The process of replacing a WordPress theme is not as difficult as it may seem at first. It’s simply a matter of following these steps: How to Properly Change a WordPress Theme – 2025
Backup all the things!
The first step to changing a WordPress theme is backing up your site. This can be done by using either FTP or the built-in backup feature in your WordPress Dashboard.
Once you’ve backed up your content and database, it’s time to start editing!
Deactivate Plugins
Deactivate plugins.
Reactivate plugins.
How to deactivate plugins:
Go to Appearance > Theme Options and find the plugin you want to deactivate. Click “Deactivate” in the top right corner of its page, then confirm your choice by clicking Done on a new page that appears asking if you want to continue with this process (you do). You can also click “Update Existing Plugins To Match Current Theme” if there are any conflicts between what’s being used now and what was installed at install time, but this method is generally less safe than simply removing unused code from your theme altogether because it’s likely that some other parts of WordPress will still be using those files while they’re gone!
Lower The PHP Memory Limit
If you’re using a theme that was built before PHP 5.3, it may be set to use 128MB of memory by default. This is too much and will cause your site to crash if you try to load too much at once. You can change this setting by going into the wp-config.php file and changing the value of max_execution_time from -1 (off) to an integer value between 10 and 2000 seconds (in milliseconds). The default setting for WordPress themes is 60 seconds; however, some developers recommend reducing this number even further in order to improve performance on older computers with less RAM than modern computers with more RAM available at their disposal.
Check Theme Requirements
Once you’ve chosen a theme, it’s important to check the theme requirements for all of your plugins. You should also make sure that the theme works with the current version of WordPress and your website.
Check Theme Requirements: Before installing any new plugins, be sure to check the list of compatible ones that are already installed on your server. If there are any conflicts between them, remove or disable those plugins until after you’ve completed installation changes with your new theme
Install WordPress 4.5+ and the New theme
If you are using a self-hosted WordPress site, update your hosting provider to the latest version of WordPress so that they can accept it as well. If you are using a theme that is not compatible with 4.5+, then you will need to upgrade to this version first before installing your new theme on top of it
Install and Activate Your Theme
To install your theme, go to Appearance > Themes.
Click on the Install Themes tab, then click Upload Theme in the left sidebar. Select your theme from your computer and click Install Now.
Set up the New Theme
Once you have installed the theme, it’s time to set up your new theme.
Import or enter content for the new theme’s pages. If there are any pages that do not exist in your old site and need to be imported into the new one, this is where you would enter them into WordPress.
Check for any remaining errors, issues, or incompatibilities with your site by opening it up in a browser window and looking through all of its menus and links until finding something that doesn’t work properly with what you’re seeing on screen at this moment (e.g., “This page isn’t displaying correctly”).
Import or Enter Content for The New Theme’s Pages.
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Import or enter content for the new theme’s pages.
- If you would like to import your old site’s content into the new theme, it’s best to use a CSV file. This can be done by entering the URL of your old site in the “Import from” field and clicking “Import.” To do this, click on “Upload Files” at the bottom-left corner of your screen and choose “Select File.” Once you’ve added a file path (such as c:/my/html5), select “Continue” followed by “Next.” From there, choose where you’d like WordPress to place all its files: either inside or outside of /wp-content/themes/. Then go back one step and select Next again because we still need to upload our CSS files first!
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If you want more control over how columns appear in tables than what comes built into WordPress itself (like having rows per column instead), then consider using Excel instead—it’s much easier than manipulating HTML via PHP code!
Check for any Remaining Errors, Issues
You should also check for any remaining errors, issues, or incompatibilities with your site. Make sure everything is working as it should be. Check for any missing images or other content that may be causing problems.
If you’re using a plugin that was created before the new theme was released, make sure that it’s compatible with the new theme by running a test on its settings page (or by updating it manually). If all else fails and there are still problems after doing this step—it’s time for some serious debugging!
Choose a WordPress theme that fits
- Choose a WordPress theme that fits your needs and make sure it is compatible with all of your plugins so that you are able to work without any problems.
- Choose a WordPress theme that fits your needs and make sure it is compatible with all of your plugins so that you are able to work without any problems. How to Properly Change a WordPress Theme
Conclusion
How to Properly Change a WordPress Theme . We hope this guide has given you a better understanding of what goes into changing a WordPress theme and why it is important to do so. While it may seem like an overwhelming task at first, the process is actually quite simple once you’ve done your research on which plugins are compatible with your new theme and how best to change them over if needed. Remember that there are plenty of resources available for more help, so if you need it we recommend reaching out via email or social media! How to Properly Change a WordPress Theme – 2025