WPBeginner

Beginner's Guide for WordPress

  • Blog
    • Beginners Guide
    • News
    • Opinion
    • Showcase
    • Themes
    • Tutorials
    • WordPress Plugins
  • Start Here
    • How to Start a Blog
    • Create a Website
    • Start an Online Store
    • Best Website Builder
    • Email Marketing
    • WordPress Hosting
    • Business Name Ideas
  • Deals
    • Bluehost Coupon
    • SiteGround Coupon
    • WP Engine Coupon
    • HostGator Coupon
    • Domain.com Coupon
    • Constant Contact
    • View All Deals »
  • Glossary
  • Videos
  • Products
X
☰
Beginner's Guide for WordPress / Start your WordPress Blog in minutes
Choosing the Best
WordPress Hosting
How to Easily
Install WordPress
Recommended
WordPress Plugins
View all Guides

WPBeginner» Blog» Themes» How to Use Multiple Themes for Pages in WordPress

How to Use Multiple Themes for Pages in WordPress

Last updated on December 19th, 2014 by Editorial Staff
148 Shares
Share
Tweet
Share
Pin
Free WordPress Video Tutorials on YouTube by WPBeginner
How to Use Multiple Themes for Pages in WordPress

With a little styling tweaks, you can easily create templates for pages, sections, and even a single post in your WordPress theme. But what if you wanted to use a completely different theme for a section or page on your website? In this article, we will show you how to use multiple themes for pages in WordPress.

Preparing Your Site for Using Multiple Themes

Before you begin, you need to create a complete WordPress backup and turn off any caching plugins like W3 Total Cache or WP Super Cache on your site.

Sometimes caching plugins will show you an older version of the page which may restrict your ability to see changes properly.

Make sure that the themes you want to use are installed in WordPress. You can only activate one theme at a time, but you can install as many themes as you want. See our guide on how to install a WordPress theme.

Themes installed on a WordPress site

Video Tutorial

Subscribe to WPBeginner

If you don’t like the video or need more instructions, then continue reading.

Using Multiple Themes in WordPress

First thing you need to do is install activate the jonradio Multiple Themes plugin. Upon activation you need to visit Appearance » Multiple Themes plugin to configure the plugin.

Multiple Themes plugin settings

The plugin comes with extensive information about how to use the plugin. Each section on the settings page is explained in full detail. We will try to summarize those settings for you.

There are three ways you can set up multiple themes. The first option allows you to set a different theme for your site’s homepage. Simply choose a theme from the dropdown menu and click on the save all changes button.

Site's Homepage theme

The second option is to provide a full URL, use a URL prefix, or an Asterisk in URL. Any pages matching the URL will use the theme you define here.

Define theme based on URL or Prefix

The third method to apply theme is by using a query keyword. Any URLs containing the keyword you define will use the theme defined in this setting.

Use a theme based on query keyword

Changing Theme Options

Please note that when you apply a theme to a section, page, or query, it does not change your current active theme. In order to configure a theme you will have to temporarily activate it. Lets suppose that you are using Twenty Thirteen theme on your website, and you applied Twenty Fourteen on a particular page on your website.

To configure theme options for Twenty Fourteen, simply go to Appearance » Themes and activate Twenty Fourteen theme. Now you are free to make changes to the theme using Appearance » Customize.

Changing theme options for a non-active theme

Once you are satisfied with the theme setup, save your changes and then come back to Appearance » Themes and reactivate your old Twenty Thirteen theme.

For more advanced theme options, see the Theme Options tab on the plugin’s settings page.

Configuring theme options

That’s all for now. We hope that this article helped you learn how to use multiple themes for pages in WordPress.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Google+.

148 Shares
Share
Tweet
Share
Pin
Popular on WPBeginner Right Now!
  • How to Fix the Error Establishing a Database Connection in WordPress

    How to Fix the Error Establishing a Database Connection in WordPress

  • Checklist

    Checklist: 15 Things You MUST DO Before Changing WordPress Themes

  • Revealed: Why Building an Email List is so Important Today (6 Reasons)

    Revealed: Why Building an Email List is so Important Today (6 Reasons)

  • Google Analytics in WordPress

    How to Install Google Analytics in WordPress for Beginners

About the Editorial Staff

Editorial Staff at WPBeginner is a team of WordPress experts led by Syed Balkhi. Trusted by over 1.3 million readers worldwide.

