WordPress is one of the most popular content management systems, powering millions of websites worldwide. Whether you’re a blogger, small business owner, or developer, getting started with this is straightforward. In this guide, I’ll walk you through the process of opening WordPress in your browser and installing the theme of your liking, allowing you to customize the look and feel of your website.
1: Set Up a Local Development Environment
- Before opening WordPress in your browser, you need to set up a local development environment on your computer. In line with that, you can use software like XAMPP, MAMP, or Docker for this purpose.
- For this guide, I used XAMPP software to set up my environment. To install XAMPP, simply download its installer from here. If you are having problems downloading it, try to change the domain of where you are downloading it. Click Problems Downloading and try different mirrors. For my end, zenlayer mirror was what worked.
- Install XAMPP and start Apache and MySQL.
- However, before you can access WordPress in your browser, you would need a database first. For this, you can go to
http://localhost/phpmyadminand create one yourself.
2: Access the WordPress Dashboard
- Once your local server is running, open your web browser and navigate to
http://localhost/wordpress. - You should see the WordPress setup page. Afterwards, follow the on-screen instructions to set up your site by providing the necessary information such as site title, username, password, email, etc.
- After completing the setup, you’ll be redirected to the dashboard.
3: Navigate to the WordPress Theme Installation Page
- In the WordPress dashboard, locate the “Appearance” menu on the left-hand side and hover over it.
- Click on the “Themes” option from the submenu. This will take you to the Themes page where you can manage your themes.
4: Install a WordPress Theme
- On the Themes page, you’ll see a list of available themes along with options to add new themes.
- Click on the “Add New” button at the top of the page to go to the Add Themes page.
- Here, you can browse and search for themes from the WordPress.org theme directory or upload one from your computer.
- To install a theme from the WordPress.org directory, you can use the search bar to find a specific theme or browse through the featured, popular, latest, or favorite themes.
- Then, once you find a theme you like, hover over it and click the “Install” button. WordPress will download and install the theme for you automatically.
- On the other hand, if you have a theme file (.zip) downloaded from a third-party source, you can click on the “Upload Theme” button at the top of the page, select the theme file from your computer, and then click the “Install Now” button.
5: Activate the Installed Theme
- After the theme is installed successfully, you’ll see a success message with options to preview or activate the theme.
- Click the “Activate” button to make the installed theme active on your WordPress site.
- Then, once activated, you can customize the theme settings, add content, and make further adjustments as needed.
6: Customize your theme
- After activating, you can customize its appearance and settings by clicking on the “Customize” option under the “Appearance” menu.
- Moreover, you can use the WordPress Customizer to modify various aspects such as colors, fonts, header/footer settings, layout options, etc.
7: Preview Your Site
- To see how your site looks with the newly installed and activated theme, click on the “Visit Site” option at the top of the WordPress dashboard.
- Your site will open in a new tab, allowing you to preview the changes made with the new theme.
And that’s a wrap! I extend my hope that these steps have served as a helpful starting point for your WordPress journey. WordPress offers a robust platform for crafting websites, and by embracing the learning process, exploring themes, and tapping into the supportive WordPress community, you can create a unique and compelling online presence. Here’s to your success with WordPress, and may your website reflect your vision and inspire others!