After you've chosen your theme, there are several ways to install a theme in WordPress.
Use the DIY free default theme
As of this writing, the default theme that appears when you first install WordPress is called TwentyEleven. It's a great theme to begin with if you want to use a free theme. As I mentioned previously, I recommend you create a child theme for it. Here is the link again to the tour of TwentyEleven.
(WordPress.org has recently released their Twenty Twelve theme which looks promising as well. See the section at the bottom of this post called "Installing free themes via your Dashboard" for more.)
How to install it? You don't have to install it as it's already installed for you! Nice.
Use a DIY paid-for theme
The theme I use for all my sites is called Genesis. If you are new to Genesis, I highly recommend you start with the Prose child theme. Check out my two posts on installing and setting up Prose here. My Genesis Theme Resource Page for more posts about Genesis and a whole host of additional resources for Genesis.
Update: I know it's a bit late, but I just found Elegant Themes (love!). It's also a great option. Read my take here.
Using your Dashboard to install themes
TwentyEleven and Genesis are absolutely not the only themes available. There are literally thousands of themes to choose from. Some you can download online and upload via your Dashboard. Others you can install directly via your Dashboard. So, if you prefer to use a theme other than the ones suggested above, the process is pretty straightforward.
Installing a downloaded theme via your Dashboard:
Once you are logged into your Dashboard (yourdomain.com/wp-login.php)…
- Go to "Appearance" in the left column.
- Click "Themes."
- Click the "Install Themes" tab at the top of the page.
- Click "Upload."
- Choose the zipped file (it must be zipped) from your computer and click the "Install Now" button.
Once that's done, you will be asked if you would like to Activate your new theme. (If you are not given that option, you can always go to Appearance –> Themes –> and click "Activate" below the theme you'd like to be live on your site.)
Note: You can also install themes via FTP. You might want to do this if you find a downloadable theme online that is not available in the themes directory, or if your file is unzipped already. Simply unzip it (if it's not already a regular file) and then drag and drop it in wp-content –> themes using this tutorial which explains how to use FTP.
Installing free themes via your Dashboard
Personally, if you want to use a free theme, I recommend using TwentyEleven as described above. Another good bet is the Twenty Twelve theme that was recently released by the WordPress.org team. (Here's the announcement of its release on the WP blog which gives you some info. For me, the coolest thing about this one is the mobile-responsiveness of it!) You can install Twenty Twelve on your site by searching for "Twenty Twelve" (see instructions below).
But these are not the only free themes available. There are a lot more themes written by people in the WordPress community that are available as well.
The reason I caution using free themes (not written by WordPress themselves) is because many theme creators have rudimentary coding skills which can lead to problems on your blog. That's not to say all free themes are bad choices, it's just that you need to be careful.
It's fun to browse the theme directory. Here's how you would install a theme if you find one you like:
Once you are logged into your Dashboard (yourdomain.com/wp-login.php)
- Go to "Appearance" in the left column.
- Click "Themes."
- Click the "Install Themes" tab at the top of the page.
- Search for themes via the links at the top of the page (Search, Featured, Newest, Recently Updated).
- You also can search for themes by name (like Twenty Twelve) or by selecting the specifications you are looking for via the checkboxes.
Your search should return page(s) full of themes:
Click on the screenshot of any of the themes to get more details and a demo. Review the tips below. When you find one you like, simply click on "Install" and then you'll be able to activate it.
Tips to remember when searching for free themes:
- If you find a theme via your Dashboard, I highly recommend you check out the theme in the WordPress Themes Directory (just search the theme name). You'll get a lot more information about the theme here.
- Choose a theme that has been updated recently.
- Make sure the theme is highly rated (4-5 stars is my preference).
- Sometimes the reviews are really informative so I recommend reading them.
- In general, the simpler the design the better since there are fewer elements you have to deal with (like images etc.) for customization and there are fewer elements to go buggy.
