How to Install a New WordPress Theme

By Mesheal Fegor / December 5, 2017

When you are ready to freshen up the look of your WordPress-powered website, you can install a WordPress theme to give a brand new design to your site. It’s not as complicated as you might think – follow the FixRunner.com guide on how to install a WordPress theme.

Steps To Install A WordPress Theme

WordPress themes can be changed in order to modify the way that the site is displayed to your visitors, customers or readers. Changing the theme correctly shouldn’t interfere with the WordPress software functions.

There are several ways to install a WordPress theme. You can search for themes right from your dashboard and install them from the search results. However, this guide shows you how to install a WordPress theme using FTP.

Step 1

Download the archive of the theme. You can get this from the site offering the theme, or by selecting one of the themes available at WordPress.org.

Download the theme - Install a WordPress theme using FTP

Step 2

Extract the files to your computer while being careful to keep the structure of the directory the same – don’t change it!

Extract the files to your computer - Install a WordPress theme using FTP

Step 3

Next, you need to use your FTP client to access your web host server.

Step 4

Create a new directory for your theme in the WordPress wp-content/themes directory. For naming purposes (for example, if you called your theme “my_theme”), make whatever you call it follow the structure of wp-content/themes/my_theme.

Step 5

Now you should upload the theme files onto your host server through the new directory

Step 6

Almost there! Now, select the active theme by your site by logging into your Admin Panel in WordPress and going to the Appearance sub-tab and clicking on Themes. Next select the new theme and click Activate.

Step 7

And that’s how to install a WordPress theme using FTP. To see this theme in action, click View Site which is at the top of the Admin Panel.