Getting started

You need a WordPress site you can log in to as an administrator, and the theme bought on ThemeForest. Each theme’s own requirements (WordPress and PHP versions) are on its overview page in the sidebar.

1. Download the theme

1. Sign in to ThemeForest and open Downloads from your account menu.
2. Find the theme and select Download > Installable WordPress file only. This is the theme’s zip file, the one you upload to WordPress.

All files & documentation is a larger package: the theme’s zip file is inside it. If WordPress says “The theme is missing the style.css stylesheet”, you uploaded that package instead: unzip it on your computer and upload the theme’s own zip file from inside.

2. Install and activate the theme

1. In your WordPress admin, go to Appearance > Themes and select Add New Theme.
2. Select Upload Theme, choose the theme’s zip file and select Install Now.
3. When it is installed, select Activate.

If the upload stops with “The link you followed has expired”, your hosting limits the size of uploads. Ask your host to raise the upload limit, or upload the unzipped theme folder to wp-content/themes/ with SFTP and activate it in Appearance > Themes.

3. Install the companion plugin

Each theme comes with a companion plugin that holds the features a theme may not carry by itself (custom post types, shortcodes, demo import). The theme’s overview page names it.

1. After you activate the theme, a notice at the top of the admin asks you to install the required plugins. Select Begin installing plugins.
2. Select the companion plugin and the other plugins you want, choose Install in the bulk actions and select Apply.
3. Go back to the list, select them again, choose Activate and select Apply.

Keep the companion plugin active while you use the theme: content made with its features depends on it.

4. Import a demo

To be confirmed

These steps describe a typical one-click demo import. They will be checked against each theme’s importer when the theme is released; its overview page will say where the importer is.

A demo import copies one of the theme’s demo sites to yours: pages, posts, menus, widgets and theme settings, with placeholder images. Import on a new site, or back up your site first: an import adds content and changes settings.

1. Open the theme’s demo importer from the admin menu.
2. Choose a demo and select Import. Keep the page open until it says the import is done; large demos take a few minutes.
3. Open your site and compare it with the demo.

Replace the demo’s text and images with your own before the site goes live: the demo images are placeholders and may not be licensed for your site.

5. Set your home page

A demo import usually sets the home page for you. To set it yourself:

1. Go to Settings > Reading.
2. Under Your homepage displays, select A static page.
3. Choose your home page under Homepage, and the page for your latest posts under Posts page.
4. Select Save Changes.

Next steps

• Learn the Customizer and editor basics.
• Read your theme’s documentation in the sidebar.
• Note your purchase code: support asks for it. See Find your purchase code.

Questions? See Support. We usually reply within 24 hours on business days, and always within 2 business days.