Other posts in this series
- How to Start a Blog or Website: Intro & FAQ
- How to Start a Blog or Website: Cheat Sheet
- How to Find (or Refind) Your Passion
- How to Decide What to Blog About: What Works for Readers?
- How to Decide What to Blog About: What Works for You?
- Understand Branding: 4 Tips
- Understand Keywords: Increase the Odds of Getting Found
- Writing Great Content: 3 Tips
- How to Write a Killer About Page
- 12 Blog Organization Tips
- How to Choose a Domain Name: 12 Tips
- How to Register a Domain Name
- How to Set Up Hosting and WordPress
- How to Change Your Nameservers
- How to Add a New User in WordPress
- How to Optimize Your WordPress Settings
- How to Install a Plugin
- My Favorite Plugins
- How to Get & Optimize a Feedburner Feed
- How to Choose a WordPress Theme
- How to Install a WordPress Theme
- Elegant Themes for WordPress
- How to Install Google Analytics
- How to Use WordPress: Tips & Tricks
- How to Start a Blog or Website: 10 Tips for New Bloggers
Very helpful blog! I am so happy I found you through WFMW!
I found you through a wordpress designer site, and was surprised as I recognized you from your personal blog. I, too, am an ex-pastor's wife. Anyhoo, as an FYI– my host is 1and1 and the only way to install themes with them is to actually do a google search for atahualpa and download it, then unzip the file, and use Filezilla (or other FTP client) to put it directly into wp-content-themes. Then go to the dashboard and activate it. Just to save anyone with 1and1 the frustration…
Amy – I am just starting to set up a wordpress site and am keen to get it right from the start
Will Atahualpa give me all the flexibility I need to monetise and share info via the blog and podcasts or should I look at Thesis or similar? Thanks for your amazing help through your blog and emails! I am currently working through your "steps".
Blessings
Jenni
I think Atahualpa can definitely do what you want it to do. And themes can be switched out pretty easily, so keep that in mind too. While Thesis is an outstanding theme and one many, many people love (and I would recommend as well), I've just always been on a mission to go with free.
Amy,
Just want to thank you for your blog. It has been a God send for me. I have been trying to make some changes to my website for the last year. I have spent many hours working on 2 features that I just wasn't able to make happen. Within days of transferring to Blue Host, I was able to do both of them with WordPress. I haven't published the site yet, but I can't wait to do so! Thanks so much!!!
Yay!
Thank you for your great website! My husband and I have been in full-time ministry for 3 years, but he was laid off 6 months ago when money got tight. He's been substitute teaching since then. I'm trying to make some money from home so I can stay with our 2 babies. I really appreciate that you never "skip" steps, but cover everything. Thanks!
Hi Amy! Thanks so much for posting all of this helpful information. I have been struggling to learn some things in a bit of a hurry as I am already publishing, and you have been a fantastic resource. I, too, appreciate that you don't "skip" steps assuming that we know exactly what you're talking about. An unfamiliar term can scare me pretty easily and it is so nice to be able to follow you
I'm glad it's helpful and I think learning as you go is about the best way to do things — it's my standard operating procedure.
Hi Amy,
I am trying to set up a blog via your instructions but I am encountering some issues. I think I have the most recent version of WordPress and the the instructions for setting up a theme aren't conducive to the new version. Any advice?
WordPress comes with a default theme, TwentyTen, which is a very nice, clean theme. If you are having trouble using Atahualpa and prefer a free theme, I would go with TwentyTen which is already installed and activated on your blog. (If you prefer a paid-for theme which will give you more flexibility, I recommend Genesis (affiliate link). I'm working on tutorials for Genesis as we speak!)
Hello! I just read through your new post on installing a child theme for TwentyTen. You mention that Atahualpa already has a child theme available. How do you install that and use it? I need to update to the new version of Atahualpa, however have been holding off since I would need to redo some of my formatting. Once I can figure out how to use the child theme then I can easily do that update (and any future ones!). Thanks for all the help you give!
