If you click on Live Preview<\/i>, you\u2019ll be able to see what your site will look like using this theme. Meanwhile, clicking on the Activate<\/i> button will switch your site to the new theme immediately. That\u2019s all you need to do!<\/p>\n\n\n\n2. Upload a .zip File <\/b>in<\/b> the WordPress Dashboard<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
At this point, you may be wondering how to install a theme that you got from a third party. If you\u2019ve bought a premium theme from another directory or a developer\u2019s website, you won\u2019t be able to install it using the above method.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fortunately, installing a theme you\u2019ve bought or downloaded elsewhere is a simple process. The theme should have been provided to you as a .zip<\/i> file, which you can upload directly to your site. If you don\u2019t know where to find that file, contact the theme\u2019s developer and they should be able to help you out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once you have the theme\u2019s .zip<\/i> file saved to your computer, go to your WordPress dashboard. Navigate to Appearance > Themes<\/i> and click on Add New<\/i>. This time, however, you\u2019ll want to click on the Upload Theme<\/i> button at the top of the page:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Next, select Choose File<\/i>. Then select the theme\u2019s file on your computer and click on Install Now<\/i>. WordPress will display a success message when the theme installation is complete:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As before, you can either see what the theme will look like using Live Preview<\/i> or hit Activate<\/i> to make it official.<\/p>\n\n\n\nHow to Change Your Current WordPress Theme<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
If you have several WordPress themes already installed (using the above methods), you may want to know how to switch back and forth between them. This is very simple.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Just go to Appearance > Themes<\/i> to view your current list of options. Then, click on whichever theme you\u2019d like to use and select Activate<\/i>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s all you need to do to change themes! Don\u2019t forget that you can use the Live Preview<\/i> link to see what your site will look like before activating the theme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Every time you switch themes, it\u2019s worth checking to see if there are new settings you need to configure. Take a look at any new tabs or sections added by the theme, as well as at the theme customizer, and make sure you have everything set up the way you\u2019d like. If you run into any trouble, most WordPress themes come with documentation and forums where you can find help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Install Your New Theme Today<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n Adding a theme to your WordPress website is exciting. You\u2019ll get a brand new look, plenty of options to play with, and elements to personalize. Of course, to get there, you\u2019ll first need to know how to install and activate your theme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n <\/div>\n\n\n\n\n
\n
\n Do More with DreamPress\n <\/h2>\n \n DreamPress Plus and Pro users get access to Jetpack Professional (and 200+ premium themes) at no added cost!\n <\/p>\n\n \n Check Out Plans <\/a>\n\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In this post, we\u2019ll give you some advice on what to do before you add a new theme to your website. Then we\u2019ll present two methods for installing and activating your WordPress theme. We\u2019ve written previous guides on the topic of what WordPress themes are and how to find them. However, there\u2019s one more crucial […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1062,"featured_media":36913,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"To install a WordPress theme, first visit your WordPress site and navigate to Appearance > Themes, then Click 'Add New.' Read on for more.","toc_headlines":"[[\"h-what-to-do-before-installing-your-wordpress-theme\",\"What to Do Before Installing Your WordPress Theme<\/b>\"],[\"h-how-to-install-a-wordpress-theme-2-methods\",\"How to Install a WordPress Theme (<\/b>2<\/b> Methods)<\/b>\"],[\"h-how-to-change-your-current-wordpress-theme\",\"How to Change Your Current WordPress Theme<\/b>\"],[\"h-install-your-new-theme-today\",\"Install Your New Theme Today<\/b>\"]]","hide_toc":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13119,550,696],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-36905","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-getting-started","category-tutorials","category-wordpress"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHow to Install a WordPress Theme - DreamHost<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"To install a WordPress theme, first visit your WordPress site and navigate to Appearance > Themes, then Click 'Add New.' Read on for more.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www-dev.dreamhost.com\/blog\/tutorial-how-to-install-a-wp-theme\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Install a WordPress Theme (Tutorial)\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"To install a WordPress theme, first visit your WordPress site and navigate to Appearance > Themes, then Click 'Add New.' Read on for more.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www-dev.dreamhost.com\/blog\/tutorial-how-to-install-a-wp-theme\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"DreamHost Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/DreamHost\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-09-19T14:00:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-05-22T00:19:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.dreamhost.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/How-to-Install-WP-Themes-Social.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"628\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jason Cosper\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@dreamhost\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@dreamhost\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Jason Cosper\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How to Install a WordPress Theme - DreamHost","description":"To install a WordPress theme, first visit your WordPress site and navigate to Appearance > Themes, then Click 'Add New.' Read on for more.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www-dev.dreamhost.com\/blog\/tutorial-how-to-install-a-wp-theme\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How to Install a WordPress Theme (Tutorial)","og_description":"To install a WordPress theme, first visit your WordPress site and navigate to Appearance > Themes, then Click 'Add New.' Read on for more.","og_url":"https:\/\/www-dev.dreamhost.com\/blog\/tutorial-how-to-install-a-wp-theme\/","og_site_name":"DreamHost Blog","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/DreamHost\/","article_published_time":"2022-09-19T14:00:20+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-05-22T00:19:34+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":628,"url":"https:\/\/www.dreamhost.