{"id":151,"date":"2020-02-12T10:36:44","date_gmt":"2020-02-12T10:36:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lcn.com\/support\/knowledge-base\/adding-wordpress-theme\/"},"modified":"2020-02-12T10:36:44","modified_gmt":"2020-02-12T10:36:44","slug":"adding-wordpress-theme","status":"publish","type":"ht_kb","link":"https:\/\/www.lcn.com\/support\/articles\/adding-wordpress-theme\/","title":{"rendered":"How to add and test a WordPress theme"},"content":{"rendered":"

Adding and testing a new WordPress theme<\/h2>\n

So after much careful consideration, you\u2019ve found a theme that\u2019s right for you and your new website. Let\u2019s get it uploaded to your WordPress site so we can test it out.<\/p>\n

Login to your WordPress dashboard and look for \u201cAppearance\u201d and then \u201cThemes\u201d.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll then be presented with a page displaying what themes you\u2019ve already installed on your WordPress site. To add a new theme, just click the \u201cAdd New\u201d button at the top.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

You then have two options\u2026<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Add an official WordPress Theme Directory theme<\/strong>\n

    On the \u201cAdd Themes\u201d page you\u2019ll be presented with a list of themes from the official WordPress Theme Directory. You can also view the \u201cFeatured\u201d, \u201cPopular\u201d and \u201cLatest\u201d themes available.<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    You can also use the search box (as the image above shows) to find any particular theme you either already know the name of, or to find one using any particular keywords (such as \u201cresponsive\u201d, \u201cmodern\u201d, \u201csingle column\u201d.<\/p>\n

    Hover over any theme you like the look of and you\u2019ll see a \u201cPreview\u201d option. Hit this button, and it will take you to a preview of what your site would look like using that particular theme.<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    If you like it, you can hit \u201cInstall\u201d to install it to your WordPress site.<\/p>\n

    <\/li>\n

  2. Upload a theme<\/strong>\n

    To upload your own theme, such as a premium theme you have purchased from elsewhere, just look for the \u201cUpload Theme\u201d button on the \u201cAdd Themes\u201d page.<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    Any theme you download should come as a .zip file. This is the format required by WordPress in order to properly install your theme.<\/p>\n

    Hit \u201cChoose file\u201d and locate the theme .zip file on your computer and select the \u201cOpen\u201d button.<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    Then hit \u201cInstall Now\u201d.<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    It\u2019s important to note<\/strong> that when a theme is installed, it doesn\u2019t mean that it\u2019s activated (active on your WordPress site for the world to see). It simply means it\u2019s installed and you can choose to activate it when you wish.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    When previewing, bear in mind that themes often need customising to fit your layout.<\/p>\n

    Preview and activate your new theme<\/h3>\n

    Now your theme is installed, you can activate it from the \u201cThemes\u201d section of your WordPress dashboard.<\/p>\n

    Just hover over the theme and two options will appear: \u201cActivate\u201d and \u201cLive Preview\u201d.<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    Live Preview will do just that \u2013 give you a preview of what your site will look like with this theme activated, without displaying it to your website visitors.<\/p>\n

    Select \u201cActivate\u201d to set the theme live.<\/p>\n

    You\u2019ll now be taken to the \u201cCustomize\u201d page.<\/p>\n

    \n

    Customising your theme<\/h3>\n

    Every WordPress theme allows various degrees of customisation. This utterly depends on the functionality the creator of the theme has built in.<\/p>\n

    Some themes allow you to completely change the design from top to bottom \u2013 such as choosing colour schemes, layouts, other functionality, fonts etc.<\/p>\n

    Other themes are far more limiting, which has good and bad points. A theme with limited customisation options means the design can\u2019t be messed-up by someone who isn\u2019t exactly sure of what they\u2019re doing. The obvious bad point is that you don\u2019t have as much control over how it looks.<\/p>\n

    After installing your theme you\u2019ll be taken to the \u201cCustomize\u201d page. Alternatively, you can find it at any time under the \u201cAppearance\u201d > \u201cCustomize\u201d section of your WordPress dashboard.<\/p>\n

    The \u201cCustomize\u201d page is split into two distinct sections.<\/p>\n

    To the left you have your options and controls for adjusting and customising your theme.<\/p>\n

    On the right, you\u2019ll see a preview of your theme design, which will change to reflect any custom changes you make.<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    Customising options (left) \u2013 Design preview (right)<\/i><\/p>\n

    Again, what you can customise in here is entirely down to the theme you are using. Some themes will give you more options than others.<\/p>\n

    However, almost all themes allow you to easily change\/add\u2026<\/p>\n