The Ultimate WordPress Toolkit

36 Comments

Leave a Reply
  1. Hiren Mehta says:
    Mar 20, 2019 at 6:11 am

    Hello,

    One theme is active so how to update second theme options as that theme is not activated plus its styling, templates totally different to active theme.

    Can you please help me here.

    Thanks!

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Mar 20, 2019 at 10:49 am

      You would want to reach out to the plugin’s support for their current settings and methods for editing the themes.

      Reply
  2. Devil says:
    Jan 31, 2019 at 10:07 am

    After following this I am facing issues with
    1. Proper functioning of addtional CSS across multiple themes.
    2. Proper functioning of Common Widgets across multiple themes.

    Is there any solution to these problems?

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Jan 31, 2019 at 11:43 am

      You would want to reach out to the plugin’s support and they should be able to assist.

      Reply
  3. Balvinder Singh says:
    May 3, 2018 at 12:54 pm

    Man you are amazing, love your blog, best source for WordPress :)

    Reply
  4. Steven Adusei says:
    Mar 7, 2018 at 4:15 pm

    Hello,
    I have a wedding planning website built on wordpress. I’m planning to add wedding websites for brides. They will be able to create their own websites.
    Is this something multisite can do?
    Is there another way to achieve this?

    Thank you.

    Reply
  5. Neil says:
    Jan 26, 2018 at 8:30 pm

    Hello Syed,

    Is there anywhere where I can get answers about the WP themes that don’t provide the information that I need to make the right choice.

    It appears to this newbie that the developers of the themes assume everyone knows the basic ins and outs of themes.

    My frustration for lack of knowledge is:

    1) To find a fast response WP theme that will allow me to make the Home/First page “Static”? and will it allow me to use my own images for the header/background?
    2) Does the theme have extra page templates for what ever?
    3) Does it have a navigation bar to display links to my blog-photo gallery and subdomains?
    4) Do I have to have same theme for a blog, which must be set up for adsense and affiliate boxes?
    5) Does the Photo Gallery need a separate theme?
    6) Do my subdomain sites have to be the same theme?

    A lot of questions, but I genuinely need the answers please.

    I appreciate you can’t possibly look after everyone’s issues but even if you would be kind enough to direct to where I may be able to get the answers, that would be like winning the lottery.

    With fingers crossed I hope you will find time to reply with positive information for this dummy.

    Regards,
    Neil.

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Jan 28, 2018 at 6:45 am

      Hi Neil,

      Unfortunately, you will need to contact theme developers individually to get answers and you are right it could be slow to get the answers you need. Meanwhile, you can check out theme demos and those will answer some of your questions. For example, you can see navigation menus, photo galleries, advertisement boxes, and so on.

      You can use any theme with AdSense.

      Your subdomain sites can have different themes.

      Reply
  6. Clayton Stern says:
    Sep 27, 2017 at 11:59 pm

    My goal is to use multiple themes in a single page. I already know how to use multiple themes on different pages of the same site. I want to create a long page, with discrete “jump-to” sections, and use a different theme for each section, so that when one uses the links to navigate to the various sections, they experience the appearance of going to separate pages. In this way, I don’t end up with a messy and confusing pull-down nav bar menu at the top of each page.

    Reply
  7. emmanuel says:
    Aug 28, 2017 at 7:27 am

    how would i install a all the themes in the 6 in 1 motors theme on one website

    Reply
  8. TGL says:
    Jul 23, 2017 at 10:55 am

    Hi,

    I’m looking for a multi wordpress installation with the features as below…

    1. Categories in 1 installation should be common to other installations. For example in some theses, posts are placed based on category names, so I should be able to give category name of other WP installation there… Kindly help as I’m struggling with this since long..
    2. Users should be common in all installations.
    Thanks

    Reply
  9. Metro24 says:
    Oct 8, 2016 at 4:54 am

    Hi , I will use this to create mobile site with second theme and use domain with m.domain.com

    If i redirect www to m will redirect loop, What the solution for this..
    Thanks ,

    Reply
  10. Hasnain says:
    Oct 1, 2016 at 1:27 pm

    Hi i have two themes on my wordpress site one is responsive other is not so i want that if someone visit my website through pc it will display non responsive theme and if someone visit my website through mobile it will display responsive theme..Sorry for my bad english thank you

    Reply
  11. Rainier says:
    May 15, 2016 at 1:31 am

    Hi

    Does plugin maybe work with multisite domain mapping?

