{"id":5374,"date":"2020-03-11T15:00:03","date_gmt":"2020-03-11T14:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/?p=5374"},"modified":"2022-02-17T11:22:09","modified_gmt":"2022-02-17T10:22:09","slug":"how-to-change-wordpress-theme","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/how-to-change-wordpress-theme\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Change Your WordPress Theme (Without Breaking Your Website)"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]In this article, we will show you how to safely change your WordPress theme when you already have another theme and plugins installed on your WordPress website. [\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”28px”][vc_column_text]Changing a WordPress theme is a relatively simple process. Essentially, all you need to do is install your WordPress theme<\/a> and activate it after the installation. The entire process may take a few minutes if you\u2019re uploading theme files from your computer using an FTP client<\/a> or cPanel.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”28px”][vc_column_text]If you choose to upload your theme<\/a> via cPanel<\/strong>, navigate to the root folder<\/strong> and locate the path to the themes folder<\/strong>. This is usually a folder with the name wp-content \/ themes<\/strong><\/em> unless you have multiple website subfolders within the root folder. In the themes folder, click on the Upload button<\/strong>.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”50px”]

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\n \"Upload <\/div>\n<\/div>[vc_empty_space height=”38px”][vc_column_text]Within the popup window find the theme folder on your computer and confirm its upload so that you can later activate the theme.<\/strong>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”28px”][vc_column_text]You will apply the same method if you\u2019re using an FTP client<\/strong> to connect your computer and the server. Locate the theme folder in the left panel. In the right panel, click on the folder wp-content \/ themes<\/em><\/strong> which contains all the themes on your live site.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”50px”]
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\n \"Using <\/div>\n<\/div>[vc_empty_space height=”38px”][vc_column_text]Drag the local theme folder from the left to the right panel<\/strong>. This will automatically make a new theme available on the live site.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”28px”][vc_column_text]Using the option Appearance > Themes<\/strong><\/em> on your site, locate and activate the installed theme.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”50px”]
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\n \"Locate <\/div>\n<\/div>[vc_empty_space height=”38px”][vc_column_text]Before you activate the theme you can preview it using the option Live preview<\/strong>. Apart from showing you your new site\u2019s look, this option can also show you how the new theme may affect your website.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”50px”]
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\n \"Live <\/div>\n<\/div>[vc_empty_space height=”38px”][vc_column_text]Finally, there is a possibility to change and preview the theme<\/strong> using the Theme Switcha plugin<\/a>. After you install and activate this free tool, go to the plugin settings and enable theme switching<\/strong>.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”50px”]
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\n \"Theme <\/div>\n<\/div>[vc_empty_space height=”60px”]
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\n \"Change <\/div>\n<\/div>[vc_empty_space height=”38px”][vc_column_text]When you save changes, the plugin will list all the themes that are installed on your website. It takes only a click on the new theme to open a preview in a new tab of your browser.<\/strong>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”50px”]
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\n \"All <\/div>\n<\/div>[vc_empty_space height=”79px”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

How to Change a WordPress Theme Manually<\/h2>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]If none of the previous methods work for you, you can learn how to change a WordPress theme manually. Some troubleshooting methods incorporate these steps as well.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”28px”][vc_column_text]This method is extremely useful when you are unable to access the control panel due to a website crash. This way, you can troubleshoot the error by manually removing the currently active theme.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”28px”][vc_column_text]This method also utilizes the capabilities of phpMyAdmin to change the active theme directly within the database. [\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”28px”][vc_column_text]Start by connecting your computer to the server<\/strong> using FTP software<\/a>. Locate the themes folder with all of the installed themes on your WordPress setup.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”50px”]

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\n \"Connecting <\/div>\n<\/div>[vc_empty_space height=”38px”][vc_column_text]Folder names represent the names of the currently installed themes. If you need to add a new theme, follow the steps from the previous section – simply unpack the new theme\u2019s folder on your computer and transfer it to the wp-content\/themes folder on the server.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”28px”][vc_column_text]When you access the themes folder with all the available themes on your WordPress site, remember the name of the one you want to activate.<\/strong>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”28px”][vc_column_text]Log into your WordPress hosting plan\u2019s cPanel<\/strong> and click on the option phpMyAdmin<\/strong>.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”50px”]
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\n \"phpMyAdmin\" <\/div>\n<\/div>[vc_empty_space height=”38px”][vc_column_text]When you access the phpMyAdmin panel, you\u2019ll see a list of databases on the left<\/strong>. Select the database you\u2019re using for your WordPress site and click on wp-options<\/em><\/strong>.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”50px”]
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\n \"Click <\/div>\n<\/div>[vc_empty_space height=”38px”][vc_column_text]Short reminder<\/strong>: WordPress is using \u201cwp_\u201d as a prefix for the tables\u2019 default names. However, this prefix can be changed<\/a>, so you may see tables with a different prefix.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”28px”][vc_column_text]Afterward, locate template<\/strong><\/em> and stylesheet rows<\/strong><\/em> in the right panel.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”50px”]
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\n \"Locate <\/div>\n<\/div>[vc_empty_space height=”38px”][vc_column_text]Click on the Edit<\/strong> option in the template<\/strong><\/em> row to open the editor. In the editor, find the option_value<\/strong> field and change its value by entering the name of the theme you want to use. This name should match the name of the folder of the theme in \/wp-content\/themes\/ folder<\/strong>. When you finalize the changes, click on the Go button<\/strong> to save them.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”50px”]
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\n \"Entering <\/div>\n<\/div>[vc_empty_space height=”38px”][vc_column_text]Repeat this process with the stylesheet row<\/em><\/strong>. Once these edits take effect, you\u2019ll have a new theme on your website. Check your live site to make sure everything is working fine.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”28px”][vc_column_text]Although changing your theme is a relatively simple process, after the edits you may encounter some issues with your WordPress website. The most common problems include:[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”23px”]