Your WordPress theme controls how your website looks. Here is how to install both free themes from the WordPress repository and premium themes you purchase.
Method 1: Install a Free Theme from the Repository
- Log in to your WordPress admin (yourdomain.com/wp-admin).
- Click Appearance > Themes in the left sidebar.
- Click Add New at the top.
- Search for a theme by name or use the Feature Filter to find one by layout or subject.
- Hover over the theme and click Install.
- After installation, click Activate. Your site now uses this theme.
Method 2: Upload a Premium Theme (.zip file)
If you purchased a premium theme (e.g., from Themeforest, Elegant Themes, or a developer), you will receive a .zip file.
- Log in to WordPress admin.
- Click Appearance > Themes.
- Click Add New.
- Click Upload Theme at the top.
- Click Choose File and select the theme .zip file from your computer.
- Click Install Now.
- Click Activate Theme.
Important: Only upload the main theme .zip file, not the full package/folder downloaded from the marketplace. Premium theme packages often contain the theme file, documentation, and child theme in one download — unzip the package and find the correct theme .zip inside.
After Activating Your Theme
- Go to Appearance > Customize to configure colours, fonts, logo, and layout
- Install any required plugins shown in the theme's notice banner
- If the theme requires a child theme for safe customisation, install and activate that instead — and keep the parent theme installed
Can I Change Themes Without Losing Content?
Yes — your pages, posts, and media are stored in the database and are not affected by changing themes. However, any customisations made via the Customizer or theme-specific page builders (Elementor, Divi, etc.) are theme-dependent and may not carry over.
Tip: Always test a new theme on a staging site or locally before applying it to a live website. If your site breaks after a theme change, switch back to the previous theme immediately via Appearance > Themes.