    Reply
  12. Jaret says:
    Feb 18, 2016 at 1:19 am

    I installed the Multiple Themes plugin. When I try to navigate to the second theme, I get the message “error trying to establish database connection”

    Any help would be greatly appreciated

    Reply
  13. Frank Edwards says:
    Feb 14, 2016 at 4:25 pm

    I activated WP’s Page Theme, as suggested by Skyborough, and for my Posts page, selected a different installed theme using the extra ‘page theme’ column. It did not work. My Posts page still has the default theme. I tried selecting the different theme for an individual post instead of the Posts page, but this did not work either.

    I use Cobalt Blue for my static pages but this does not work well for the posts so want to use a simpler theme such as FlatBox for the Posts page.

    I don’t know what else to try, or what I may be doing wrong. Any advice …?

    Thanks

    Reply
    • Frank Edwards says:
      Feb 17, 2016 at 8:16 pm

      Update: Silly me … I switched to the Multiple Themes plugin described in this article, and it works great. Thanks for the tutorial.

      Reply
  14. Michael says:
    Jan 26, 2016 at 6:07 am

    Great, But what if the main idea is not to merge 2 or more theme under one theme, what if I see a particular section from other theme and I like it, lets say the footer or possibly the header and I want to take that particular section. How do I go about that without it affecting my main theme make up..

    Thanks for your assistance !!

    Reply
    • btistaa says:
      Jan 28, 2016 at 1:57 pm

      did you find the solution?

      Reply
    • Asad Ur Rehman says:
      Dec 4, 2017 at 7:16 am

      hi did you find the solution? if yes then please share it with me.
      Thanks

      Reply
  15. Hemang Rindani says:
    Dec 17, 2015 at 5:17 am

    Great article. WordPress is a great enterprise content management system that can fulfill any type of business requirements according to the requirements. The effortless admin panel help a developer to have complete control on the website activities painlessly. WordPress can effectively implement any task including using multiple themes on landing page or even with a particular section of a page. There are multiple plugins available to do the task, however while implementing them, it is important to take certain precautions like disabling caching plugin. “Multiple Theme” is a good WordPress plugin that comes with number of options to allow a developer to include multiple themes on a web page. I feel, using multiple themes for different locations can be an effective strategy to engage visitors by providing a personalized feel, but using multiple themes can make a website slower which might be an issue to resolve.

    Reply
  16. Adeniyi Badmus says:
    Nov 9, 2015 at 9:06 pm

    I want to have a classified website for campus students and at the same time have a blog and question and answer .

    To do this I desired to use 3 premium themes.
    my question is , will using as much theme slow down my website load speed entirely?

    And is this act SEO friendly?

    Thanks

    Reply
    • Cliff says:
      Nov 30, 2015 at 11:25 pm

      Each time a page is loaded with diff theme, the browser will have to pull elements (images, css etc) relating to that theme. So yes, that will ‘slow’ the site down compare to having just one theme where the browser pull the elements once and cache it.

      However, if your premium themes are not heavy (like a lot of big images etc.), then it should be ok.

      Fast website loading is a plus fro SEO but this doesn’t the end all and be all for SEO. You should look at your heading tags and content and also how it links with one another.

      You will have to weight the balance between SEO friendly, fast loading vs the type of site you want with 3 themes.

      Reply
  17. Archit says:
    Oct 28, 2015 at 5:07 am

    Thanks for the informations. You guys give best information.

    Reply
  18. Dana says:
    Sep 6, 2015 at 1:17 pm

    Hello! Thank you for such great info!

    I’m searching for info I can’t seem to locate anywhere:

    I inherited a poorly designed website and as a newbie I want to install a new theme and create and build a site using the same domain, but without disturbing the existing site should anyone stumble there.

    I’ve already installed my new theme (not activated).

