Domain of One's Own: WordPress Themes

WordPress Themes

When it comes to WordPress, customizing the look of your site is simple and straightforward. When you install WordPress, the default (or pre-set) theme is called Twenty Twenty-One (as of WordPress version 5.7). It is a very customizable theme. You can also easily modify the colors of the different fonts and backgrounds used in the theme.

You can find out more about customizing the homepage layout here. You can also read more general information about Twenty Twenty-One.

In addition to Twenty Twenty-One, you’ll have other themes available to you. If Twenty Twenty-One doesn’t meet your needs, you can activate another theme on your site or install a completely new one.

Activating Themes

Start at your WordPress site’s Dashboard.
Navigate to Appearance > Themes in the left-hand menu navigation. You will see “Themes” after mousing over “Appearance.” Click on “Themes.”
You will see thumbnail images representing each of the themes currently installed. Simply mouseover any one of them, and click the Activate link.

That’s all you need to do to change the look of your site with a new theme. Themes can be further customized after activation by going to Appearance > Customize. Customization options will vary with the installed theme.

Installing Themes

If none of the themes that were provided when you installed WordPress are what you’re looking for, you can always search for and install other themes from the WordPress Theme Repository.

Navigate to Appearance > Themes in the left-hand menu navigation. You will see “Themes” after mousing over “Appearance.” Click on “Themes.”
Installing new themes is quite simple. You start by going to the Add New Button.
When you mouse over the thumbnail picture of a theme three choices should appear: Install, Preview, and Details & Preview. Preview lets you see what your content would look like without committing you to installing the theme. Details & Preview does the same, but allows you to see the description of the theme while previewing. Click Install to add a new theme to your theme menu options.
Once the theme is installed, an Activate button will appear in place of the Install button. Click Activate to make the theme live.

Once activated, your site will be using the new theme. Visit your site’s homepage to view your new theme.