How to Change WordPress Theme via cPanel

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Ognjen Velickovic

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Beginners | WordPress

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Last updated Oct 13, 2024

Introduction

Changing your WordPress theme is a great way to give your website a new look, boost its speed, or make it more SEO-friendly. Most people change themes through the WordPress dashboard, but sometimes you need to use cPanel. This can be helpful if you can’t access your WordPress admin due to theme issues.

In this guide, we’ll show you how to change WordPress theme via cPanel, step by step. By following these instructions, you can make sure your website stays fast, functional, and looking good.
TABLE OF CONTENTS 
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Why Change Your WordPress Theme?

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Preparing to Change WordPress Theme via cPanel

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How to Access cPanel to Change Your WordPress Theme

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Step-by-Step Guide to Changing Your WordPress Theme

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Post-Theme Change Checklist

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Best Practices for Changing WordPress Themes Safely

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Conclusion

Why Change Your WordPress Theme?

Before diving into the technical steps, it’s essential to understand why you might need to change your WordPress theme. A theme is more than just the visual design of your site; it impacts speed, SEO, and mobile responsiveness. Some reasons to consider changing your theme include:

1. Outdated Theme

Themes that haven’t been updated for a while may not work well with the latest WordPress version. This can cause security risks or problems with how your site works. Updated themes help protect your site from hacks and keep it running smoothly.

Change WordPress Theme via cPanel: Outdated Theme

2. Design Refresh

As your business or blog grows, you may want to refresh your website’s look to reflect the brand better. A new theme can offer a modern design that’s more aligned with current web design trends, improving user engagement and overall aesthetic appeal.

3. Improved Performance and Speed

If your current theme has too much extra code or isn’t fast, switching to a lightweight theme can help your site load faster. This improves user experience and can also boost your SEO rankings because Google cares about page speed.
GTMetrix Results

4. Better SEO and Responsiveness

SEO-friendly themes are essential for helping your website rank higher in search engine results. By choosing a theme optimized for search engines, you can ensure that your meta tags, schema markup, and mobile responsiveness are in place. With more people browsing on mobile devices, it’s vital to have a theme that adapts to different screen sizes without sacrificing user experience.

5. Security Concerns

Some older themes may not adhere to the latest security standards, leaving your site vulnerable to attacks. Switching to a newer, more secure theme can help protect your data and ensure that your site remains safe from malware and hacking attempts.

Preparing to Change WordPress Theme via cPanel

Now that you understand the importance of switching themes, let’s move on to the preparation phase. Changing a WordPress theme can affect various aspects of your site, so taking the right precautions is crucial.

1. Backing Up Your Website

Before making any changes, ensure you have a full backup of your site. You can use plugins like UpdraftPlus or BackupBuddy to create backups. This step is vital because it allows you to restore your website if anything goes wrong during the theme change process. Your backup should include the database, files, images, and all customizations.

UpdraftPlus plugin

2. Setting Up a Staging Site

For those who want to avoid making changes to their live site immediately, setting up a staging site is the best option. A staging site is a duplicate version of your website where you can test the new theme without impacting your visitors. Most web hosts offer a staging environment that allows you to switch themes, test compatibility, and preview how the new theme will look and function.

3. SEO and Customizations Considerations

When you change your WordPress theme, some customizations may not carry over, especially if you haven’t used a child theme for your modifications. These customizations could include custom CSS, menu structures, widgets, and settings. Be sure to document these settings or copy any custom code to ensure a smooth transition.

Another important aspect is SEO settings. If your new theme uses a different SEO plugin or structure, make sure your existing SEO metadata, like meta descriptions, alt tags, and title tags, are preserved. Plugins like Yoast SEO or RankMath can help you manage these changes.

