How to Change a WordPress Theme

Last updated: February 8, 2026Reviewed date: February 8, 2026Reading time: 10 min read
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You have a WordPress website with a theme you’ve used for a while. It’s served you well, but it’s time to make a change. Maybe you want a fresh design or to add new functionality and features to your site. Whatever the reason, you want...

For severe symptoms, danger signs, pregnancy, child illness, or sudden worsening, seek urgent medical care.

বাংলা রোগী নোট এখনো যোগ করা হয়নি। পোস্ট এডিটরে “RX Bangla Patient Mode” বক্স থেকে সহজ বাংলা সারাংশ যোগ করুন।

এই তথ্য শিক্ষা ও সচেতনতার জন্য। এটি ডাক্তারি পরীক্ষা, রোগ নির্ণয় বা প্রেসক্রিপশনের বিকল্প নয়।

Article Summary

You have a WordPress website with a theme you’ve used for a while. It’s served you well, but it’s time to make a change. Maybe you want a fresh design or to add new functionality and features to your site. Whatever the reason, you want to change WordPress themes with care. If you just hit “Activate,” you could potentially have problems because your old theme...

Key Takeaways

  • This article explains What is a theme? in simple medical language.
  • This article explains What to do before changing your theme in simple medical language.
  • This article explains How to change your WordPress theme in simple medical language.
  • This article explains What to do after changing your WordPress theme in simple medical language.
Educational health guideWritten for patient understanding and clinical awareness.
Reviewed content workflowUse writer and reviewer profiles for stronger trust.
Emergency safety firstUrgent warning signs are highlighted below.

Seek urgent medical care if you notice

These warning signs are general safety guidance. Local emergency numbers and clinical judgment should always come first.

  • Severe symptoms, breathing difficulty, fainting, confusion, or rapidly worsening illness.
  • New weakness, severe pain, high fever, or symptoms after a serious injury.
  • Any symptom that feels urgent, unusual, or unsafe for the patient.
1

Emergency now

Use emergency care for severe, sudden, rapidly worsening, or life-threatening symptoms.

2

See a doctor

Book a professional medical evaluation if symptoms persist, worsen, recur often, affect daily activities, or occur in a high-risk patient.

3

Learn safely

Use this article to understand possible causes, tests, treatment options, prevention, and questions to ask your clinician.

You have a WordPress website with a theme you’ve used for a while. It’s served you well, but it’s time to make a change. Maybe you want a fresh design or to add new functionality and features to your site.

Whatever the reason, you want to change WordPress themes with care. If you just hit “Activate,” you could potentially have problems because your old theme is so integrated into your current site’s functionality, some changes could cause problems in how the new one works and appears.

Fortunately, you can avoid these pitfalls by taking the right precautions with your theme in WordPress. Here are some things to know to make the transition smooth and successful:

What is a theme?

A WordPress theme is a visual template used to create a new look for your WordPress website. It can also add new functionality. A template in WordPress customizes the layout of your website and how it looks—everything from how many columns you have to what kinds of color schemes and fonts you use.

So, not only are there a variety of WordPress themes to choose from, available through WordPress.org, but there are also different ways you can customize each one, whether it’s choosing a specific color and background, adding widgets, or creating a special header image.‍

What to do before changing your theme

When looking at how to change your current theme in WordPress, consider taking the approach of an experienced carpenter who “measures twice and cuts once.” Similarly, take a lot of care at the front end of your WordPress project to avoid problems down the road where you may need to make changes when they might be harder to do.

Doing the following prep work can help reduce the chances of losing data or web traffic.

Also, keep in mind some of your existing theme-specific content might not make the journey when changing WordPress themes. Potential no-shows include:

  • Custom widgets: Sometimes, themes come with custom widgets, which may stop working when you change themes.
  • Theme-specific shortcodes: A shortcode that comes packaged with a theme (as opposed to a standalone plugin) may stop working when you adopt a new theme.
  • Homepages with special themes: Some themes come with special homepage sections that do their stuff outside the normal WordPress system, and so your customized homepage may disappear when making a theme switch.

Look for a theme with features that make sense for your industry/niche

When looking for an appropriate theme, it’s good to be strategic and mindful of your brand. How well does the theme work with your existing visual identity? The colors and messaging of a theme are much different for a cheeky, upstart tech company than an established law firm embracing safe, solid colors like purple or gray.

Besides complementing the content and visuals of your site, is the WordPress theme easy to navigate and customize? Is it technically responsive to different viewing modes, including mobile devices and laptop or desktop computers?