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/How-to-Install-WP-Themes-Social.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Jason Cosper","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@dreamhost","twitter_site":"@dreamhost","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Jason Cosper","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www-dev.dreamhost.com\/blog\/tutorial-how-to-install-a-wp-theme\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www-dev.dreamhost.com\/blog\/tutorial-how-to-install-a-wp-theme\/"},"author":{"name":"Jason Cosper","@id":"https:\/\/www-dev.dreamhost.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2273b8bf7336df78f6d99a89c17253c4"},"headline":"How to Install a WordPress Theme (Tutorial)","datePublished":"2022-09-19T14:00:20+00:00","dateModified":"2025-05-22T00:19:34+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www-dev.dreamhost.com\/blog\/tutorial-how-to-install-a-wp-theme\/"},"wordCount":1133,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www-dev.dreamhost.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www-dev.dreamhost.com\/blog\/tutorial-how-to-install-a-wp-theme\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www-dev.dreamhost.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/How-to-Install-WP-Themes-Feature.jpg","articleSection":["Getting Started","Tutorials","WordPress"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www-dev.dreamhost.com\/blog\/tutorial-how-to-install-a-wp-theme\/","url":"https:\/\/www-dev.dreamhost.com\/blog\/tutorial-how-to-install-a-wp-theme\/","name":"How to Install a WordPress Theme - DreamHost","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www-dev.dreamhost.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www-dev.dreamhost.com\/blog\/tutorial-how-to-install-a-wp-theme\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www-dev.dreamhost.com\/blog\/tutorial-how-to-install-a-wp-theme\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www-dev.dreamhost.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/How-to-Install-WP-Themes-Feature.jpg","datePublished":"2022-09-19T14:00:20+00:00","dateModified":"2025-05-22T00:19:34+00:00","description":"To install a WordPress theme, first visit your WordPress site and navigate to Appearance > Themes, then Click 'Add New.' Read on for more.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www-dev.dreamhost.com\/blog\/tutorial-how-to-install-a-wp-theme\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www-dev.dreamhost.com\/blog\/tutorial-how-to-install-a-wp-theme\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www-dev.dreamhost.com\/blog\/tutorial-how-to-install-a-wp-theme\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www-dev.dreamhost.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/How-to-Install-WP-Themes-Feature.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www-dev.dreamhost.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/How-to-Install-WP-Themes-Feature.jpg","width":901,"height":599,"caption":"how to install a WordPress theme"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www-dev.dreamhost.com\/blog\/tutorial-how-to-install-a-wp-theme\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/dhblog.dream.press\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"How to Install a WordPress Theme (Tutorial)"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www-dev.dreamhost.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www-dev.dreamhost.com\/blog\/","name":"DreamHost Blog","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www-dev.dreamhost.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www-dev.dreamhost.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www-dev.dreamhost.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"DreamHost","url":"https:\/\/www-dev.dreamhost.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www-dev.dreamhost.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/dhblog.dream.press\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/dh_logo-blue-2.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/dhblog.dream.press\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/dh_logo-blue-2.png","width":1200,"height":168,"caption":"DreamHost"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www-dev.dreamhost.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/DreamHost\/","https:\/\/x.com\/dreamhost","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/dreamhost\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/dreamhost\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/dreamhostusa"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www-dev.dreamhost.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2273b8bf7336df78f6d99a89c17253c4","name":"Jason Cosper","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www-dev.dreamhost.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/IMG_4807-scaled.jpeg","url":"https:\/\/www-dev.dreamhost.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/IMG_4807-scaled.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www-dev.dreamhost.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/IMG_4807-scaled.jpeg","caption":"Jason Cosper"},"description":"Jason is DreamHost\u2019s WordPress Product Advocate, based out of Bakersfield, CA. He is currently working on making our DreamPress product even better. In his free time, he likes to curl up on the couch and watch scary movies with his wife Sarah and three very small dogs. Follow him on Twitter.","url":"https:\/\/www-dev.dreamhost.com\/blog\/author\/jasoncosper\/"}]}},"lang":"en","translations":{"en":36905,"ru":51390,"es":36921,"pt":51212,"de":51386,"pl":51388,"uk":51395,"it":67968,"fr":69527,"nl":69560},"pll_sync_post":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www-dev.dreamhost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36905","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www-dev.dreamhost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www-dev.dreamhost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www-dev.dreamhost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1062"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www-dev.dreamhost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36905"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www-dev.dreamhost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36905\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":61518,"href":"https:\/\/www-dev.dreamhost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36905\/revisions\/61518"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www-dev.dreamhost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36913"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www-dev.dreamhost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36905"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www-dev.dreamhost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36905"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www-dev.dreamhost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36905"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}