How to Access cPanel to Change Your WordPress Theme

cPanel is a web hosting control panel that allows you to manage your website’s files, databases, and settings. Most major web hosting companies in the USA offer cPanel access. Here’s how to begin:

Logging in to cPanel

To access cPanel, you will need to log in using the credentials provided by your hosting provider. If you’re unsure where to find the login details, check your email or hosting dashboard. Once logged in, you will see the main cPanel interface, which offers a variety of tools for managing your website.

Open your web browser and type yourdomain.com/cpanel into the address bar, replacing ‘yourdomain.com’ with your actual domain name.

Navigating to File Manager

In the cPanel dashboard, locate File Manager. This is where all of your website’s files are stored, and it’s the primary tool you’ll use to upload and change your WordPress theme. Navigate to public_html > wp-content > themes. This folder contains all the themes currently installed on your site.

File Manager - cpanel

Step-by-Step Guide to Changing Your WordPress Theme via cPanel

Now that you’re in the cPanel File Manager, let’s dive into the process of changing your theme:

Accessing the Theme Directory

  • In the File Manager, find the public_html folder, where your website files are stored.
public folder
  • Navigate to wp-content > themes to see the list of themes currently installed on your website.
Change WordPress Theme via cPanel: wp-content folder

Uploading a New Theme

  • If you’ve downloaded a theme from an external source, upload it here by clicking Upload and selecting the theme’s .zip file from your computer.
  • Once uploaded, unzip the file in the theme directory.

Activating the Theme in WordPress Dashboard

To activate the new theme:
  • Log in to your WordPress dashboard (if accessible).
  • Go to Appearance > Themes.
  • The newly uploaded theme should appear here. Click Activate to apply it.

If your WordPress admin is not accessible due to theme conflicts, you can manually change the theme by editing the wp-config.php file and specifying the theme’s folder name.

Troubleshooting Common Errors

If you encounter any errors, such as a white screen of death, check for:

  • Plugin conflicts: Deactivate all plugins and check if the theme works.
  • PHP compatibility issues: Ensure that your theme is compatible with your hosting server’s PHP version.

Post-Theme Change Checklist

After changing your theme, it’s essential to run through a checklist to ensure everything is functioning as expected:

1. Check for Broken Links and Images

Test your site’s functionality, including links, images, and any interactive elements, to ensure nothing is broken.
2. Mobile Responsiveness Testing

With more users browsing on mobile, ensure that your new theme is responsive across different devices and screen sizes. Tools like Lighthouse can help you verify this.

3. Plugin Compatibility

Some themes may not be compatible with certain plugins. After activating the new theme, review your installed plugins and ensure they are working as intended.

4. Update SEO Settings

Ensure that your site’s SEO structure is still intact after the switch. If necessary, reapply SEO settings or configure your new theme’s built-in SEO options.

5. Clear Cache

To ensure the new theme displays correctly, clear your website and browser cache. This can prevent visitors from seeing old, cached versions of your site.

Best Practices for Changing WordPress Themes Safely

Create a Child Theme

If you’re planning to make customizations, always use a child theme. This prevents your changes from being overwritten when the parent theme is updated.

Use Lightweight Themes

When selecting a new theme, opt for lightweight themes that are optimized for speed and SEO. This can significantly enhance your site’s performance, especially for mobile users.

Backup Regularly

Even after the theme change, continue to take regular backups of your site. This ensures that you can always roll back to a previous version if something goes wrong.

Use a Staging Site

If you change themes or make big updates often, use a staging site. This lets you test changes before they go live on your main website.

Conclusion

Changing your WordPress theme using cPanel might seem tricky, but it’s a great way to update your site’s look and fix problems. By following the steps in this guide, you can safely switch themes and make sure everything works well. Remember to back up your site and test everything before making the change to avoid issues.
With the right approach, you can give your website a fresh look and improve its performance without any hassle.

Ognjen Velickovic

Hi, I’m Ognjen! With a focus on web development and project management, I’m driven by a passion for helping people reach their goals. I thrive on building solutions, growing through new knowledge and partnerships, and expanding by sharing what we create with a broader audience.

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