Child Themes

Why child themes exist

A child theme is a theme that inherits everything from a parent theme but lets you add your own changes. When the parent updates, your changes survive.

When to use one

Use a child theme any time you plan to add custom CSS, edit template files, or add code to functions.php. If you only use the Customizer or Site Editor, you may not need one.

Creating a child theme (manual)

1. Create folder: wp-content/themes/mytheme-child\n2. style.css header:\n/*\nTheme Name: Mytheme Child\nTemplate: mytheme\n*/\n3. functions.php enqueues the parent stylesheet\n4. Appearance → Themes → Activate "Mytheme Child"

The plugin shortcut

Plugins like Child Theme Configurator create a child theme for you with a few clicks.

Tip: Only the parent theme's files get overwritten on update — a child theme keeps your customisations intact.