If you do not have access to the WordPress admin panel and need to change your website’s theme, this guide explains step by step how to modify the active theme and replace it with another one that is already installed in your WordPress.
To make this change, you will need to access the database through phpMyAdmin. However, before proceeding, it is essential to confirm which database is associated with your WordPress site. You can check this by accessing your site via FTP:
IMPORTANT: From FTP, you can also verify which themes are installed in your WordPress. Go to /web/wp-content/themes to see the complete list:
Example screenshot of installed WordPress themes:
Note: You can also download a theme from the official WordPress theme repository and upload the theme files you wish to activate.
Once you know which database is linked to your WordPress and the name of the theme you want to activate, you can access phpMyAdmin from your hosting control panel to make the change.
After selecting your WordPress database, open the wp_options table (the prefix may vary; look for the table ending in _options).
Inside this table, you will see multiple configuration entries for your WordPress installation. In the “option_name” column, locate the rows named template and stylesheet. They are usually found on the second page of the table.
Double-click both rows to edit the theme name. Replace the value with the name of any theme that is already installed. The name must exactly match the folder name of the theme located in /wp-content/themes.
By following these steps, you will have successfully changed your WordPress theme. If you experience any issues after making these changes or decide to revert to the previous theme, simply repeat the process and restore the original theme name.
If the change does not appear immediately, clear your browser cache to ensure it is not interfering with the update. You may also restore a backup of your hosting if necessary.