Updating the theme

Keeping your theme up to date matters for compatibility with the latest WordPress release, for security, and for access to new features and bug fixes. This article walks through where the update notifications appear, how to check which version you have, where to read the changelog, and how to resolve the common issues that can block an update.

There are three places where WordPress will tell you that a new theme version is available:

1. From your WordPress Dashboard → Updates, update any outdated themes from the list shown there.
2. In Appearance → Themes, a New version available badge appears over any outdated theme. Click the message and then Update now.
3. In the Pixelgrade tab, a banner reading New Theme Update is Available! appears whenever one of our themes has an update waiting.

Checking your current theme version

You can see the exact version of the theme installed on your site in two places:

1. Go to Appearance → Themes, click the active theme card, and the version number appears under the theme name.
2. Go to the Pixelgrade tab — the installed version is listed in your theme’s details area.

Reading the changelog

Every Pixelgrade theme has a public changelog with the full history of released versions, including compatibility notes and bug fixes.

You can view the changelog for Timber here: https://wupdates.com/timber-changelog.

Checking the changelog before updating is a good habit if you want to know exactly what’s changing.

Enabling theme updates

If your theme is not connecting to the update system, you will typically see one of these messages:

• An error occurred while updating [theme name]: Update package not available — shown in Dashboard → Updates.
• Automatic update is unavailable for this theme — shown next to the Update now button in Appearance → Themes.

Both messages mean the theme license is not yet connected. To enable automatic updates:

1. Install and activate the Pixelgrade Care plugin. If you don’t see it in Plugins → Installed Plugins, click the notification bar that appears after theme installation, or go to Appearance → Install Plugins.
2. Go to the Pixelgrade tab and click Connect to pixelgrade.com.
3. Log in with the account you used to purchase the theme. If you bought via ThemeForest, click Login with Envato and use your Envato credentials. If you bought directly from us, log in with your Pixelgrade account.
4. Once the connection completes, your theme is activated and ready to receive updates.

Checking your support period when updates still fail

If the Pixelgrade Care connection succeeded but updates still don’t appear, the most likely reason is that your support period has expired. Automatic updates require an active support period.

Verify your status on the My Account page. A message like Active. You have about 6 months of support remaining. means you’re covered. If the support period has ended, you can renew it from the same page to resume updates.

Re-syncing a stuck license

If your support period is active but the license still won’t activate on your site, a fresh re-sync usually resolves it:

1. Go to your My Account page and log out.
2. On your website, open the Pixelgrade tab and click Disconnect in the top bar (screenshot).
3. Log back in to My Account. If you purchased from Envato or Creative Market, use the dedicated login button for that source.
4. Click Recheck Licenses on your account page.
5. Back on your site, open the Pixelgrade tab and click Connect to pixelgrade.com. Follow the on-screen steps to complete the re-sync.

Installing the theme manually

You can always install or update the theme by uploading the zip file yourself. The steps depend on where you purchased the theme.

If you purchased from ThemeForest:

1. Open your ThemeForest account and go to the Downloads page.
2. Download the theme and select the Installable WordPress file only option.
3. In your site dashboard, go to Appearance → Themes → Add new and click Upload Theme.
4. Select the zip file you downloaded and click Replace current with uploaded.

If you purchased directly from Pixelgrade:

1. Go to your Pixelgrade account and download the theme.
2. In your site dashboard, go to Appearance → Themes → Add new and click Upload Theme.
3. Select the zip file you downloaded and click Replace current with uploaded.

Backing up before an update

The theme updater does not create its own backup. Before any update, we recommend making a full backup of your website. If anything goes wrong — rarely, but it can happen — you can quickly restore the working version from your backup.

Keeping your Customizer changes during an update

Any adjustments you’ve made in Appearance → Customize are stored separately from the theme files and survive an update untouched. That includes font and color choices, layout options, and any custom CSS you’ve added in the Additional CSS area.

Using a child theme for file-level changes

Any edits you make directly to the theme’s own files will be overwritten when the theme updates. If you want to change or extend the theme code, do it through a child theme so your changes live outside the main theme folder and stay intact through every update.

Renaming the theme or folder

Renaming the theme or its folder has different consequences, and it’s best to leave both untouched so the updater keeps working.

• Theme name changed: when the theme updates, the name reverts to the original (e.g. Rosa, Julia).
• Theme folder renamed: the updater can no longer track your theme, and you’ll stop receiving update notifications.