Every industry and niche has different requirements, so it’s difficult to come up with a list that covers everything, but common deliverables to consider include:

Compatibility with all browsers

Not only will customers and potential customers experience your WordPress site on different devices, but they’ll also do so on different web browsers, which may change how your site looks and performs. So, test your site on different browsers, including Google Chrome, Firefox, and Safari.

Plugin support

Some themes are designed to work well with certain plugins, which may mean that other plugins won’t work as well, if at all. So, it’s essential to find out whether the plugins you rely on are supported by a certain WordPress theme. Plugins can cover everything from social sharing and e-commerce functionality to contact forms and advanced SEO, so it’s important to get this right.

Page builder integration

Different page builders make it easy to fine-tune and perfect your WordPress layout, so having one that’s compatible with your selected theme is important. WordPress page builders enable you to create, edit, and customize your site layout without knowing any code.

Back up your site

While taking the correct steps in changing your WordPress theme can help safeguard you from problems, accidents sometimes happen. So, it’s wise to either back up essential information—such as posts, images, plugins, and databases—or back up your whole site with a WordPress tool like UpdraftPlus.

Copy all necessary codes

In some cases, WordPress users put analytic tracking codes directly into their theme files. (Some WordPress themes also have settings panels that enable you to add AdSense or Analytics code.)

So, be sure to copy all your old tracking codes so you can add them to the new theme. There are also plugins you can add to install Google Analytics; other codes can be used in installed themes with different header and footer plugins.

Copy all snippets

Some web developers will customize themes by adding code snippets directly to the functions.php file. If this has been done with your old WordPress site, copy these snippets so that you can add the functionality to your new theme as needed. Just ensure that you record any custom changes you’ve made, including ones in cascading stylesheets (CSS).

Also, sidebars are used for adding different widgets, such as ones for social links, advertisements, and subscription forms. If you have any custom code in a widget, copy and paste this code on your computer so that you can use it again in your new theme.

Keep your site on maintenance mode

Usually, when you do minor tweaks to your WordPress site—such as publishing new content or updating plugins—you can do so without shutting it down and having downtime. However, if you’re going to perform a larger operation, like changing your WordPress theme, it’s a good idea to put it into maintenance mode.

Rather than coming to a broken site, visitors see a user-friendly notice that certain pages or the site are being updated, perhaps giving a time frame for when the work will be done and maybe giving some alternative links to visit in the meantime.

How to change your WordPress theme

The actual process of changing your website theme isn’t that difficult. Here’s the step-by-step process if you want to do it yourself.

Prefer enlisting the help of a WordPress developer instead? Learn how to write a job description that attracts the best talent on Upwork.

Step 1: Set up a staging copy of your website

By setting up a staging copy of your WordPress site, you can do all your work and testing without anyone else seeing it or without the fear of breaking something on your live site. If you really make a mess of things, you can always start over again without any kind of repercussions.

Many WordPress hosting platforms offer staging site functionality as one of their services. You can see what happens to your content after you change themes, repair any problems, and then go live when you’re all ready. Take Bluehost, for example. They offer a one-click staging page.

Step 2: Go to the Themes section

You can begin researching themes from the “My Sites” section of WordPress and click select “Appearance” and then “Themes.” There are free themes, while some come at a cost—premium themes can also be bought elsewhere. You can add new themes from an existing WordPress template or upload themes you acquired elsewhere.

If you’re looking through the WordPress selection of themes, you can search for them by the type of website you’re building or by feature, layout, columns, subject, and style. You can also review the demos to get some insight into how the theme works.

Step 3: Install your new theme

It’s easy to install a WordPress theme. Login to your WordPress admin panel and go to the Themes page under “Appearance.” On top of the Themes page, click on the “Add New” link.

This link will take you to the “Add New Theme” page, where you can look for themes to install. Or, if you already have a theme downloaded to your computer as a ZIP file, you can choose WordPress to upload the theme from your computer to your website and install it for you. Then, you’ll have the choice to do a live preview or activate the site.‍

Step 4: Preview new theme with WordPress customizer

Once you have a theme selected, you can click “Customize,” loading any existing content into that theme so you can play around with how your website will look and work before it goes live. You can customize theme-specific things like colors, background, fonts, images, and content. You can also add theme options, such as logos, taglines, and footers, as well as widgets, menus, headers, and more.

