As a website owner or even a WordPress developer, you might encounter problems exporting your WordPress themes. This article will teach why you might want to export your WordPress themes and how to export them easily. Without further ado, let’s get started.
Why Should I Export My WordPress Themes? And When Should I?
Exporting WordPress themes can save you lots of time and headaches in the future. Below is a list of reasons why you should export your WordPress Theme.
- You want to backup your WordPress Theme in an external storage space such as a hard drive or Google Drive.
- You want to transfer your WordPress Theme to another WordPress website.
- You want to share your WordPress Theme with others
- You want to modify your WordPress Theme; therefore, you want a backup for safekeeping.
The ways of exporting WordPress Themes have become much more accessible throughout the years. Most beginners might think that exporting through the WordPress dashboard is the most efficient way of going about it.
However, this is a big mistake since exporting through the WordPress dashboard requires you to dabble with a cPanel or an FTP.
This can be pretty intimidating and overwhelming for the average WordPress user. But fear no more! This guide will teach you to bypass all the scary stuff with “Export Themes” — a WordPress plugin. In the next section, you will be guided on installing and exporting using the plugin, including images to help you visually.
Exporting WordPress Theme Using a Plugin (Step-by-Step With Images)
- Log in to WordPress Dashboard
You can access your WordPress Admin Dashboard by navigating to your search bar and typing “/wp-admin” at the end of your domain. For example “mysite.com/wp-admin”.
- Navigate to (Plugins -> Add New)
After accessing your WordPress Admin Dashboard, you will see multiple tabs on the left-hand side. Look for a tab called “Plugins” and click “Add New”
- Search for “Export Themes”
On the top-right corner, you will see a search bar. Click on it and type “Export Themes” to search for the plugin.
- Install “Export Themes”
After searching, you should see “Export Themes” as the first result. Click the “Install Now” button to get started.
- Activate “Export Themes”
After installing any plugin for WordPress, you always need to activate it. To do so, press the “Activate” button, which has replaced the “Install Now” button.
- Navigate to “Appearance”
While on your WordPress Admin Dashboard, on your left-hand side, you will see different tabs related to your WordPress website, as mentioned in step 2. However, this time, you need to navigate to the “Appearance” tab, which has a paintbrush icon and click it.
- Click “Export”
After clicking the “Appearance” tab, you will see a list of options under it. Click the “Export” option.
- Select Theme and Export
You will be taken to a page like an image below. Select the theme you want to export and press the “Export” button when you’re ready. You will then see the file explorer where you can choose where to save your files.
After that, the theme will start exporting, and it’s recommended to interfere with it in any way. Make sure not to cancel or exit the website as a precaution abruptly.
- You have now exported your WordPress Theme!
Depending on the size of your WordPress Theme, you should see your files where you dedicated them to be stored. If you wish to export more themes, follow the steps from the start, and you should be good to go. For Chrome-based browsers, you will see it at the bottom of your screen.
