What is the WordPress Text Editor?

In the WordPress platform, the Theme Editor is an uncomplicated text modification tool found under Appearance » Editor. This feature grants you the capability to alter the files of your WordPress theme directly within the admin dashboard. Below is a visual representation of the Theme Editor interface.

To the editor’s right, you’ll find a catalog of files that can be edited within the active theme. A dropdown menu sits atop this list, providing the ability to switch between themes, including those that are not currently active. This feature often leads to confusion, as some users mistakenly believe that selecting a different theme from this menu will also set it as the active theme. However, this is not the case. Choosing a theme here only loads its files for editing; it does not activate the theme. To activate a different theme, one must navigate to Appearance » Themes.

For those who are not well-versed in coding, it’s crucial to understand that the Theme Editor might not be the right tool for you. Inexperienced users sometimes attempt to edit the functions.php file by inserting code snippets found online, which can lead to being locked out of the website if done incorrectly. To prevent such issues, we strongly advise learning the basics of FTP before attempting to modify the functions.php file via the Theme Editor. Additionally, we suggest reading our introductory guide on properly pasting code snippets from the internet to avoid any syntax mistakes.

Developers who wish to prevent clients or users from potentially compromising the website should consider disabling the theme and plugin editors within the WordPress admin area.