There are two ways to Installing a theme – manually with an FTP client, or automatically through the upload feature in the WordPress dashboard. Below you will see both options.
Installing Through the WordPress Dashboard
- Log in to your WordPress dashboard and go to Appearance > Themes.
- At the top of the page, click the button “Add New.”
- Just below the headline, you will see a link that says “Upload” – click that.
- Click “Choose File” and find the file from your local machine and then click the “Install Now” button.
- When WordPress is finished installing click “activate” or you can “live preview” your website with the new theme before activating.
- Once activated your new theme will be the default theme. Further changes can be made by returning to Appearance > Themes as necessary.
Installing With an FTP Client
- Download the theme zip file to your local machine and unzip it. You will see a theme folder labeled “basic-church-theme” or possibly something else if you’re unzipping another theme.
- Log onto your server through an FTP client, and find your site’s wp-content/themes directory. You will want to transfer the entire theme folder to that directory. If you are using a child theme, you will need to transfer both the “basic-church-theme” theme folder as well as the child theme folder to that directory.
- Log in to your WordPress dashboard, and go to Appearance > Themes. There you will see screenshots of the themes that are available for you to use. Click on the theme title (or theme screenshot) for the theme you wish to activate. A preview of the theme will be shown, and then you can click the Activate link in the top right of the preview window. If you wish to use a child theme, make sure you activate the child theme, and not the parent theme.
