How to Install WordPress Theme

Learning how to install wordpress theme is not that difficult but many people seem to get confused when it comes to this task.

One thing that seems to confuse people when wanting to know how to install wordpress theme is the fact that there are two different methods you can use. You can install wordpress theme manually or automatically.

How to install wordpress theme manually

To start we will go over how to install wordpress theme manually so you get a chance to familiarize yourself with the  wordpress structure.

1. Installing the wordpress theme manually will require you to download the theme to your hard drive.
2. The theme will need to be extracted from the zip file to a folder on your computer (don’t forget where you place the theme on your computer).
3. You will need an FTP program which you can find freely on the internet. Once you have logged into your website with your FTP program, you will need to find the theme folder. It will be located in wp-content – themes.
4. Now you will need to find the theme you extracted on your computer (you didn’t forget where you put it did you?).
5. Next you are going to upload the entire theme folder from your computer into the themes folder on your web site hosting account.
6. Once all your theme files have been uploaded, you will log into your blog using your browser.
7. At this point you are going to click on Appearance on the left menu which will then show the Theme option.
8. You should now be able to see your theme listed on the page. If you don’t see your theme then you may have put it in the wrong folder and you will have to check it with your FTP program to make sure it is in the right location.
9. Now you will want to select the Activate link shown under your theme.

How to install wordpress theme automatically

If you want to take the slacker’s way out (and who doesn’t?) then you can let wordpress do your grunt work. But wordpress will still make you log into your blog first.

1. First you will click on the Appearance link in the left menu which will then display the Themes link.
2. At this point you will click the Themes link which will display the Manage Themes and Install Themes tabs at the top of the page. .
3. If the Install Themes tab is not active you will need to select it to make it the active tab.
4. You will notice you have a couple choices here. The first choice assumes you don’t have a theme yet and need to search for one. The second choice assumes you have a theme already downloaded to your computer.
   1. If you haven’t chosen a wordpress theme yet then you will want to check the boxes for the criteria you want in a theme and then search for a theme you like. When you find a theme you want to use you will select Install and let wordpress go to work and install the theme for you.
   2. If you have already downloaded a theme you want to use you will choose the Upload link and browse to the theme you downloaded in the zip file format (you don’t need to unzip it). Then you can just click Install Now and let wordpress do its thing.

It is my personal preference to go the slacker route when possible and have wordpress install the theme. But if you ever have to edit or repair your theme it will be helpful if you are familiar with using FTP to view the layout of the wordpress structure so I suggest to FTP to your wordpress site at least once to have a look around.

You should now be an old hand at knowing how to install wordpress theme. If you can’t find a theme that fits the bill then you can learn how to customize wordpress theme too.