How to Find Out What WordPress Theme a Site is Using

Have you ever seen a WordPress website and wondered, "What WordPress theme is that?" If so — and who hasn't? — you'll be thrilled to learn there's a WordPress theme detector strategy you can harness. 

In this tutorial, we'll answer your burning question, "What WordPress theme is that?" And more importantly, "How can I figure it out?" With these three WordPress theme detector strategies, we'll walk you through the process you'd follow to answer these questions. 

How to Find Out What WordPress Theme a Site is Using

There are three main ways to decipher what theme a WordPress site is using. First, you can use a WordPress theme detector tool and insert the site URL. Alternatively, if the site uses a custom-built stylesheet or has been heavily modified, you can manually locate the style.css file in the website's source code. You can also use IsItWIP to expedite the process.

So, let's dive in. Whether you want to change your theme or start entirely from scratch with a new theme you love, having WordPress theme detector strategies will prove invaluable. (Psst: Need more tips for building the WP site of your dreams? Check out this video.) 

1. Find a Site’s WordPress Theme Using a Theme Detector Tool

If you know a site is using WordPress and merely want to figure out which theme it is making use of, this is the route for you. The easiest way to figure out what theme a site is using is by using a WordPress theme detector tool. This is the easiest option because all you need is the tool and the URL of the site you’re interested in. Within seconds, you can retrieve the name of the theme it uses. For this reason, a WordPress theme detector is the most straightforward option. 

Admittedly, if the site is highly customized, the tool may have difficulty detecting what theme it is using. However, it’s always worth spending a few seconds searching the URL in one of the tools below. And then, if that proves futile, you can always use our backup method — which we’ll dive into soon. 

Here are a few of our favorite options for WordPress theme detectors. 

3 of the Best WordPress Theme Detector Options 

If you’re considering a WordPress theme detector, you know there are many options out there! Determining which to trust with your WordPress theme detecting needs can be tricky, so here are three of our favorite options we suggest you try. 

1. WP Theme Detector by Satori

The WordPress Theme Detector by Satori is a straightforward, easy-to-use tool that provides a free scan of any web page. It automatically extracts active theme information, so all you have to do is input the URL of the site you want to search and click the button. We love how quickly this tool works — and how accurate it is.

2. What WordPress Theme Is That

The WordPress Theme Detector by Satori is a straightforward, easy-to-use tool that provides a free scan of any web page. It automatically extracts active theme information, so all you have to do is input the URL of the site you want to search and click the button. We love how quickly this tool works — and how accurate it is. Next up is the What WordPress Theme Is That tool. Similar to the previous, it’s another free tool that you can use to automatically detect what theme — and plugins — a site uses. Similar to the WP Theme Detector, this tool is low-lift — just type in the URL to the search bar and wait for the tool to retrieve the information you need.

In contrast to the bare-bones WP Theme Detector, the What WordPress Theme Is That tool provides more details. You’ll learn who the author is, get an author homepage, and even an image of the demo homepage. Here’s an example of what you’ll see when you use this tool: 

3. WordPress Theme Detector by ScanWP

Next up is the WordPress Theme Detector courtesy of ScanWP. When you use this free theme detector, you’ll get even more information regarding the site theme, where you can find it, and even the cost associated with purchasing it. So if you’re interested in purchasing the same theme that a site is using, you can download and implement it on your own site in a matter of minutes. 

This free theme detector provides even more information about a site’s theme, including where you can find it and how much it costs. That means that you could find out what theme a site is using and have it implemented on your own site in minutes.

For instance, say we click on ‘Themeforest’ in the above search result for Jane’s Patisserie. Then, we are automatically directed to the product page in Envato Market. There’s even an option to buy now.

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If a site uses a highly-customized theme, has hidden its theme details, or was not built on WordPress, then the aforementioned tools will indicate an error message, and you can move on to the next step.

2. Use 'IsItWP' to Determine a Theme 

In some cases, you might not necessarily be sure a site is using WordPress at all — but if it is, you want to know which theme it is making use of. That’s where this handy tool comes into the picture. It’s like a WordPress theme detector, but a step further. 

With the assistance of IsItWP, you’ll quickly and effectively learn if a site is making use of WordPress at all. If so, you can dive deeper into the theme and plugins it is using. If not, you won’t waste any additional time searching. Here’s how to use IsItWP. 

First, you’ll pull up the URL you want to investigate and insert it into the search bar. For instance, let's analyze a coffee shop website, Ceremony Roasters.

We insert the URL in the search bar. Then, click the ‘Analyze Website’ button, and you’re on your way. 

IsItWP then informs you if the site was built with WordPress. In this case, it was. 

It then provides you with the title, hosting provider, and a link to access the WHOIS info. When you scroll down, you’ll find the theme details and expands on if it is found in the IsItWP database. The tool also reviews plugins that the site uses so you’re in the know with that, too.

3. Find a Site’s WordPress Theme Manually

So you’ve tried both of the previously mentioned strategies to determine which theme a WordPress website is using, and you’re still unsure. It’s time to step it up — and to do so, you’ll need to find the site’s WordPress theme manually. 

If the theme detectors aren’t able to scan a site, that means the theme is probably using a unique name. That’s not an issue, though — you can manually locate these details in the source code of the URL page. Let’s walk through how to do so. 

First, as a quick recap, source code is a text file that contains instructions fora computer program. When you visit a site, your browser downloads the necessary HTML, CSS, or programming language files that make up the site. Afterward, the website displays these files in the stylistic way you see on your screen every time you interact online, otherwise known as the User Interface. That’s where you’ll find the key to deciphering what WordPress theme a site is using. 

How to a Find WordPress Theme in the Source Code

Regardless of how familiar you are with script languages including HTML or CSS, you’ll be happy to learn that finding the source code is simple. Let’s walk through it now.

1. Go to your favorite WordPress site.

For this example, we’ll check out one of my favorite food blogs, Just Homemade. Right-click on the screen, select View Page Source from the drop-down menu and view the newly opened tab.

Press Ctrl+F and type “style.css” into the search box. Scroll down until you find a line of text that looks something like this:

<link rel='stylesheet' id='themename_style-css' rel="noopener" target="_blank" href='http://example.com/wp-content/themes/theme-name/style.css?ver=1.1.47' type='text/css' media='all' />

As shown in the screenshot below, the exact line in Just Homemade’s source code is:

<link rel='stylesheet' id='brunch-pro-theme-css' rel="noopener" target="_blank" href='https://www.justhomemade.net/wp-content/themes/brunch-pro/style.css' type='text/css' media='all' />

At the top of the file, you should see the theme header block, which will display the theme name. It will look something like this:

Now that you see the theme name at the top of the header block, you can then search it in a new browser window to locate where it’s available for purchase. For example, we found the Brunch Pro theme used to build Just Homemade is available at Feast Design Co.

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Sure, it’s a more roundabout way to figure out what theme a website is using — but it’s effective, and can help you find even the most tricky themes. 

Use Your Favorite WordPress Themes From Any Site

Now that you know how to find WordPress themes that best fit your brand’s style and content organization, you can now start implementing a wide selection of both free and premium themes available. Happy theme sleuthing! 

This post was originally published in December 2019 and has been updated for comprehensiveness in June 2022.