How to remove a theme from WordPress

August 9, 2025

This guide explains how to safely remove a WordPress theme that you no longer need. Removing unused themes can improve site performance and security.

Instructions

Log in to your WordPress dashboard
Navigate to the themes page
In the left-hand menu, click on Appearance, then select Themes.
Activate a different theme (if you are deleting the active theme)
You cannot delete the active theme. If you want to delete the active theme, you must select another theme first.
Delete the theme
Click on the theme you want to delete. In the bottom-right corner of the theme details popup, click the Delete button. Confirm the deletion when prompted.
Verify the theme is removed
Check the Themes page to ensure the theme no longer appears in the list.

If you cannot use the safe WordPress dashboard for some reason, you can manually delete the theme from WordPress through the file system.

Feel free to remix this content for your website.

Licensed under CC BY 4.0

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