How to install WordPress themes

WordPress includes thousands of free themes that you can use to customize your web site's appearance. This article describes how to install and activate WordPress themes.

The most common way to install a theme is by using the WordPress administration interface. However, if you already have a .zip file that contains a WordPress theme, you can install it manually.

Installing a theme using the administration interface

To install and activate a new WordPress theme using the WordPress administration interface, follow these steps:

1. Log in to WordPress as the administrator.
2. Under Dashboard, click Appearance, and then click Themes.
3. Click Add New.
4. To search for a theme by name, type the name or keyword in the text box, and then click Search.
   Alternatively, you can search for themes using the Feature Filter. Select the check boxes for the theme features you want, and then click Find Themes. For example, you can search for themes by color, number of columns, layout type, specific features, and more.
5. When you find a theme that you want to install, click Install Now.
   You can preview a theme's appearance without installing it. To do this, click Preview.
6. To activate the new theme, click Activate. To view your site with the new theme enabled, click Visit site.

Installing a theme manually

If you have a .zip file that contains a WordPress theme, you can upload it to your site and install the theme manually. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Log in to your site using FTP.
2. Navigate to the directory where you installed WordPress.
   If you installed WordPress in the document root directory, navigate to the public_html directory. If you installed WordPress in a subdirectory beneath the public_html directory, go to that directory instead.
3. Transfer the .zip file to the wp-content/themes directory.
4. Log in to your site using SSH.
5. Type the following command:

   cd ~/public_html/wp-content/themes

   If you uploaded the .zip file to a different directory, type that path instead.

6. Type the following command, replacing filename.zip with the name of the file you uploaded:
   

   unzip filename.zip

7. Log in to WordPress as the administrator.

8. Under Dashboard, click Appearance, and then click Themes.

9. Locate the theme, and then click Activate. To view your site with the new theme enabled, click Visit site.

More Information

For more information about WordPress themes, please visit http://wordpress.org/themes.