    Can someone please direct me to where I can find info on:

    1. How to work on an entirely new site using the same domain
    2. Once it’s complete and working well, how do I transport it in place of the original, existing website I want to replace on that same domain.

    Thank you!

    Reply
  19. Mary says:
    Mar 18, 2015 at 7:09 am

    I cannot install jonradio.. This what it says:

    Unpacking the package…

    Installing the theme…

    The package could not be installed. The theme is missing the style.css stylesheet.

    Theme install failed.

    Reply
    • Mary says:
      Mar 18, 2015 at 7:20 am

      Oh sorry I realized, i must install it as plugin

      Reply
  20. WPBeginner Staff says:
    Jan 17, 2015 at 2:05 am

    Create custom login page set it as front page of your website. Then follow the instructions in the tutorial we linked earlier.

    Reply
  21. WPBeginner Staff says:
    Jan 15, 2015 at 6:33 pm

    Set the page you want to show to logged in users as private. After that use this tutorial to redirect logged in users in WordPress.

    Reply
    • Siddardha Thammana says:
      Jan 16, 2015 at 12:55 pm

      No, it isn’t like that. Suppose I go to facebook.com, it will redirect me to a login page, right? If I am already logged in, it will take me to the homepage. This is what exactly I want to achieve.

      Reply
  22. Siddardha Thammana says:
    Jan 15, 2015 at 7:47 am

    Hello guys, I have this weird requirement: I want my users to see a different page when they access mydomain.com and are not logged in, but if they are logged in they should be redirected to the normal home page. Similar to how facebook works. Can you tell me the easiest way through which I can achieve this?
    Thank you.

    Reply
    • Varun Sharma says:
      May 7, 2015 at 9:14 pm

      There is a plugin for what you want: the ultimate coming soon plugin.

      It will work for your purpose.

      Reply
  23. WPBeginner Staff says:
    Dec 14, 2014 at 3:11 pm

    You can use any page as the static front page of your website. When you no longer wish to use it as the front page simply go to Settings > Reading and change static front page to something else.

    Reply
  24. Lyn Bowker says:
    Dec 12, 2014 at 9:01 am

    I’m so pleased this post has come along right now!
    I’ve decided to design my own site using WP.

    I have 2 premium themes I like & will need to use a membership plugin too.

    To start list building while I work on my site I want to use one of the themes to create a temporary landing page but the other theme to do the rest of the site. Also, once the site is finished I’d like the landing page to be somewhere else on my site (no longer being the page visitors land on when using my site url.

    I’ve been wondering how to do it but also procrastinating due to not being aware if thee are traps I might be setting for myself if I do this.

    Can you tell me which option is the best choice or are they all the same, ie; just different ways to do it?

    Many thanks again for raising this!

    Reply
  25. Skyborough says:
    Dec 7, 2014 at 11:53 am

    Two things:

    a) Response to Dan Knauss – none of that actually happens. You merely have a different theme per Page or Post. No complications at all. Is there another way? Yes, but this works well, and is easy.

    b) “Page Theme” is another PlugIn found in WP Plugin library. When activated, it installs another column in the WP Pages View and it enables one to assign any other (other than the current default theme) to any Page or Post you wish. Quite easy to do.

    When you install another theme that is not intended to be the default them, you do NOT activate it upon installation. You merely install it and then return to normal Admin stuff. In that way you have installed another (or more than one) theme which is there but NOT activated and is NOT the default theme.

    Then you assign whatever theme of all those available to whatever Page/Post you choose.
    …

    Reply
  26. Dan Knauss says:
    Dec 4, 2014 at 12:37 pm

    I’ve seen this plugin or another like it in the past, and I’ve wondered how it could be used well and why anyone would do it. Do you know any examples? Wouldn’t it be better to just create custom page templates within a single theme? Multiple themes with different and extensive functions.php files seem like they’d be resource hogs and liable to introduce redundancies and conflicts in functionand design code unless the themes were specifically built for this type of usage.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Thanks for choosing to leave a comment. Please keep in mind that all comments are moderated according to our comment policy, and your email address will NOT be published. Please Do NOT use keywords in the name field. Let's have a personal and meaningful conversation.

