As a website ages, it will likely accumulate a few redundant themes that never get used. You can keep them if you like, but be aware that they take up space on your server and need updating when a new version becomes available. If you fail to update them, you increase the risk of your website getting hacked.
In this article, we’ll be looking at two easy ways to delete a WordPress theme.
First, we’ll look at how to delete a WordPress theme from inside your WordPress website, then we’ll look at doing it using an FTP program like Filezilla.
How to delete a WordPress theme from the admin area
Bear in mind – you can’t delete an active theme so if that’s the one you want to remove, you’ll first need to deactivate it.
Step 1
Log into your WordPress Dashboard and click on Appearance > Themes to access the theme management area.
Step 2
Hover your mouse over the screenshot of the theme you want to delete. An overlay saying Theme Details will appear. Click it.
Step 3
Next, click on the Delete link, which is located in the bottom right-hand corner. The screenshot below shows you where to look.
Step 4
When you click on Delete, a dialogue box appears asking you to confirm your request. If you want to go ahead, click on OK.
That’s it. The theme is deleted.
How to delete a WordPress theme using an FTP program
Step 1
Log into your website’s server using your favourite FTP program. Depending upon the configuration of the server, you might have to log into a folder called public_html to access your site’s files.
Step 2
If there is only one website on the server and it’s located in the public_html folder, you’ll see a few sub-folders and the WordPress files stored in the root folder.
If there is more than one website on the server, you’ll need to navigate to the folder that holds your site’s files. It’s usually named after your domain. Once there, you should see a directory structure as shown in the above image.
Step 3
Once you’ve found your website’s files, navigate to the themes folder, which is located in the wp-content sub-folder.
Step 4
Find the theme you want to delete, right click on the folder and choose Delete from the drop down menu.
That’s it. The unwanted theme is now deleted.