How To Install Or Upgrade Suffusion Theme shows you how to manually install the latest version of suffusion theme by following a few steps and more.
Last Updated: January 8, 2024
Latest News: Updated the documentation.
Most people nowadays know how to install a theme in WordPress. In this documentation you will learn how to upload and install Suffusion theme in your site, upload the zip folder from your computer / laptop to the server, unzip the folder and replace the files in the server or upload only the files that have been modified.
The following list explains the steps you need to take to achieve this. There are 3 methods mentioned below that will help you install Suffusion theme. Choose the method that best describes your situation.
List of step to carry out:
- Download the latest version from github. (Applies to all methods)
- Create a backup of your site just in case something goes wrong. (Applies to all methods)
- Install Suffusion theme for the first time.
- Install a second theme and put your site in maintenance mode.
- Delete and/ or replace the current version from your site.
- Upload the theme from your computer or laptop and unzip the content.
- Copy and paste to replace the existing files.
- Activate Suffusion parent theme or the child theme if you are using one.
- Import the settings if you exported them.
- Check to make sure the theme is working correctly.
What You Need:
Suffusion Theme / Child Theme Tutorials:
- How To Install Suffusion Theme
- Create A Suffusion Child Theme In a Few Steps
- Suffusion Theme Options Back End Child Themes
How To Install Or Upgrade Suffusion Theme
The best and safest method to install or upgrade Suffusion theme is illustrated in the following steps. Please make sure you follow each step correctly.
If you don’t have a security plugin in place, I highly recommend the following security plugin All In One WP Security And Firewall. This plugin has a feature that allows you to put your site in maintenance mode.
Method 1: First Time Installing The Theme
These steps are meant for those who are installing Suffusion theme for the first time.
Step 1 ) Download to your computer/ laptop the latest version from the following URL github.com/sayontan/suffusion/tree/master/dist.
Step 2 ) Create a back up of your site, this is just as a precaution just in case something goes wrong. Like they say, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Step 3 ) Install suffusion theme like you normally install a theme but don’t activate the theme just yet. Click on Live Preview button to make sure it looks correct to you. If it does not look right and you need to carry out some tweaking and customization, put your site in Maintenance mode before going live.
Note: The following documentation how-to-install-wordpress-theme.php shows you how to install a theme.
Step 4 ) Make sure you have a second theme installed. This is mainly to have a theme available just in case you run into complications with Suffusion. By having a second theme installed “not active” allows you to recover your site. WordPress provides a default theme for the WordPress version installed in your site. For example: If you are running WordPress 6.4.2, the default theme for WordPress is Twenty Twenty-Four. (Remember: This should only take a few minutes if everything goes well.)
Method 2: Updating Current Theme Installation
These steps are meant for those who have an older version of Suffusion and want to replace the old theme with the updated version.
Step 1 ) First export suffusion settings just in case you have created a lot of customization in Suffusion and you don’t want to loose those customizations. However nowadays it is very easy to update a theme with the latest version. Note: Click the following link suffusion-theme-options-introduction-export-import to learn more.
Important: If you have a child theme installed for Suffusion, you don’t have to export the settings if all of your customization is carried out in the child theme.
Step 2 ) Make sure you have a second theme installed. This is mainly to have a theme available just in case you run into complications with Suffusion. By having a second theme installed “not active” allows you to recover your site. WordPress provides a default theme for the WordPress version installed in your site. For example: If you are running WordPress 6.4.2, then the default theme for WordPress is Twenty Twenty-Four. (Remember: This should only take a few minutes if everything goes well.)
Step 3 ) Install and activate the latest Suffusion version you downloaded in Method 1: Step 1 ) above. Import suffusion settings if you exported the settings in Method 2: Step 1 ) above.
Step 4 ) Check to make sure all your settings are correct and your site looks the same as before. You should now have your site running the latest version of Suffusion.
Method 3: Updating The Theme Manually (By FTP or WP File Manager)
These steps are meant for those who have access to their server via FTP or file manager and know what they are doing. (Highly recommended for experts only).
Step 1 ) Use File Manager in cPanel or FileZilla. (Note: Use the plugin WP File Manager, if you are not comfortable using WP File Manager in cPanel.)
- Upload the zipped folder you downloaded from Method 1: Step 1 ) above.
- Unzip the folder and copy and paste the content into the suffusion folder that already exist in your server. This will override all Suffusion files and folders with the updated version.
- Import suffusion settings if you exported the settings in Method 2: Step 4 ) above.
- Visit your site to make sure it looks the same as before. Also make sure everything looks and works okay in Suffusion admin panel.
Step 2 ) Make sure you have a second theme installed. This is mainly to have a theme available just in case you run into complications with Suffusion. By having a second theme installed “not active” allows you to recover your site. WordPress provides a default theme for the WordPress version installed in your site. For example: If you are running WordPress 6.4.2, then the default theme for WordPress is Twenty Twenty-Four. (Remember: This should only take a few minutes if everything goes well.)
