How to Update WordPress Child Themes Safely

Think of a child theme as a safe zone for your customizations. It inherits the look and feel (styles) from a parent theme, but allows you to make changes without affecting the original theme. This keeps the foundation of your client’s website stable while enabling you to personalize it.

Many agencies leverage the power of child themes for their WordPress projects. But what happens when it’s time for an update? Updating WordPress child themes incorrectly can break your client’s website. That’s why understanding the safe update process is so important.

Like any software, child themes benefit from updates. These updates often include bug fixes, security patches, and compatibility improvements for the latest WordPress versions. Keeping a child theme up-to-date ensures your client’s website is secure, performs optimally, and avoids potential conflicts with future WordPress updates.

At White Label Agency we provide our clients with website support and security. Our vast experience comes from working with over 600 agencies and completing more than 10,000 projects. This extensive background equips us to handle any website management task, including the safe updating of WordPress child themes.

Child Theme Update Methods

Child themes help users and developers modify their websites while ensuring all of their customizations remain intact during theme updates. By creating a child theme, you establish a separate space for all your custom changes. This separation allows you to update the main theme without affecting your customizations.

When you update the parent theme, your WordPress might still indicate the child theme is outdated. This usually requires updating the version number of your child theme to match the parent theme. Here are three methods to do this:

• Method 1: Update via Theme Package

If you have not customized the style.css file in your child theme, you can simply replace it with the new one from the child theme folder in the parent theme’s update package.

• Method 2: Update via WordPress Admin

If you’ve made some minor customizations directly within your child theme’s style.css file, you can update the version number directly within WordPress itself. Here’s how:

1. Go to “Appearance” > “Theme Editor”.
2. Select the style.css file of the child theme.
3. Change the version number to match the parent theme.

• Method 3: Update via FTP

If you’ve made extensive customizations beyond the style.css file, it’s recommended to use an FTP client for more control.

1. Connect to your server using FTP.
2. Navigate to wp-content/themes/your-child-theme/.
3. Download the style.css file to your desktop.
4. Edit the version number to match the parent theme.
5. Upload it back to the server.

Back-Up Your Site

Before starting any updates, including those to your WordPress child themes, it is essential to back up your entire WordPress site. This acts as a safeguard should complications arise during the update process. Numerous backup plugins are available for WordPress, facilitating a swift and efficient backup process. With a backup secured, you can readily restore your site to its former condition in the event of unforeseen problems. This assurance enables you to proceed with updating your child theme confidently, secure in the knowledge that your valuable customizations are protected. For comprehensive WordPress website backup, UpdraftPlus is a dependable solution.

Updating Your Child Theme: A Step-by-Step Guide

Before Updating:

• Backup: Create a complete backup of your website for safety.
• Save Customizations: If you’ve made edits to the WordPress child themes stylesheet, copy and paste them into a text document for future reference. Alternatively, if using Divi, consider pasting them into the Divi Theme Options Custom CSS box to preserve them.

Updating the Theme:

• Upload New Version: Upload the latest version of your child theme and activate it.
• Install Plugins: Follow any prompts to install necessary plugins, particularly the “Customizer Import & Export” plugin.
• Import Customizer Settings: Upload the provided Customizer settings files within Divi’s Theme and Module Customizer areas.
• Reassign Menus: Go to “Appearance > Menus” and re-assign your menus if needed.

After Updating:

• You might notice minor visual changes, especially in the module areas where new settings were introduced in the update. Fine-tune these settings to match your preferences.

Prioritize Changelog Review Before Updates

To ensure smooth updates, examining the “changelog” for each theme, plugin, and WordPress core update is essential before installation. A changelog details the changes made in the new version.

While reviewing changelogs can keep you informed about new features, the primary purpose here is to identify potential conflicts with your website’s specific configuration. These conflicts could arise from customizations you’ve made, such as using custom CSS to style a plugin’s contact form. By reading the changelog, you can verify if the update alters any elements (like CSS IDs or classes) that your custom code relies on.

Secure WordPress Management with White Label Agency 

Outdated themes pose a significant security risk to your WordPress website. Just like any software, themes can contain vulnerabilities that hackers exploit to gain access. These vulnerabilities are weaknesses in the code that become widely known over time, making outdated themes easy targets ripe for exploitation. By keeping your themes updated, you ensure they benefit from the latest security patches that address these known vulnerabilities. This significantly reduces the chances of hackers compromising your website through the theme.

At White Label Agency, we understand the nuances of WordPress website management, particularly when it comes to child themes. Our expertise ensures that updating your WordPress child themes is a smooth, secure process that maintains the integrity and functionality of your site. Regular maintenance and cautious updating practices, guided by our experienced team, will keep your site optimized and performing well for your users. Don’t hesitate to reach out to our sales team.