With its vast theme library, WordPress is an incredible customization tool for creating one-of-a-kind websites. However, what if you stumble upon a stunning website and are curious about its magic formula? Which theme drives its visual attractiveness, and how can you find it? Well, worry less. This piece will help you know how to identify a wordpress theme in a website.
Why Identifying a Website’s WordPress Theme Matters
In the expansive world of WordPress, selecting the right theme is essential. It determines your website’s visual appeal, functionality, and overall user experience. With an overwhelming number of themes available, from free options to premium choices, finding the perfect one can be daunting.
However, there’s a strategic shortcut to simplify this process: finding inspiration. When you encounter a website with a striking design or impressive features, it’s like discovering a goldmine of ideas. Identifying the theme behind such a website can reveal valuable insights and help you replicate its success.
The Benefits of Theme Discovery
Understanding the theme used by a website offers several advantages:
a). Instant Inspiration
Access a proven theme that matches the aesthetic and functionality you’re seeking.
b). Time Efficiency
Skip the extensive search process by pinpointing a theme that already fits your needs.
c). Informed Decisions
With the theme’s name, you can explore customization options, compare it with other themes, and make a well-informed choice.
Exploring Theme Identification Techniques
While some websites use custom themes, many rely on popular free or premium themes that are widely available. Identifying these themes can enable you to adopt them for your site.
In the following sections, we’ll explore various methods for uncovering the theme behind a WordPress site. You’ll learn how to use browser extensions, online tools, and manual techniques to reveal the theme that inspires you.
Method 1: Make Use of Online Tools to Identify WordPress Themes
When attempting to discern which WordPress theme a website employs, several online tools can provide valuable insights:
1. What WordPress Theme Is That
Go to whatwpthemeisthat.com and input the URL of the WordPress website you are examining. This tool will scrutinize the site and, if successful, identify the theme being used. The results are typically presented with the theme’s name, which can be useful for understanding the site’s design framework.
2. WPThemeDetector
Visit wpthemedetector.com to obtain comprehensive details about the WordPress theme in use, as well as any plugins that might be active on the site. This tool not only reveals the theme name but also provides additional context about the site’s functionalities and improvements, offering a deeper look into its configuration.
Method 2: Detecting a Site’s WordPress Theme with IsItWP
An alternative approach to identifying a WordPress site’s theme is to use the free tool IsItWP. This tool not only reveals the active theme but also provides additional details, including the plugins the site is using.
To use IsItWP, simply go to the IsItWP website and enter the URL of the site you wish to investigate.
Steps to Check a Website’s Theme Using IsItWP:
1. Access IsItWP
Visit the IsItWP homepage.
2. Enter URL
Input the URL of the target website into the provided field.
3. Initial Detection
IsItWP will first determine if the website is built with WordPress.
4. Theme Identification
If WordPress is detected, IsItWP will proceed to identify the active theme and display relevant information.
5. Plugin Detection
The tool will also attempt to identify any WordPress plugins in use on the site. It provides direct download links and reviews for these plugins, helping you choose the right ones for your needs.
6. Hosting Information
Additionally, IsItWP may offer insights into the site’s WordPress hosting provider.
Limitations:
✔Custom Themes
If the website uses a custom or child theme, IsItWP might struggle to identify it accurately. In such cases, you may encounter results where only the general theme name is provided.
✔Further Search
Even if detailed information about a custom or child theme is not available, you can use the theme name provided by IsItWP to search online for potential download or purchase options.
Method 3: Inspect the Footer of the Website
The footer of many WordPress themes often contains credit information or acknowledgments. This section typically includes text such as Powered by WordPress or Theme by [Theme Author].
By examining this text closely, you may be able to find a direct link to the theme’s official website or the page of the theme shop where it can be purchased or downloaded. This can be particularly useful for identifying the specific theme in use or exploring related themes and customization options.
Method 4: Visual Clues for Identifying Themes:
The design of a website can often provide valuable hints about the theme being used.
a). Distinctive Features
Look for unique elements in the website’s design, such as an unconventional header layout, a custom sidebar, or specific styling details. These distinctive features can be used to search for similar themes online, particularly on theme marketplaces such as ThemeForest or WordPress.org.
By comparing these features to those of available themes, you might identify the exact theme or discover similar ones that offer the same aesthetic.
b). Design Trends
Certain themes gain popularity during specific periods and are characterized by particular design trends. If the website’s design aligns with a known trend—such as minimalism, flat design, or a specific color scheme—this could be a clue to its theme family. Researching themes that embody these trends may help you pinpoint the exact theme or at least guide you toward similar options.
Method 5: Manually Identifying the WordPress Theme Used by a Website (Advanced)
Website owners sometimes rename their WordPress themes to make it harder for potential attackers to identify and exploit them. This can also cause theme-detecting tools, like WordPress Theme Detector and IsItWP, to fail to recognize the theme.
If these tools can’t provide the information you need, you can manually inspect the website’s code to uncover the theme being used, even if it’s been renamed or if a child theme is in use.
Here’s how to do it:
1. Locate the style.css File
Every WordPress theme includes a style.css file, which contains a theme header with details such as the theme’s name, author, version, and custom fonts, as well as the CSS styles for the theme.
Open the website in your browser.
Use the Inspect tool (right-click on the page and select View Page Source in Chrome).
Look for a line in the source code that includes /wp-content/themes/ in the URL. For example:
<link rel=stylesheet id=themename_style-css href=’http://example.com/wp-content/themes/theme-name/style.css?ver=1.1.47′ type=’text/css’ media=’all’ />
Copy the URL of the style.css file and paste it into a new browser tab. This will display the file’s contents.
2. Examine the Theme Header
At the top of the style.css file, you’ll find the theme header, which provides details about the theme. It typically looks like this:
/
Theme Name: Theme Name
Theme URI: https://example.com
Author: ThemeAuthorName
Author URI: https://example.com
Description: My Theme is a flexible WordPress theme designed for portfolio websites
Version: 1.1.47
License: GNU General Public License v2 or later
License URI: http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html
Text Domain: Hestia
Tags: blog, custom-logo, portfolio, e-commerce, rtl-language-support, post-formats, grid-layout, one-column, two-columns, custom-background, custom-colors, custom-header, custom-menu, featured-image-header, featured-images, flexible-header, full-width-template, sticky-post, theme-options, threaded-comments, translation-ready
/
This header block will provide the theme’s name, and sometimes additional information such as URLs for the theme or its author.
3. Identify the Parent Theme (if applicable)
If the website uses a child theme, the style.css file of the child theme will include a Template line that indicates the parent theme. For example:
/
Theme Name: My Child Theme
Description: Just a child theme
Author: Peter Smith
Author URL: Write here the author’s blog or website URL
Template: Hestia
Version: 1.0
License: GNU General Public License v2 or later
License URI: http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html
Text Domain: my-child-theme
/
In this case, Template: Hestia indicates that the parent theme is Hestia.
Method 6: Asking the Experts:
If all else fails, reach out to the website owner directly or join online forums dedicated to WordPress. The community is often willing to help identify a theme.
Important Note:
🔸️Not all websites disclose their theme details, especially those with custom-built themes or heavily modified existing themes.
🔸️Some websites may use a combination of themes and plugins, making theme identification more complex.
Conclusion
Depending on how the site is configured and how much access you have, figuring out which WordPress theme a website is using might be simple or difficult. You can typically determine the theme of any WordPress website by utilizing a combination of online resources, direct questions, and source code analysis. Understanding the subject can help you get insight into web design trends and functionalities, whether you’re using it for analysis or inspiration.