Over 1,320,000+ Readers

Get fresh content from WPBeginner

Featured WordPress Plugin
OptinMonster
OptinMonster
Convert website visitors into email subscribers. Learn More »
How to Start a Blog How to Start a Blog
I need help with ...
Starting a
Blog
WordPress
Performance
WordPress
Security
WordPress
SEO
WordPress
Errors
Building an
Online Store
Useful WordPress Guides
    • 7 Best WordPress Backup Plugins Compared (Pros and Cons)
    • How to Fix the Error Establishing a Database Connection in WordPress
    • Why You Need a CDN for your WordPress Blog? [Infographic]
    • 30 Legit Ways to Make Money Online Blogging with WordPress
    • Self Hosted WordPress.org vs. Free WordPress.com [Infograph]
    • Free Recording: WordPress Workshop for Beginners
    • 24 Must Have WordPress Plugins for Business Websites
    • How to Properly Move Your Blog from WordPress.com to WordPress.org
    • 5 Best Contact Form Plugins for WordPress Compared
    • Which is the Best WordPress Popup Plugin? (Comparison)
    • Best WooCommerce Hosting in 2020 (Comparison)
    • How to Fix the Internal Server Error in WordPress
    • How to Install WordPress - Complete WordPress Installation Tutorial
    • Why You Should Start Building an Email List Right Away
    • How to Properly Move WordPress to a New Domain Without Losing SEO
    • How to Choose the Best WordPress Hosting for Your Website
    • How to Choose the Best Blogging Platform (Comparison)
    • WordPress Tutorials - 200+ Step by Step WordPress Tutorials
    • 5 Best WordPress Ecommerce Plugins Compared
    • 5 Best WordPress Membership Plugins (Compared)
    • 7 Best Email Marketing Services for Small Business (2020)
    • How to Choose the Best Domain Registrar (Compared)
    • The Truth About Shared WordPress Web Hosting
    • When Do You Really Need Managed WordPress Hosting?
    • 5 Best Drag and Drop WordPress Page Builders Compared
    • How to Switch from Blogger to WordPress without Losing Google Rankings
    • How to Properly Switch From Wix to WordPress (Step by Step)
    • How to Properly Move from Weebly to WordPress (Step by Step)
    • Do You Really Need a VPS? Best WordPress VPS Hosting Compared
    • How to Properly Move from Squarespace to WordPress
    • How to Register a Domain Name (+ tip to get it for FREE)
    • HostGator Review - An Honest Look at Speed & Uptime (2020)
    • SiteGround Reviews from 4196 Users & Our Experts (2020)
    • Bluehost Review from Real Users + Performance Stats (2020)
    • How Much Does It Really Cost to Build a WordPress Website?
    • How to Create an Email Newsletter the RIGHT WAY (Step by Step)
    • Free Business Name Generator (A.I Powered)
    • How to Create a Free Business Email Address in 5 Minutes (Step by Step)
    • How to Install Google Analytics in WordPress for Beginners
    • How to Move WordPress to a New Host or Server With No Downtime
    • Why is WordPress Free? What are the Costs? What is the Catch?
    • How to Make a Website in 2020 – Step by Step Guide
Deals & Coupons (view all)
LiveChat logo
LiveChat Inc Coupon
Get a 30 day free trial and 30% OFF LiveChat, one of the best live chat service providers for WordPress users.
ConvertKit Coupon Code
ConvertKit Coupon
Get a 14-day no risk FREE trial with this powerful email marketing software.
Featured In
About WPBeginner®

WPBeginner is a free WordPress resource site for Beginners. WPBeginner was founded in July 2009 by Syed Balkhi. The main goal of this site is to provide quality tips, tricks, hacks, and other WordPress resources that allows WordPress beginners to improve their site(s).
Join our team: We are Hiring!

Site Links
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • FTC Disclosure
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • Free Blog Setup
  • Free Business Tools
Our Sites
  • OptinMonster
  • MonsterInsights
  • WPForms
  • SeedProd
  • Nameboy
  • RafflePress
  • Smash Balloon

Copyright © 2009 - 2021 WPBeginner LLC. All Rights Reserved. WPBeginner® is a registered trademark.

Managed by Awesome Motive | WordPress hosting by SiteGround | WordPress CDN by MaxCDN | WordPress Security by Sucuri.