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Installing and customising a WordPress block theme, step by step

Upload the zip, activate the theme, change colours and fonts in the site editor, reuse the patterns: the complete guide to a block theme, without writing code.

By Équipe Forge3 min read

Modern WordPress themes are block themes. Introduced with WordPress 5.9, they are customised entirely in the editor, like a page: header, footer, colours, typography. No more old Customizer, no PHP to touch. Every Forge theme is a block theme.

Before you start

  • WordPress 6.6 or later and PHP 8.1 or later. Both versions are listed under Tools → Site Health → Info.
  • A backup if the site already exists: switching themes changes the look of every page.
  • The theme's zip file, as downloaded from your account. Do not unzip it.

1. Upload the theme

  1. In the dashboard, open Appearance → Themes.
  2. Click Add New Theme, then Upload Theme.
  3. Choose the zip file and click Install Now.
  4. When installation is done, click Activate.

If WordPress says "The uploaded file exceeds the upload_max_filesize directive", your host limits upload size. Two options: ask the host to raise upload_max_filesize, or unzip the file on your computer and upload the folder by FTP into wp-content/themes/.

2. What happens on activation

Forge themes automatically create the pages the design provides (for example Projects, Request a quote and Legal notice for the builder theme), each linked to its template. An existing page with the same slug is never overwritten.

Then check Settings → Reading: the theme's home page shows when "Your latest posts" is selected, thanks to the front-page template.

3. Open the site editor

Go to Appearance → Editor. You will find:

  • Navigation: the site's menus;
  • Styles: colours, typography, spacing, for the whole site;
  • Pages: the content of each page;
  • Templates: the structure of each page type (home, single page, post, 404 error);
  • Patterns: the ready-made sections provided by the theme.

4. Change colours and fonts

In Styles, click the pencil icon, then Colors. The theme's palette is defined in its theme.json file: changing a palette colour changes it everywhere it is used. That is far more reliable than recolouring each block.

For fonts, open Typography. Keep two families at most, one for headings and one for text, and check the contrast of your new colours: text must keep a ratio of at least 4.5:1 with its background.

The header and footer are template parts. In Templates, open any template and click the header: your changes apply to every page. Replace the logo, adjust the menu, update the address and phone number in the footer.

6. Reuse the patterns

Patterns are the design's sections: hero banner, list of services, testimonials, contact form. In any page, open the inserter (the "+" button), Patterns tab, and pick one of the theme's sections. It is inserted with its demo content, which you then replace.

7. Replace the demo content

Go through every page and replace texts, contact details and visuals. Do not forget:

  • the Legal notice page, with your real information;
  • the site title and tagline in Settings → General, used by search engines;
  • the site icon (favicon), in the site editor.

8. Updating the theme later

Changes made in the editor are stored in the database, not in the theme's files. A new version of the theme therefore does not overwrite them. To install it, upload the new zip as in step 1: WordPress offers to replace the installed version.

If you want to change the files themselves (theme.json, HTML templates, CSS), create a child theme instead: your changes will survive updates.

Troubleshooting

  • The layout looks broken after activation: clear the cache of your caching plugin or your host.
  • A page shows the wrong template: open the page in the editor, Page panel, and choose the intended template.
  • A page builder plugin does not work: block themes are designed for WordPress's native editor, without third-party builders.

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