Managing your WordPress site is no easy task, especially if you are a beginner. One of the first issues you may have is working around your themes. Thankfully, WordPress has a repository containing loads of themes you can import to your website.
This article will provide a step-by-step guide on uploading third-party themes to your WordPress site. We’ll show you how to use the “upload theme” function in WordPress and how to do a manual upload using FTP. Let’s get into it!
How to Upload Themes from WordPress
As we said earlier, WordPress has thousands of free themes verified by experts to suit your needs. Here’s how you can upload a theme from your dashboard:
- First, log into your site
- Click ‘Appearance,’
- Now, click ‘Themes.’
- You should see a preview of your currently installed themes. However, click the ‘Add New’ button for something more unique.
- This will lead you to the Theme Directory.
- From the tabs section at the top of your screen, browse through the most popular or featured themes and filter your selections as you like.
- Select a theme and hover your cursor over it until three options display. Clicking ‘Details & Preview’ will provide more information about the theme.
- The dedicated ‘Preview’ button will give you a glimpse of what your site will look like with the theme installed.
- Once you’re satisfied with the outlook, click on the ‘Install’ button and then click ‘Activate’ to confirm your choice.
Uploading a WordPress Theme From a Zip File
However, if you purchased your theme from a developer or third-party site like Envato, the steps above may need to be revised.
Time Needed : 15 minutes
Uploading a third-party theme to WordPress (in simple steps)
Purchase your theme and download the zip file.
When you purchase a theme from a third-party marketplace, you’ll receive the theme in a zip file. IMPORTANT – do not unzip the file. You’ll need to upload the actual zip file to WordPress for your theme to install correctly.
Navigate to Appearance >> Themes >> Add New in your WordPress dashboard
At the top of the screen, you’ll see a button labeled “Upload Theme.” Click the button to open the upload theme panel.Choose your zip file from the file picker and click “upload”
Once your file has been uploaded, you can click the Activate button, and that’s it – your new theme is ready to customize.
Tools
- Self-hosted WordPress
Materials
- Third-party theme (e.g. the Wiz theme from Envato)
Your file uploader should pop up next; locate the .zip file and click Install now. As WordPress carries out the installation, three options will display on your screen– one leading you back to the Themes page, another to show a live preview, and the third to activate it. Click this last option and call it a day.
How to Upload Themes via FTP
Uploading themes manually requires using a File Transfer Protocol (FTP). We’ll show you how to do this manual method using GoDaddy in the next few steps. However, these steps will work with most hosts.
- First, download the .zip file of your desired theme.
- Next, connect your GoDaddy or another hosting provider with FTP.
- From the Remote site section, locate the folder containing your WordPress site.
- Now, navigate to the wp-content or themes folder.
- From the Local Site section, locate the .zip file of your chosen theme on your computer.
- Drag and drop the theme file from the Local Site section above to the Remote Site section.
- Unzip your theme file.
If you cannot unzip the file from your hosting account, go to your local computer and unzip it. Then, upload the unzipped folder to finish.
After installing your theme, return to WordPress and activate it.
Conclusion
Installing themes on your site is one of the first things you should do after creating your website. However, this process may be overwhelming and put you off from making your website look attractive. We want to help, so we put the tips in this guide together to help you navigate the process. Hopefully, you find it useful. If you have any further questions, please get in touch!