I think I probably misspoke. Atahualpa doesn't have a separate child theme. You can make design changes in the Design Options window (under Appearance). I would just backup all your theme files (by sliding the "Atahualpa" folder from your server to your computer via FTP) in case you need to revert back. And then go ahead and update the theme. Once it's updated you can make the changes necessary in your design options. Not sure if that helps…?
Hey Amy! Yes, that did help. Thanks for your response! We just completed it with no problem whatsoever, and we also did another fix to the coding since there was a bug causing some spacing issues. And, yes..I know, you responded to me over a month ago! We just found time to sit down together to do the update! I think we need a book on time management, I hear there's a great ebook out there I could read!
Also…what plug in are you using for your new social sharing buttons on the sidebar? I like it!
Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Willa
Way to go, Willa! The plugin is the Sharebar.
Amy, I think you have kind of answered my questions, but I want to be clear. I have been up and blogging now for a couple of months. I followed all of your directions to get that far. I think I've kind of topped out now on what I'm able to do myself. Currently, Atahualpa is indicating that there is an update. As I understand it, I will lose/change any formatting that I've done when I update, so I've just avoided doing it. Here's my questions: 1) can I continue to ignore the update? 2) Is your link above (about "sliding the Atahualpa folder from your server to your computer via FTP") the answer to how to protect the changes I've made while I update the theme? 3) What happens if I change themes altogether? It seems, from your comments above, that I could switch to the Twenty-Ten theme, but won't I eventually have an update with that theme as well? I know the blog needs more help, but, as I said, I think I've done about all I can technically speaking. Thanks again for all your help. I appreciate any further clarification on the above questions.
Hi Michelle, regarding updating, you might be OK for a while, but keeping things updated is always a good idea to avoid glitches. The main thing you would want to keep from your Atahualpa folder is your stylesheet (not the whole folder). You could definitely switch to a new theme if you'd like. I would go with Twenty Eleven (as opposed to Twenty Ten) since it's newer. If you do, make sure you create a child theme for it because yes, there will always be upgrades but a child theme allows this without a problem.
Well, after delaying for a long time, I finally got up the nerve to make the Atahualpa updates. It appears to have worked out fine, and I think that I was expecting the update to change things like widgets and plug-ins, but I must have been mistaken in my thinking. I understand very little about CSS, so I have not done much with that, so the update was really no big deal for me. I have 2 questions though: 1) I moved the Atahualpa folder (the whole thing because there were 3 files that said something about css and style, so I wasn't sure exactly which one to do by itself). I slid them into a new file folder under my documents on my hard drive. Now that I have done the update without any issues, what do I do with those files/folder that I moved? Can I take them back out of my hard drive folder or just delete them? Were they copies or did it actually move the whole original folder? It seemed to be quite a bit of memory, so I didn't think I should leave it there. 2) If Atahualpa does not have a child theme, then I can go ahead and create one according to your tutorial, right? I'm sorry if this seems redundant, but I'm reading information from you in a couple of different places, so I'm just trying to put it together. I'm going to try to create a child-theme under Atahualpa, and I'll just see what happens!
I'm not sure I'm following Question #1. Was this a backup of your files? I always recommend keeping a backup of the newest version (and older if you think you'll ever need it). If your site is working as expected, I don't think you moved the actually folder.
As for Question 2, I have not made a child theme for Atahualpa but I imagine it would work similarly. Let me know how it goes!
I installed this to my computer, but it would not let me install through my wordpress account. Help!
Make sure you are installing the zip version if you're installing via your Dashboard.
Which program do you use to do your videos like that? I can't watch it until I get home to a real computer but I had a free trial and LOVED doing the videos… but the full one was like $300!
I wrote about it here.
Amy, I'm new to all this, so I thank you in advance for your free tips! When I go into my site on explorer, it's the bluehost 'blue" for 2012. Then I did what you said to change themes on WP and nothing happened? What am I doing wrong? My husband who is an Computer analyst didn't know what I did wrong….he's just proud that I'm finally learning how to speak computer language ( a little bit). Please help!