You can also preview what your new theme with its changes will look like by clicking on the “Change” button next to the Active theme section.‍

Step 5: Activate your theme

When you’re ready to go, click on the Activate button, making the theme live on your website. Before you go live with an active theme, you have the choice of previewing the site to ensure everything looks and works as it should. For premium themes, you’ll often see an activation link on a confirmation screen after the installation process is complete.

Step 6: Go live with your staging website

If you’ve created a staging version of your website and made sure the theme changes you’ve made are all right, you can push it live, following the directions of your web host—usually just requiring a few clicks to accomplish this.

Just remember, all the content of your old site will be overwritten, so double-check that everything you need has been transferred or keep a backup copy of the old site—including everything in the wp-content file—in case any mistake has been made.‍

What to do after changing your WordPress theme

After you’ve made your site go live with its new WordPress theme, you can’t rest on your laurels yet. While you have taken a lot of care to get things right, it’s a good idea to test several things to make sure everything is operating as it should. These include:‍

Test your site in all different browsers

Cross-browser compatibility is a big issue. Ensure your WordPress theme works properly in all the major browsers (Google Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Internet Explorer), so there are no differences in how it appears or operates. If there are problems, you’ll need to go back in and fix them, perhaps putting the site in maintenance mode again if they’re significant enough.

Add tracking code

At this point, it’s a good idea to add your Google Analytics and AdSense tracking codes to understand the traffic coming to your site and ensure that you’re earning properly for the ads being run through your site pegged to content. There are WordPress plugins that allow you to add Analytics to your site, providing detailed website stats right inside your WordPress dashboard.​​

Monitor loading time

One major reason people ditch a site is because it takes too long to load. Your new WordPress theme site should load faster than the old one. If it doesn’t, it’s back to the drawing board and looking for new ways to optimize things. A good load time would be under two seconds.

Monitor bounce rate

Make sure to monitor your bounce rate after your new site launches. You should aim for a bounce rate of 30% to 40%. If it increases to, say, more than 70%, that may mean your site isn’t user-friendly, and the navigation isn’t working well. You can try to retool how it works, perhaps also adding new content and widgets to capture visitor interest.

Hire a WordPress developer to install the best themes

While you might be able to handle the intricacies involved with changing a WordPress theme yourself, it could make more sense for your small business to hire an experienced WordPress developer through Upwork. They can save you time while providing great technical, SEO, and customization experience (including working with CSS coding).

Patient safety assistant

Check your symptom safely

Hi, I am RX Symptom Navigator. I can help you understand what to read next and what warning signs need care.
Warning: Do not use this in emergencies, pregnancy, severe illness, or as a substitute for a doctor. For children or teens, use with a parent/guardian and clinician.
A rural-friendly guide: warning signs, when to see a doctor, related articles, tests to discuss, and OTC safety education.
1 Symptom 2 Severity 3 Safe guidance
First safety question

Is there chest pain, breathing trouble, fainting, confusion, severe bleeding, stroke-like weakness, severe injury, or pregnancy danger sign?

Choose quickly

Browse by body area
Start here: Write or select a symptom. The guide will show warning signs, doctor guidance, diagnostic tests to discuss, OTC safety education, and related RX articles.

Important: This tool is educational only. It cannot diagnose, treat, or replace a doctor. OTC information is not a prescription. In an emergency, contact local emergency services or go to the nearest hospital.

Doctor visit helper

Prepare before seeing a doctor

A simple rural-patient checklist to help you explain symptoms clearly, ask better questions, and avoid unsafe self-treatment.

Safety note: This is not a prescription or diagnosis. For severe symptoms, pregnancy danger signs, children with serious illness, chest pain, breathing difficulty, stroke-like weakness, or major injury, seek urgent care.

Which doctor may help?

Start with a registered doctor or the nearest qualified health center.

What to tell the doctor

  • Write when the problem started and how it changed.
  • Bring old prescriptions, investigation reports, and current medicines.
  • Write allergies, pregnancy status, diabetes, kidney/liver disease, and major past illnesses.
  • Bring one family member if the patient is weak, elderly, confused, or a child.

Questions to ask

  • What is the most likely cause of my symptoms?
  • Which danger signs mean I should go to hospital quickly?
  • Which tests are necessary now, and which can wait?
  • How should I take medicines safely and what side effects should I watch for?
  • When should I come for follow-up?

Tests to discuss

  • Vital signs: temperature, pulse, blood pressure, oxygen saturation
  • Basic physical examination by a clinician
  • CBC, urine test, blood sugar, or imaging only when clinically needed

Avoid these mistakes

  • Do not use antibiotics, steroid tablets/injections, or strong painkillers without proper medical advice.
  • Do not hide pregnancy, kidney disease, ulcer, allergy, or blood thinner use.
  • Do not delay emergency care when danger signs are present.

