Can I Use a New Theme on a Subdomain in WordPress?

By Nathan McGinty

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The WordPress CMS is not only free, but also an extremely flexible and powerful system. You can further customize your WordPress installation by enabling the WordPress Multisite installation feature, which allows you to set up subdomains, each with an individual theme.

WordPress Multisite

Multisite was introduced along with WordPress 3.0. Previously WordPress employed a totally separate code fork branch called WordPress MU (Multi User). Since WordPress 3.0, Multisite has been incorporated into the main WordPress installation. In order to use Multisite, you must enable the Multisite feature in your WordPress installation.

Installing Multisite

To enable Multisite, first ensure you have the latest version of WordPress. If you're just beginning, install it from the WordPress home page (link in Resources). Follow the instructions to set up your MySQL database and insert the connection user name and passwords into your wp-config.php file. Log in to WordPress and download any additional updates as needed. Open the wp-config.php file using the WordPress editor. Look through the file for the line that ends "happy blogging" and add the following code:

/ Enable Multisite / define('WP_ALLOW_MULTISITE', true);

Save the file. Click "Tools -> Network Setup." Choose the method "subdomain" for adding new sites.

Further Installation

After configuring WordPress Multisite for multiple subdomains, you'll need to configure each subdomain separately. The specific instructions will vary from installation to installation, but after turning on subdomains, you'll be presented with a wizard for each one instructing you with the code you need to add to your wp-config.php file. If you plan to manage a number of different subdomains, or allow users to install their own, you might want to look through some of the plugins available for Multiuser installations, such as BuddyPress.

Using a New Theme With a Subdomain

It's possible to use a new theme on a subdomain for WordPress Multisite, but this theme must be installed at the original WordPress installation. The theme will be available across all your subdomains. When installing a theme for Multisite, be sure to choose one that's built to be robust across a large installation. Browse the WordPress theme installer from inside WordPress to get a preview and install themes for your subdomains. Some themes are also available from software vendors.

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