Note: Alternative you can upload the files modified if you know which files they are and you are happy tinkering with the server.
Suffusion Theme Installed Location
- yoursite.com/wp-content/themes/ = suffusion and child-theme
Github Changelog
The following is a list of the changes made to Suffusion by the developer/s.
Version 4.6.3 – 06 January 2024
============================================
============================================
Version 4.6.2 – 17 December 2023
- Remove “latest” from page head (#70)
- Fix PHP deprecate in settings (#67)
- Old versions available in archive repo (#66)
- Fix PHP warning in sitemap (#64)
- Fix version number in 4.6.1 zip
============================================
Version 4.6.1 – 27 November 2023
- Updated custom post types (#62)
- Fixed issues with empty option fields (#61)
- Fixed check for translation files (#60)
- Changed http to https (#59)
- Added German and Spanish translations (#54, #57)
- Removed old versions (#56)
============================================
Version 4.6.0 – 22 November 2023
- Theme Check: Escape URLs used in attributes (#31)
- Removed obsolete files (#39)
- Updated options header (#40)
- Removed broken link in options (#41)
- Fixed PHP deprecated warnings (#42)
- Clean-up obsolete tags (#44)
- Fix PHP warnings (#45)
- Theme Check: Fix text domain (#46)
- Theme Check: Update metadata (#47)
- Theme Check: Replace add_theme_support (#48)
- Theme Check: Escape URLs (#49)
- Remove WordPress version number (#51)
- Add wp_body_open to header (#52)
============================================
Version 4.5.7 – 23 January 2020
Changed “continue” statement in several php files:
- featured-posts.php.
- functions.php.
- suffusion-css-helper.php.
- template-sitemap.php.
- /admin/theme-options-renderer.php.
- /custom/navigation-menu.php.
- /functions/filters.php, template.php.
- all files from /layouts/ directory.
- /post-formats/content-gallery.php.
- /widgets/suffusion-featured-posts.php, suffusion-subscription.
============================================
Version 4.5.6 – 21 May 2016
/wp-content/themes/suffusion/functions/media.php
/wp-content/themes/suffusion/ChangeLog, style.css
Fixed Warning: “continue” targeting switch is equivalent to “break”. in media.php.
============================================
Version 4.5.4 – 4.5.5 – Colin fixes
/wp-content/themes/suffusion/custom/site-footer.php
Fixed my mistakes in versioning the theme and returning back to http instead https in site-footer.php
============================================
Version 4.5.3 – 06 Mar 2018 – Opa Jaap fixes
/wp-content/themes/suffusion/functions/actions.php, framework.php
Fixed PHP notices: “Trying to get property ‘ID’ of non-object” in actions.php and “Undefined index: HTTP_USER_AGENT” in framework.php.
============================================
Version 4.5.2 – 23 Feb 2018 – Opa Jaap bug fixes
/wp-content/themes/suffusion/admin/suffusion-options-page.php
/wp-content/themes/suffusion/functions/template.php
Solved bug related to not always saving the changes from Custom Styles when is settled to save those changes in a file.
============================================
Version 4.5.1 – 12 Feb 2018 – Drake version
Minor changes to the code for preventing the PHP warnings on servers with PHP 7+
============================================
If you have any questions please leave a comment. I will be updating this tutorial from time to time.
More suffusion tutorials:
I have been working in IT since 1999 and I enjoy the challenges it brings me. I love developing websites with WordPress. I spend a lot of time helping out in wordpress.org forums. I have been writing tutorials since 2011. Now I am learning how to manage my own VPS "Virtual Private Server.
Hi!
Are all the steps above really necessary? An installation of Suffusion seems quire simple if you look at this instruction…
https://github.com/sayontan/suffusion
Is it possibly a different process if it’s a matter of upgrading?
Hi, yes the instructions are simple but they are meant for those who are installing Suffusion for the first time. My instructions cover all aspects of the installation process. For example: You might have an older version already running and you wish to update. You might not want to touch your customize version and only update the files changed in the latest version. It is also important to export your settings if you are updating your older version with the latest version. I think you get what I mean.
If you need any more help with your questions please let me know.
Kind regards
OK, so there is no simple in-place upgrade for this theme then?
Hi,
Most users nowadays use a child theme. This makes it much easier to upgrade the parent theme without affecting the customizes changes made in the child theme. If you follow my instructions in this post you should be okay.
Kind regards
The only custom settings that I have are at Back-end/Custom Includes. Would those settings actually be affected (or wiped) by an upgrade?
No, those settings will not be lost. However as a rule of thumb it is always important to create a backup just in case you run into issues. As they say, it is better to be safe than sorry.
Kind regards
Got it! But theoretically the simple method would work in my case (download, unzip, upload/replace and activate), right?
After all, there is a server side backup available… Just in case.
Yes, the simple method will work in your case.
Regards