Maybe you've considered switching your WordPress theme, but you're afraid of what might happen. Switching your theme can give you a completely new and updated design. This comes with many benefits, but you should know the process and what to expect.

The process isn't just as easy as swapping one theme for another. You may have to make some adjustments with the new theme, but they shouldn't be anything major. Here's what to expect when you switch to a new WordPress theme.

<h2>Before you Make the Change</h2>

Before you change themes, you should always backup all your WordPress files. This can easily be done with one of the many backup plugins and will protect you if something goes wrong. 

You should also make sure you do a live preview of your new theme before you make it active on your site. You may get it installed and check it out only to find out you really don't like it as much as you thought you might.

Previewing the theme will also show you how your site may change. You may see something different that you do or don't like. 

<img src="https://itxdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/ThemePreview.png" alt="Theme Preview" width="906" height="530" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-8333" />

If the issues you notice can easily be adjusted or you can come up with a solution, you're ready to make the switch. If not, you may need to keep looking for the right new theme for your WordPress website.

<h2>You May Lose your Menus</h2>

The built-in navigation menu comes with the WordPress system. Each theme defines where these menus are displayed. 

When you switch themes, there's a good chance your menus may end up in a new location or may disappear. This can easily be fixed by going to <strong>Appearance&gt;&gt;Menu</strong>. Then, just check the location of the menu within the theme and you should be good to go.

<img src="https://itxdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Menus.png" alt="Menus" width="1148" height="538" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-8334" />

<h2>Your Widgets May Change</h2>

Sometimes the widgets don't change at all, but other times the settings for your widgets will be adjusted when you switch WordPress themes. This happens because the new theme may have different side bars. However, it's an easy thing to fix if you go to <strong>Appearance&gt;&gt;Widgets</strong>.
<img src="https://itxdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Widgets.png" alt="Widgets" width="1173" height="497" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-8335" />

<h2>Theme Settings Will be Gone</h2>

If you have any customizations to your current theme, switching to a new theme will make those go away. Each theme comes with different options you can customize and they are controlled by a theme option panel for each theme. 

You may find that your header, background, favicon, logo and other settings need to be set up again. You can easily make these changes and most of the time; this won't change the performance of your site.

<h2>Custom Post Types May Disappear</h2>

Any posts types you have set with your current them may need to be redone. They won't be set up with the new theme. Any custom post types or taxonomies will need to be set up again as they will be inaccessible with the new theme.

<h2>Any Theme Specific Sliders or Shortcode will be Gone</h2>

Any shortcode or sliders that are currently found within your old theme will no longer exist. These codes and sliders only work with the theme they come with or you have set them up with. You will have to redo all of these codes and sliders, which could include making changes to galleries, layouts, buttons and other things controlled by the shortcodes of your theme.

<h2>What Don't you Need to Worry about</h2>

When you switch themes, there are many things that may need adjusted. However the major parts of your WordPress site, such as posts, pages, images and attachments won't be changed. They may look a little bit different, but they will still be there.

You won't have to worry about any of your media uploads, either. They won't go anywhere and you should have all of your sizes still ready to be used even with the new theme. Sometimes, you may need to regenerate the sizes of the images, which can be done pretty easily. 

Most of the time, when you switch to a new WordPress theme, you don't have to make many adjustments. However, if you have set up quite a few customizations on your current theme, you should know those customizations may not be there with the new theme. You may have to redo any customizations with your new theme.
