{"id":11383,"date":"2022-10-07T10:23:55","date_gmt":"2022-10-07T10:23:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/colibriwp.com\/blog\/?p=11383"},"modified":"2022-10-07T10:23:55","modified_gmt":"2022-10-07T10:23:55","slug":"how-to-change-wordpress-themes-without-losing-website-content","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/colibriwp.com\/blog\/how-to-change-wordpress-themes-without-losing-website-content\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Change WordPress Themes Without Losing Website Content"},"content":{"rendered":"

So you’ve come to us because you believe your website has outgrown its current theme and would benefit from a new look with some new features. The good news is that working with WordPress themes is a lot of fun. They are customizable, allowing you to change your website’s look and feel quickly.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, because themes have become increasingly complex and tailored to specific websites, such as eCommerce stores, they cannot be seamlessly swapped for one another. You will need to do some digging if you want to safely switch from one WordPress theme to another. After all, your active theme is so ingrained in the functionality of your site that any change has the potential to break it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Changing themes without opening the door for errors and without losing website content can take a little longer than simply clicking the Activate button. However, by following a few simple procedures, you can ensure that your site continues to function normally after the switch, and this is what we’re about to discuss.<\/span><\/p>\n

So, let\u2019s get right into it!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What you need to do BEFORE changing a WordPress theme\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

While changing a theme is a matter of a few mouse clicks, you should take some precautions before proceeding.<\/span><\/p>\n

We recommend you go through the following checklist to ensure that your WordPress theme change goes smoothly and that you don’t lose any critical data.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Step 1: Make a complete backup of your site.\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Before making any changes to your WordPress themes, you must back up all of your files. This is only a precautionary measure, as changing themes does not automatically result in losing your entire website, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.<\/span><\/p>\n

You can back up your files in two ways. You can either use a plugin or manually back up your files.<\/span><\/p>\n

Plugins like <\/span>Updraft Plus<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>BackupBuddy<\/span><\/a> automatically back up your website’s plugins, database, themes, content, and other files. In addition, backup plugins will typically store your backup files off-site in a secure location, so you won’t have to worry about anyone hacking into your data.<\/span><\/p>\n

You may also consider doing manual backups if you have a large website. Here’s how to backup manually.<\/span><\/p>\n