1. Why need to update theme?
You are highly recommended to update the theme regularly. It makes your website bug-free, secure, adding more features and most importantly it will be compatible with the latest version of WordPress available. Which is why it’s important to keep your theme updated and ensure it always works as it should.
However, simply updating can be hazardous to your website. So, it is better to take some preventive essential measures such as taking a complete backup of your website before proceeding to update.
2. How do install a theme update?
Download the updated version of your theme. Locate the theme’s zip file and extract the theme. There are two ways from which you can upload theme:
2.1 Using the WordPress Dashboard
Updating the theme from the WordPress dashboard is a straightforward process. This can only be done via manual process. Let us check out how to begin this process in simple steps:
Step 1: Deactivate the old version by activating the default WordPress theme. Visit your site’s dashboard and go to Appearance > Themes then activate any default WordPress theme for example Twenty Nineteen or Twenty Twenty.
Step 2: Delete the old Version. Hover mouse on the target theme, click Theme Details link. Now delete the old version of the target theme.
Step 3: Upload the new version. After deleting the old version of the target theme, upload the newer package from your computer. The system will unpack and install the package.
Step 4: Activate the updated theme on your site.
2.2 Using FTP client
Step 1: Visit your site’s cPanel or use an FTP program (e.g. Filezilla) to explore your site’s root directory. Then go to public_html/wp-content/themes.
Step 2: Rename the old version. In order to upload the new version, you must leave the old version of the target theme. Simply rename the target theme’s folder. According to our example, we need to rename the folder from “kalles” to “kalles-old”.
Also enter into the ‘kalles-old’ folder, open the style CSS file and edit the Theme Name field as “kalles-old”.
Step 3: Upload the new version. Once you’ve renamed your target theme folder, you are ready to upload its latest package to your site. Upload it (a zipped folder) to the themes folder (public_html/wp-content/themes) from your computer and extract it.
Step 4: Activate theme. Now visit your site’s Dashboard > Appearance > Themes. Since you’ve renamed the older version as “kalles-old”, the theme selection board will now show two themes with different names. Now you can activate the latest theme on your site.
2.3 Using Envato plugin
This is easiest way to update theme or plugin from Envato. You just need install Envato plugin and config secret key by following the guide from https://www.envato.com/lp/market-plugin/
3. Re-add the customizations to the updated theme files.
Warning: Upgrading a theme will reset the customizations you’ve made in the previous version. You need to use a child theme to retain those customizations. Advanced themes often come with some dependency plugins. Install and update those dependencies separately (if necessary).
In case you didn’t use child theme, if you remember what customizations you made to the previous version of your theme, then re-adding them to the updated version is easy. Just copy the code snippets from the outdated theme files and paste them into the new ones.