Changing the WordPress Theme Manually

Normally, you can change your WordPress theme easily from the Appearance → Themes section in the dashboard. However, if the dashboard becomes inaccessible (for example, due to a broken theme), you can change the theme manually. On ruachost.com, there are two main methods: via File Manager or via phpMyAdmin.

Why Change a Theme Manually?

• Recover access when the dashboard is broken.
• Replace a corrupted theme with a working one.
• Switch themes during troubleshooting.

Method 1: Rename and Copy Theme Folders

1. Log in to cPanel from your ruachost.com hosting account.

2. Go to Files → File Manager.

3. Navigate to the folder where WordPress is installed (usually public_html).

4. Open the wp-content/themes directory.

5. Right‑click the folder of the currently active theme → Rename.

   • Example: rename twentytwenty to twentytwenty.original.

6. Right‑click the folder of the new theme you want to use → Copy.

7. Name the copied folder with the original theme’s name (e.g., twentytwenty).

8. Save changes → The new theme takes effect immediately.

Method 2: Modify the WordPress Database

1. Log in to cPanel → Go to Databases → phpMyAdmin.
2. Select your WordPress database (usually username_wpXXX).
3. Open the wp_options table.
4. Locate the rows with option_name = template and stylesheet.
5. Click Edit for each row.
6. Replace the current theme name with the new theme’s folder name.
7. Click Go to save changes.
8. WordPress will now load with the new theme.

Important Notes

• Ensure the new theme is already installed in wp-content/themes.
• Always back up your site before making manual changes.
• If the new theme is missing or misnamed, WordPress may revert to a default theme.