Changing a WordPress theme can be an irritating process if you have lost its data. Undoubtedly, it is very rare to lose your content because WordPress doesn’t delete the content just by changing the theme. But for a beginner, it can be irritating if they have lost content during the updates of their WordPress theme.
This blog is written to help all those developers who are struggling with this. Here you will learn how to change a WordPress theme without losing content. We will also share a few tips to keep you safe in case of data loss that you have experienced during the changing of your website’s theme.
What type of changes will be made with the change of WordPress theme?
Before learning how to change a theme without losing your site’s content, it is good to know what you can lose and what will remain safe. Be mindful that WordPress keeps your data saved in your site’s database.
The stored data will include the pages, blogs, and plugins. All of these will remain safe in the new version of your site that will come after the change of WordPress theme. In simple words, your site’s blogs and pages will not be removed from your website if you have changed its theme.
The only difference you will see will be in the layout/structure of your website. It is because every WordPress theme has a specific structure according to which it will align your website. So, you can say that the only change that will occur in your website with the alteration of the theme is the structure.
But it is good to be with the same WordPress theme if there is not a big problem. The best approach is to customize the WordPress theme if you want to get a new look for your website. By doing so, you will be able to get the desired look of your website as well as avoid any unexpected data loss.
How to change a WordPress theme without losing content?
As mentioned earlier, there will be no loss of data if you have changed the WordPress theme of your website. For your safety, you can create a staging copy of your website before changing the theme. It will help you get a stored data replica of your website to use if you have lost anything.
Abide by this, here are the steps that you have to follow to change a WordPress theme without losing its content.
Step 1. Go to your WordPress Theme store
Step 2. Install the New Theme by clicking on the “Activate” button
Step 3. Preview the website and make sure everything is accurate
If your website is missing something in terms of content, you can upload your staging copy. It will fill your website with the content that you have stored before installing the new theme.
Things to consider before changing a WordPress theme
Undoubtedly, WordPress has got your back in terms of saving the essential content of your website. But it doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be careful while changing the theme of your website. You must be careful and take some steps to avoid any unexpected loss of your content.
Here we have discussed a few tips that can help you be safe in any condition.
Backup Your Site
The most impactful that we can share here is the backup of your site. It is good to back up your website even if you are not performing any major changes. The reason is your website may experience an unexpected error that can push it to remove files without your permission.
In the case of WordPress theme replacement, it can also help get content back that you have lost. Moreover, it is right to say that you will not lose even a single blog from your website.
Collect Custom Codes
Sometimes, you may need custom codes to change the design or color of your website. All such codes will be removed from your website when you have changed the theme. This is because these codes are manually inserted in the theme’s file.
So, you should extract all those codes and keep them saved when you are looking to change the theme of your website. After the replacement of the theme, you can easily re-enter the codes/scripts in your website’s theme file and get them in your website again.
Limit User’s Access
Last but not least, you should also limit the access of the users to your website before you start with the theme replacement process. It is because you shouldn’t let your visitors see that your website isn’t working properly.
You should add an “Under Maintenance” label to your website before starting the process. It will help your visitors that you will be back shortly.
Common Problems After Theme Replacement
There is no doubt that theme replacement doesn’t affect the data of a website. But it is common for a website to experience some other problems. Here we have discussed the most common problems that we have found in a website after the changing of a theme.
White Screen of Death
It is a specific error in which your website will give a blank white preview whenever someone browses it. Simply, you can say that your website will have a blank white page without any name, title, content, or image.
This error is called the white screen of death that has been found after the replacement of a theme. It commonly happens when your older theme has particular codes for the design and color of your website. After the theme replacement, that code will not remain in the theme file that gives a white screen of death at the end.
404 Error
Another problem that your website may encounter is a 404 error on different blogs and pages. It happens rarely because WordPress keeps the pages and posts the same for the new theme. But if you are getting this, the only solution is the restore of your backed-up date.
It means that you can get those pages or blogs back just after uploading the backup file of your website after the installation of the new theme.
Final Verdict
By reading this blog, you must have an idea of how to change the WordPress theme without losing content. We have discussed everything that you need to know while doing so. With the help of the above tips, we hope you will be able to save your data and site.
