How to Install a WordPress Theme and Activate it

WordPress is a great content management software that allows you to share your passions, products, business and dreams with the world. WordPress is one of the most popular CMS systems and that means there is a lot of themes and templates. However, they are not all built the same. WordPress themes can vary in cost, quality and features. Choosing the right WordPress theme can make your life as a Webmaster, business man or blogger a lot easier and can help you manage your site more effectively. We recommend using our Branching Software Theme that can be installed on any of our hosted website plans because of its customization and the features it provides.

Once you have chosen a theme you will need to install your new WordPress theme and activate it. There are many different ways to install a theme and they generally depend on where your theme was purchased. Most of the time your WordPress theme will download as a zip file that needs to be installed manually. In this article we will go over the steps on:

  • How to install a WordPress theme with a zip file
  • How to install a WordPress theme from the WordPress dashboard and theme marketplace.

We will start by showing you how to install a WordPress theme from your WordPress admin dashboard and Backend.

How to install a WordPress theme from the WordPress dashboard and theme marketplace.

WordPress has a really great marketplace that is connected to the wordpress backend. It allows you to search for and preview different WordPress themes. The below instructions will help you install a theme from this backend dashboard.
Appearance_theme
Total Time Needed: 10 minutes

Required Tools:

- A Computer.
- Internet Connection.

Things Needed?

- A WordPress Website.
- WordPress Admin Login Credentials

Steps to install a WordPress theme on the Dashboard

Step 1 : Login to WordPress as an Admin
You will want to login to WordPress with an account that has admin privileges. You can find the WordPress admin login page at the following url: yourdomain.com/wp-admin.php Once logged in navigate to the dashboard section with the toolbar on the left side.
Step 2 : Navigate to The Themes page.
On the left toolbar you will see items such as posts, pages, Appearance and Plugins. Hover your mouse over the Appearance option which will open a submenu. click on Themes and this will open the page where you can see and manage your current themes. WordPress requires at least one Theme and has a default year theme that is installed automaticall
URL example for themes page: yourdomain.com/wp-admin/themes.php
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Step 3 : Search and Add new theme
Now that you are on the themes page you can add a new theme. Click the add new button in the upper left corner on the theme page. This will open up a new page with thousands of available themes. You can use the search bar to find specific themes or browse the available themes. When you want to preview a WordPress theme you can hover over the image and select live preview and alter some options to see what you can do.
Step 4 : Click Activate and Publish
Once you have found the perfect theme click Activate and Publish. You have now successfully added your first wordpress theme. It is that simple to add one from the admin marketplace. However, most of these are free and may not be as good as a paid version so keep reading to learn how to install a WordPress theme using a zip file.
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As you can see installing a WordPress theme from the Admin dashboard is very simple and straight forward. It contains hundreds of themes to choose from. However, you may come across a them that cannot be downloaded from the WordPress marketplace. So, the following will show you how to install a WordPress theme manually with a zip file.

How to install a WordPress theme manually with a zip file

If you have followed the above how to install a wordpress theme from the market place than we may cover a few of the same things for those who havent. A lot of themes you buy online, from a developer, company or marketplace are sent to you as a zip file. Luckily, wordpress has created and easy way to install WordPress plugins and themes using zip files. Follow the instructions below to manually install your theme from a zip file.
Image displaying the branching software wordpress theme page. This page is where you would go to add a new wordpress theme or update and existing wordpress theme.
Total Time Needed: 10 minutes

Required Tools:

- A Computer.
- Internet Connection.

Things Needed?

