Lesson 09: Installing and Configuring a Theme (Hello Elementor)
Objectives
- Install and activate the Hello Elementor theme
- Configure basic theme settings
- Understand theme activation and deactivation
- Delete unused themes
Installing Hello Elementor
Hello Elementor is the official theme made by the Elementor team. It's designed to be a blank canvas that lets Elementor do all the heavy lifting for design.
Step 1: Install the Theme
- Go to Appearance → Themes
- Click "Add New Theme" at the top
- In the search box, type "Hello Elementor"
- Find the theme by "Starter Templates" / Elementor team
- Click "Install"
- Wait for installation to complete
Step 2: Activate the Theme
- After installation, click "Activate"
- Your site now uses Hello Elementor
Step 3: Visit Your Site
- Go to your site's front-end (
http://learning-wordpress.local/) - Notice that it looks very minimal — almost empty
- This is intentional — Hello Elementor is a blank canvas for Elementor
Understanding What Just Happened
When you activated Hello Elementor:
- The previous theme was deactivated (but not deleted)
- Hello Elementor's templates are now used to display your content
- Your content didn't change — all posts, pages, and settings are intact
- The appearance changed because the new theme has different styling
Theme Configuration
Hello Elementor is intentionally minimal, but it does have some basic settings.
Through the Customizer
- Go to Appearance → Customize (or visit your site and click "Customize" in the admin bar)
- The Customizer opens with a live preview
Available sections in Hello Elementor:
- Site Identity — Logo, site title, tagline, site icon (favicon)
- Menus — Navigation menu locations
- Homepage Settings — Same as Settings → Reading
- Additional CSS — Add custom CSS code
Setting Up Site Identity
- In the Customizer, click "Site Identity"
- Logo: Click "Select Logo" to upload your site logo
- Recommended: Upload a PNG with transparency
- Suggested size: 200-300px wide
- Site Title: Your site name (also set in Settings → General)
- Tagline: Your site description
- Site Icon (Favicon): The small icon that appears in browser tabs
- Upload a square image, at least 512×512 pixels
- PNG format works best
- Click "Publish" to save changes
Managing Themes
Viewing Installed Themes
- Go to Appearance → Themes
- Your active theme is shown first
- Other installed (inactive) themes are shown below
Deleting Unused Themes
Keep your site clean — delete themes you won't use:
- Go to Appearance → Themes
- Click on an inactive theme
- Click "Delete" in the bottom-right of the theme details popup
- Confirm deletion
Keep at least one backup theme (like Twenty Twenty-Five) in case your active theme has issues.
Rule of thumb: Keep your active theme + one default WordPress theme. Delete the rest.
Updating Themes
Themes receive updates for security fixes, bug fixes, and new features:
- Go to Dashboard → Updates
- If theme updates are available, they'll be listed here
- Select the themes to update and click "Update Themes"
- Alternatively, you'll see a notification on the Themes page
Installing Themes from ZIP Files
Some premium themes aren't in the WordPress directory. You download a ZIP file from the developer:
- Go to Appearance → Themes → Add New Theme
- Click "Upload Theme" at the top
- Click "Choose File" and select the ZIP file
- Click "Install Now"
- After installation, click "Activate"
What Makes Hello Elementor Special
| Feature | Benefit |
|---|---|
| Ultra-lightweight | Only ~6KB of CSS, fastest loading theme |
| No styling opinions | Doesn't impose fonts, colors, or layouts — Elementor controls everything |
| Built by Elementor team | Perfect compatibility guaranteed |
| Header/Footer support | Works with Elementor Pro's Theme Builder (or free alternatives like "Header Footer Elementor" plugin) |
| Regular updates | Maintained by the Elementor team |
When Hello Elementor Might Not Be Enough
Hello Elementor is intentionally barebones. If you need features without Elementor Pro:
- Custom header/footer without a page builder → Consider Astra or GeneratePress
- Built-in layout options → Consider Astra (has a free header builder)
- Pre-built site demos → Consider Astra + Starter Templates plugin
For this course, Hello Elementor is perfect since we're learning Elementor for design.
Exercises
Install and activate Hello Elementor: Follow the steps above.
Set up Site Identity: In the Customizer, add a site title, tagline, and favicon. You can use any small square image as a favicon.
Delete unused themes: Remove any themes you won't use, keeping Hello Elementor and one default theme as a backup.
Preview before activating: Install another theme (like Astra) — use "Live Preview" to see how it looks, but don't activate it. Then go back to Hello Elementor.
Check for updates: Go to Dashboard → Updates and see if any theme updates are available.
Key Takeaways
- Hello Elementor is the ideal theme for Elementor users — lightweight and designed as a blank canvas
- Install themes from the admin: Appearance → Themes → Add New
- Activate to start using a theme; content is preserved when switching
- Use the Customizer for basic settings (logo, favicon, site identity)
- Delete unused themes to keep your site clean and secure
- Keep one backup theme (a default WordPress theme) installed
- Premium themes can be installed from ZIP files
Next Lesson: Lesson 10 - Menus and Navigation