How to Create a WordPress Child Theme

Editing your theme’s files directly feels quick — until the next theme update wipes out every change. A child theme solves that. It’s the standard way to customise classic WordPress themes beyond what the Customizer allows.

When you need a child theme#

Create a child theme in 5 minutes#

1. In wp-content/themes/, create a folder, e.g. generatepress-child.
2. Create style.css:

   /*
   Theme Name: GeneratePress Child
   Template: generatepress
   Version: 1.0.0
   */

   Template must match the parent theme’s folder name exactly.

3. Create functions.php to load the stylesheets:

   <?php
   add_action( 'wp_enqueue_scripts', function () {
     wp_enqueue_style( 'child-style', get_stylesheet_uri(), array(), wp_get_theme()->get( 'Version' ) );
   }, 20 );

   Many modern parent themes load their own CSS automatically; check whether you also need to enqueue the parent stylesheet.

4. Zip the folder and upload via Appearance → Themes → Add New, or upload by SFTP.
5. Activate the child theme. Re-check menus and widgets — and Customizer settings, which are stored per theme (most themes offer an import/export option).

Overriding templates#

Copy a template file from the parent (e.g. single.php or template-parts/content.php) into the same path in your child theme and edit it there. WordPress uses the child version automatically. Keep overrides minimal — the more you copy, the more you have to update when the parent changes.

Using hooks instead of copying files#

// Add a call-to-action after every post
add_filter( 'the_content', function ( $content ) {
  if ( is_singular( 'post' ) ) {
    $content .= '<p class="cta">Need help? <a href="/contact/">Get in touch</a>.</p>';
  }
  return $content;
} );

Hooks (actions and filters) are more update-proof than template copies.

Block themes#

For block themes, much customisation happens in the Site Editor and theme.json. Child themes still work: add your own theme.json to override settings and a templates/ folder for template changes.