- A WordPress Website.
- WordPress Admin Login Credentials
- Downloaded .zip file of your theme

Steps to install a WordPress theme on the Dashboard

Step 1 : Login to WordPress as an Admin
You will want to login to WordPress with an account that has admin privileges. You can find the WordPress admin login page at the following url: yourdomain.com/wp-admin.php Once logged in navigate to the dashboard section with the toolbar on the left side.
Step 2 : Navigate to The Themes page.
On the left toolbar you will see items such as posts, pages, Appearance and Plugins. Hover your mouse over the Appearance option which will open a submenu. click on Themes and this will open the page where you can see and manage your current themes. WordPress requires at least one Theme and has a default year theme that is installed automaticall
URL example for themes page: yourdomain.com/wp-admin/themes.php
File_selection
Step 3 : Download zip file and Upload theme
Now that you navigated to the themes page you can upload a theme from a zip file. Download your file to a known location that you can find easily. Click the upload theme button in the upper left corner where the add new button used to be. This will reveal a hidden section where you can drag and drop your zip file or search your computers files. Drag your file over the choose file button and release or select your file using the search window. Once you have selected your file click install now. It will then show the installation process and tell you when it is completed.
Step 4 : Click Activate and Publish
Once the installer has completed you can navigate to the theme page again and then click activate. This will activate your new theme and now you are ready to start creating your content on your WordPress installation.
Activate_preview_new_theme

In conclusion, installing and activating a WordPress theme is pretty straight forward and can be done relatively quickly. I hope this helps you with your next WordPress project. Creating your website can be difficult so don’t go at it alone we can help you design and build your website in a matter of hours or days and get you online before you know it. Check out our Branching Software Portfolio or register today.

Generally they can be installed using the above steps. The only thing that may change between each of the above hosting options is how you install WordPress onto your server. The above instructions work for WordPress installations that have already been installed on your server. Your hosting provider does not matter when installing a theme to an active WordPress installation.

WordPress: How to Login As Admin

So to get started WordPress by default requires you to create an admin username and password upon installation that will allow you to access your wordpress admin options. Your login for wordpress admin should be kept safe and protected as anyone with access to it can alter your entire website. Being able to login to your website as a wordpress admin is key in managing your website.
wordpress support, cms, content management system
Total Time Needed: 2 minutes

Required Tools:

- A Computer.
- Internet Connection.

Things Needed?

- A WordPress Website.
- WordPress Admin Login and Password

4 Steps to login to wordpress admin backend

Step 1 : Navigate to WordPress Admin Login Page
WordPress has a login page for wordpress admins and backend users. This page does not automatically appear in most cases and you will need to know the correct Url in order to login to the backend. Some sites like branching software have changed this default url but if you are using a fresh installation you will need to enter yourdomain.com/wp-admin.php into your favorite web browser. This will take you to the following wordpress login page where you can enter your username and password.

Login at yourdomain.com/wp-admin.php
Image Showing Branching Software Login Screen with Branching Software Logo, WordPress username and password box. This image also displays a forgot a password button
Step 2 : Enter WordPress Admin username and password
Just like on any other login page enter the correct login information for your site admin and click login. This should log you in as an admistrator that has access to create new users, add themes, wordpress plugins and alter anything on the website.
registration, login, keyboard
Step 3: Share your passion with the world
Now that you are able to login to your wordpress website as and administrator you can share your passion with the world on your very own website. Managing a website can be time consuming and at times difficult so please feel free to contact us or sign up for one of our WordPress support and maintenance services.
cms, wordpress, content management system

Your in luck! You can create one here withing minutes. Register for a wordpress site today! A worpress website is absolutely necessary to follow this how to login to the wordpress admin dashboard and we can get you online in minutes to share your story, passion and business.

Luckily the login page can also use your email to login to wordpress admin. However if you forgot your username, email and password our expert support engineers can help you recover your wordpress site. Check out our Support Services.

Yes we provide great WordPress support and Maintenance Services. You can learn more by clicking here. We also design, build and host websites for an affordable price that even you couldn't turn down. Contact us Today

We recommend our Branching Software theme. It is customizable, easy to use and comes with 100's of premade templates that you can use right away. Contact us or Register for one of our hosted sites with our theme already installed. If you are interested in the best free WordPress theme we would recommend the Astra theme that can be installed from the theme marketplace.