Medicine safety and first-aid guide

This section is for patient education only. It does not replace a doctor, pharmacist, or emergency care.

Safe first steps

  • Rest, drink safe water, and observe symptoms carefully.
  • Keep a written note of symptoms, duration, temperature, medicines already taken, and allergy history.
  • Seek medical care quickly if symptoms are severe, worsening, or unusual for the patient.

OTC medicine safety

  • For mild pain or fever, ask a registered pharmacist or doctor before using common over-the-counter pain/fever medicines.
  • Do not combine multiple pain medicines without advice, especially if you have kidney disease, liver disease, stomach ulcer, asthma, pregnancy, or take blood thinners.
  • Do not give adult medicines to children unless a qualified clinician advises it.

Avoid these mistakes

  • Do not start antibiotics without a proper medical decision.
  • Do not use steroid tablets or injections casually for quick relief.
  • Do not delay emergency care because of home remedies.

Get urgent help if

  • Severe symptoms, confusion, fainting, breathing difficulty, chest pain, severe dehydration, or sudden weakness need urgent medical care.
Medicine names, dose, and timing must be decided by a qualified clinician or pharmacist after checking age, pregnancy, allergy, other diseases, and current medicines.

For rural patients and family caregivers

Patient health record and symptom diary

Write your symptoms, medicines already taken, test results, and questions before visiting a doctor. This note stays on your device unless you print or copy it.

Doctor to discuss: Doctor / qualified healthcare provider
Tests to discuss with doctor
  • Basic vital signs: temperature, pulse, blood pressure, oxygen level if needed
  • Relevant blood, urine, imaging, or specialist tests only after clinical assessment
Questions to ask
  • What is the most likely cause of my symptoms?
  • Which warning signs mean I should go to emergency care?
  • Which tests are really needed now?
  • Which medicines are safe for my age, pregnancy status, allergy, kidney/liver/stomach condition, and current medicines?

Emergency warning signs such as chest pain, severe breathing difficulty, sudden weakness, confusion, severe dehydration, major injury, or loss of bladder/bowel control need urgent medical care. Do not wait for online information.

Safe pathway to proper treatment

Patient care roadmap

Use this simple roadmap to understand the next safe steps. It is educational and does not replace examination by a doctor.

Go to emergency care if you notice:
  • Severe or rapidly worsening symptoms
  • Breathing difficulty, chest pain, fainting, confusion, severe weakness, major injury, or severe dehydration
Doctor / service to discuss: Qualified healthcare provider; specialist depends on symptoms and examination.
  1. Step 1

    Check danger signs first

    If danger signs are present, seek emergency care and do not wait for online information.

  2. Step 2

    Record the symptom story

    Write when symptoms started, severity, medicines already taken, allergies, pregnancy status, and test results.

  3. Step 3

    Visit a qualified clinician

    A doctor, nurse, or qualified healthcare provider can examine you and decide which tests or treatment are needed.

  4. Step 4

    Do only useful tests

    Do tests after clinical assessment. Avoid unnecessary tests, random antibiotics, or repeated medicines without diagnosis.

  5. Step 5

    Follow up and return early if worse

    If symptoms worsen, new warning signs appear, or treatment is not helping, return for review quickly.

Rural patient practical tips
  • Take a written symptom diary and all previous prescriptions/test reports.
  • Do not hide medicines already taken, even herbal or over-the-counter medicines.
  • Ask which warning signs mean urgent referral to hospital.

This roadmap is for education. A real diagnosis and treatment plan requires history, examination, and clinical judgment.

RX Patient Help

Ask a health question safely

Write your symptom story. A health professional or site editor can review it before any answer is prepared. This box is not for emergency care.

Emergency first: Severe chest pain, breathing trouble, unconsciousness, stroke signs, severe injury, heavy bleeding, or rapidly worsening symptoms need urgent local medical care now.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this article a replacement for a doctor?

No. It is educational content only. Patients should consult a qualified clinician for diagnosis and treatment.

When should I seek urgent care?

Seek urgent care for severe symptoms, rapidly worsening condition, breathing difficulty, severe pain, neurological changes, or any emergency warning sign.

References

Add references, clinical guidelines, textbooks, journal articles, or trusted medical sources here. You can edit this area from the RX Article Professional Blocks panel.

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