?
WPBeginner Support
Please contact the theme developer for support.
Administratör
CJ
This is great info, but I need to know about an important step. How do I work on a new theme while keeping the old one live? Do I create a different file that houses the new theme? Where does one start?
Gautham sevar
Download WordPress and develop new theme in local host, Best and secure way.
Joan Michelson
Hi, I really, really, really need/want to change our website theme but am not a web developer and don’t have the budget to hire one. I like your list but it’s a bit over my head. Our website is and I know what I want it to be a cross between Washington Post and InsideQuest – essentially. What do you suggest? Is there an intern who could help us? We have 2 big events in mid-Oct we want this done by and have been trying to get it done for a while without luck. Ideas??? We can trade advertising and consulting services. Thanks!
WPBeginner Support
Hey Joan, we would recommend you to look for a magazine theme.
Administratör