Over time, as you try out different themes on your WordPress site, you may find yourself with a bunch of unused themes cluttering up your dashboard. While it‘s great to experiment with different designs, having too many inactive themes can negatively impact your site‘s performance and security.
In this post, we‘ll walk you through two methods for deleting WordPress themes: via the admin dashboard and via FTP/SFTP. We‘ll also share some best practices and alternatives to keep your theme library clean and efficient.
Why Delete Unused WordPress Themes?
Before we dive into the how-to, let‘s discuss why you should bother removing themes you‘re no longer using:
Improved site speed. Each theme, even if inactive, is composed of many files (templates, stylesheets, scripts, images) that take up space on your server. The more files your site needs to load, the slower it can become. Deleting unused themes can help streamline your site‘s backend.
Enhanced security. Outdated or poorly-coded themes can introduce vulnerabilities to your site. Even if you‘re not actively using a theme, hackers may still be able to exploit its weak points to gain unauthorized access. Fewer themes means a smaller attack surface.
Easier site management. A long list of themes in your dashboard can make it harder to find and manage the ones you actually use. Paring down to just the essentials leads to a cleaner admin experience.
Now that we‘ve established the benefits of a clutter-free theme library, let‘s look at how to achieve it. The first method we‘ll cover uses the built-in WordPress theme management tools.
Method 1: Delete a Theme via the WordPress Admin Dashboard
This method is the most straightforward and beginner-friendly way to remove a theme, but it does require admin access to your WordPress site. Follow these steps:
Step 1: Access Your Themes
Log into your WordPress dashboard and navigate to Appearance > Themes. Here you‘ll see a grid of all the themes currently installed on your site, with your active theme appearing first.
Step 2: Identify the Theme You Want to Delete
Hover over the theme thumbnail until you see the theme options appear. Be sure to check that the theme is not your currently active theme. If you delete an active theme, WordPress will automatically revert to a default theme and you may lose any theme-specific settings or content.
Step 3: Delete the Theme
Click the Theme Details button to expand the full theme view. In the bottom-right corner, click Delete. WordPress will ask you to confirm the deletion. Click OK to proceed with removing the theme files from your site.
Repeat this process for any other themes you want to remove. Just be sure to leave at least one theme installed, as every WordPress site requires an active theme in order to render pages.
Method 2: Delete a Theme via FTP/SFTP
If you don‘t have admin access to your WordPress dashboard, or if you prefer to work on the server level, you can delete theme files directly via FTP (File Transfer Protocol) or SFTP (SSH File Transfer Protocol).
The Difference Between FTP and SFTP
Both FTP and SFTP are methods for transferring files between your local computer and your web server, but SFTP is considered more secure. FTP transmits data in plain text, meaning it can be intercepted and read by third parties. SFTP, on the other hand, encrypts all transmissions, protecting your login credentials and website data.
We recommend using SFTP whenever possible. Most modern web hosts support SFTP by default. To connect, you‘ll need an FTP/SFTP client, which is a piece of software that facilitates the file transfer. Some popular free options include:
- FileZilla (Windows, macOS, Linux)
- Cyberduck (Windows, macOS)
- WinSCP (Windows)
Step 1: Connect to Your Server
To establish an SFTP connection, you‘ll need the following information from your web host:
- Hostname (e.g., sftp.example.com)
- Port (usually 22 for SFTP)
- Username
- Password
Enter this information into your SFTP client and click Connect or Login.
Once connected, you should see your WordPress site‘s folder structure. Navigate to /wp-content/themes/. Here you‘ll find individual folders for each theme installed on your site.
Unlike the WordPress admin dashboard, the SFTP view does not indicate which theme is currently active. If you‘re unsure, you can cross-reference the folder names with the theme names in your WordPress dashboard.
Step 3: Delete the Theme Folder
Right-click on the folder of the theme you want to delete and select Delete. Confirm the deletion to completely remove the theme files from your server.
Warning: Be very careful to select the correct folder. Deleting the wrong directory could break your site. When in doubt, back up your site files before proceeding.
Refresh your WordPress dashboard and the deleted theme should no longer appear under Appearance > Themes.
WordPress Theme Housekeeping Best Practices
In addition to deleting unused themes, here are a few more tips to keep your WordPress site lean and secure:
- Always keep at least one theme installed. WordPress requires an active theme to display your site.
- Back up your site before deleting a theme. Even if a theme is inactive, it may still contain settings or content that you want to preserve.
- Keep your themes updated. Theme developers often release updates to fix bugs, improve performance, and patch security holes. Staying current minimizes risk.
- Consider deactivating instead of deleting. If you think you might use a theme again in the future, you can simply deactivate it to remove it from your dashboard without fully deleting the files.
What About WordPress Multisite?
If you manage a WordPress Multisite network, deleting themes works a bit differently. Themes uploaded to the Network Admin are available to all sites in the network, while themes added to an individual site are only available to that site.
To delete a theme from the entire network:
- Access the Network Admin dashboard.
- Navigate to Themes > Installed Themes.
- Click on the theme you want to delete.
- In the modal window, click the Delete link in the bottom-right corner.
Note that you cannot delete a theme that is currently active on any site in the network. You‘ll first need to switch those sites to a different theme.
To delete a theme from an individual site in the network:
- Navigate to the site‘s dashboard.
- Go to Appearance > Themes.
- Follow the same deletion process as a regular WordPress site (hover over theme thumbnail, click Theme Details, then Delete).
Deleting a theme from one site in a Multisite network will not affect the theme‘s availability for other sites.
Conclusion
Removing unused themes is an important part of WordPress site maintenance. Whether you delete via the admin dashboard or FTP/SFTP, taking a few minutes to clear out the clutter can have a positive impact on your site‘s speed, security, and manageability.
The dashboard method is easier for most users, but requires admin access. The FTP/SFTP method is more direct, but requires a bit more technical know-how.
Whichever method you choose, always remember to back up your site files and database before making significant changes. And if you‘re ever unsure, it‘s better to deactivate a theme rather than delete it entirely.
By following these best practices and regularly auditing your theme library, you can keep your WordPress site running smoothly for years to come.