Have you registered a domain name and pointed the name to your host? Could be that the two are not talking to each other yet. You might need to change your nameservers. (Don't worry, you can do this!!)
Amy couldn't we use wordpress theme in blogspot.com. If yes HOW ?
No, unfortunately not.
I don't see an add new theme option? when I am in my dashboard.
Hi Amy – I have Innov8tive on top of Genesis. I recently made the switch to WP – about weeks ago. What I don't know how to do is change the way my recent posts LOOK on the screen. They're supposed to be 3 across in a column, but one of mine is getting pushed down below the other two and it's making my page look all wonky. I spent over an hour in the dashboard last night trying to figure out how to fix it, but can't figure it out. Any suggestions?
My guess is that you probably have an image in one of the columns that exceeds the width of that column. I would remove anything I have in there and see if that makes a difference.
Hi Amy,
Thanks so much for posting all of this helpful information.You have shared such a useful post,keep sharing great posts.
You're welcome!
Recently I started learning wordpress dashboard controls and it is amazing how easy it is to post and create new pages within web site. I'v been blogging about first aid and health issues but just learned new tip from Amy about free themes plug-ins. Thank you
Amy
I am thinking about changing my savehislife.com theme from Twenty Eleven to Genesis – Prose. What will happen to the existing blogs, posts, etc when I change? Also, I am getting hit with foreign spam every day. What to do? Thanks, Don
If it's just theme you are changing, nothing should happen to your posts, comments, etc. It's quite simple. Just install your theme under Appearance –> Add New. Once you do, you'll see your Twenty Eleven theme there under Themes as well as your Genesis and Prose themes. Simply activate the Prose theme when you're ready (you can preview it beforehand too).
Regarding spam, I recommend the G.A.S.P. plugin (and Akismet if needed, at the same time).
Thanks. On a different topic, my wife has just written a Christian children's book "Land of Nede" about a bird kingdom. The book will be sold on her website: Storytimecookiemold.com. The book will be illustrated by using porcelain "cookie molds" she created of all the characters. Do you have an interest in reviewing the book and perhaps promoting it on your website? I believe I read somewhere on one of your posts about selling for others for 50% of the sale price. We are setting the initial price at $4.90. My wife taught for many years at Christian schools and has home schooled. Let me know. God bless, Don
Amy – thanks for this great tutorial. I'm in the process of setting up my Word Press blog and then I plan to move much of the content from my Blogger account to Word Press. I love your writing style and videos. Thanks so much!
You're welcome, Monica! Glad you stopped by.
Amy – I sent a note to elegant themes… I'm looking for a theme that uses an image to coincide with the labels instead of the blog posts. Elegant says they do not have a theme that does that. Do you know of a theme that does that? Or a way for me to find one?
Thanks!
Monica
Hi Monica, did you check StudioPress (Genesis)? You might check this page (aff) and then choose "Ecommerce" from the Theme Category dropdown.
I looked in the themes section and it is not showing an install themes tab only the manage themes tab.
Found your blog looking for some good info on WordPress! Love it!
Thanks for stopping by!
Hello Amy, Your blog has been so amazing for me! I am starting up my nurse/mommy blog and I have to say I would never have had the guts to do it without all the help you provide! I am not a tech person so this is all a bit overwhelming and intimidating.
THANK YOU!
Heather:)
Yay! So glad to hear it, Heather.
Congrats.
This is so instructive – what a useful post! Installing the theme is really the first technical hurdle, and perhaps the first point at which a would-be blogger loses heart and wonders if it's beyond them, so this post is incredibly valuable.
I've even linked to it via blogbods – it's the sort of content the newbie bloggers there love. I think your point about choosing a simple theme if opting for a free theme is a good one, and not one I'd heard before. I guess the other point to make is that some themes have all sorts of weird stuff written in the codes, in order to generate traffic to their site – but I'm not sure, without being a coder, how people can protect themselves against that?
I'm a fan of going with WordPress's default theme or a reputable company like StudioPress for that reason.