What Exactly Changes When You Switch Themes?

Switching WordPress themes can seem daunting, but it doesn‘t have to be! With a little preparation, you can change themes seamlessly without losing any of your precious content or functionality.

In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll walk you through everything that happens when you switch WordPress themes, what you need to do to prepare, and how to make the transition as smooth as possible.

When you activate a new theme, some things will change visually while other theme-specific features and settings may no longer work. Here‘s an overview of what you can expect:

Theme Design and Layout

The most obvious change is that your site‘s overall design and layout will change to match the new theme. This includes:

• Colors, fonts, and other visual styling
• Layout of headers, footers, sidebars, etc.
• Responsiveness on mobile devices
• Amount of widget areas and their locations

How drastically your site changes depends on how different your old and new themes are. Switching between two simple blogging themes may have minimal impact, while switching from a basic theme to a multimedia theme will result in big changes.

Navigation Menus

Your navigation menus won‘t disappear, but menu locations will likely change with the new theme.

For example, if your old theme had a top nav and footer menu but your new theme only has a sidebar menu, you‘ll have to re-assign menu locations in the Appearance > Menus section of your dashboard.

Widgets

Any active widgets you have set up will be deactivated when you switch themes.

The new theme will likely have different widget areas, so you‘ll have to re-activate your widgets and add them into the new widget zones. All your widget settings will be retained though, so you just need to move them.

Theme Options

If your old theme used a theme options panel, those settings will be lost when you switch to a new theme.

Settings like your site logo, fonts, colors, custom CSS, etc. are theme-specific. You‘ll have to review the new theme‘s options panel and make adjustments.

Code Customizations

Any custom code you added to functions.php, CSS, or other theme files will no longer work with the new theme. Code customizations should be added using child themes or site-specific plugins that aren‘t tied to the theme.

Custom Post Types and Taxonomies

If your old theme included custom post types or taxonomies, these will become unsupported when you switch themes. The data will still exist in your database, but the new theme won‘t know how to access and display it properly.

You‘ll need to add functionality for any custom post types you want to continue using, either by modifying the new theme or installing a plugin.

Built-In Sliders

Many themes include the option to add a slideshow or slider to your home page. Since these are integrated into the theme code, any existing sliders will disappear when you switch to a new theme.

You‘ll have to recreate the slider using a plugin like Slider Revolution or MetaSlider.

Theme-Specific Shortcodes

Any shortcodes that came with your old theme will no longer work when you switch themes. For example, an "icon" shortcode to display social icons may result in just the shortcode text appearing.

To continue using custom shortcodes from your old theme, you‘ll need to add the associated functionality with code modifications or a plugin.

While it may seem like everything is changing, the core of your site will remain intact when you switch WordPress themes:

• Your content. All posts, pages, attachments, etc. will be preserved.
• Media library. All uploaded images, documents, etc. will remain.
• Plugins. All third-party plugins you have installed will continue to function.
• Settings. General settings like permalinks, membership data, etc. will not be affected.
• User accounts. All your user accounts and roles will remain active.

Visually, things may look different depending on the new theme‘s layout, but all your underlying content and data remains unchanged.

The goal is simply to take the content from your old theme and display it with the new theme‘s styling and functionality. It just takes a little work to connect the dots again.

Switching themes will be much easier if you take time to prepare in advance. Here‘s a checklist of what you should do before activating a new theme:

Back Up Your Site

Before you touch anything, make a full site backup. This gives you a safety net in case something goes wrong.

Use a backup plugin like UpdraftPlus to back up your entire WordPress file and database. Then you can restore your old site if needed.

Review Current Theme and Functionality

Spend time reviewing your current theme and taking notes:

• What visual customizations have you made? Custom CSS, logos, etc.
• Which widgets are active and what pages are they on?
• What theme settings will need to be reconfigured?
• Are you using any custom shortcodes or code snippets?

Document Navigation Menus

Go through each navigation menu and document which pages, posts, categories, etc. are included and how menu locations are assigned.

Recreating menus from scratch is no fun, so having a reference helps.

Deactivate Unneeded Plugins

Your plugins will carry over to the new theme, so it‘s good to clean house first.

Deactivate and delete any plugins you no longer need. This avoids potential conflicts.

Install New Theme in Advance

Get your new theme uploaded and installed ahead of time. This lets you use WordPress‘s built-in theme preview feature to test it out before activating it live.

Preview and Test Theme

Once your new theme is installed, preview it by navigating around:

• Check pages, posts, archives, etc. to see how they look.
• Test functionality like menus, sidebars, widgets etc.
• Identify any issues with design or layout.

This is much safer than activating a theme blindly!

When you‘re ready, it‘s go time! Here are the steps for activating your new WordPress theme:

1. Log in to your WordPress dashboard, and go to Appearance > Themes.

2. Locate the new theme you want to use, and click the "Activate" button.

3. Click through your website and verify that your content is displaying properly with the new theme active.

4. Go to Appearance > Menus and assign your navigation menus to the correct locations.

5. Go to Appearance > Widgets and move any active widgets into the proper sidebar areas.

6. Update the new theme‘s settings: custom CSS, options panels, etc.

7. If needed, restore any custom shortcodes or code functionality via child themes or plugins.

8. Regenerate thumbnails if your images look distorted with the new theme.

Take it slow and methodical! Getting your site looking right may take some trial and error. But the effort is worth it for a fresh new look.

Here are answers to some common questions and concerns people have about transitioning to a new theme:

Will I lose all my content if I switch themes?

Nope! Your raw content will remain intact in the database. Only the theme files change.

What if I activated a theme and my site looks broken?

First, don‘t panic! Install and activate a default WordPress theme like Twenty Twenty to restore your site‘s appearance temporarily. Then you can troubleshoot the custom theme.

Do I need to re-do all my settings and customizations with the new theme?

Most settings won‘t transfer over, so expect to redo your theme options, menus, widgets, etc. Refer to your old theme for guidance. Some adjustments will be needed.

Can I preview a new theme before activating it?

Yes! Install new themes without activating them to preview. Use the "Live Preview" option after installing a theme to see how your site will look.

What‘s the easiest way to switch themes with no issues?

Take preventive measures like backing up your site, documenting your current setup, and previewing new themes before activation. A little prep goes a long way.

Switching to a new WordPress theme can require some work, but it‘s a great way to get a fresh look and new features for your site. Keep these tips in mind:

• Always backup your site before deactivating your old theme!
• Expect to redo menus, widgets, and some theme settings.
• Any custom code or shortcodes will need to be re-added after the switch.
• Preview new themes before activating to catch issues early.
• Refer to your old theme for help recreating aspects you want to keep.

With proper planning and patience, you can make the theme change process practically seamless. Don‘t be afraid to take the plunge for a new WordPress theme – just be prepared!