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Parent theme

The parent theme is the theme a child theme builds on. A child theme is a small theme that uses everything the parent provides and contains only the changes: additional styles, adjusted templates, extra functions. Your site shows the child theme, but most of what runs comes from the parent.

Why it matters

Section titled “Why it matters”

When a theme is updated, its files are replaced. Changes made directly in those files are lost. A child theme keeps them in its own files, so the parent can be updated safely.

That’s why the parent still matters: it does most of the work. Its updates bring security fixes and keep it working with new WordPress versions, and they only reach your site when the parent itself is updated. A child theme doesn’t replace those updates. Changes in the parent can also affect how the child’s adjustments work, so it’s worth a look at the site after a parent update.

Not every site needs a child theme. If you only use the theme’s settings, the Customizer or the Site Editor, your changes are stored in the database and survive updates anyway. A child theme matters when someone changed the theme’s code or templates.

What influences it

Section titled “What influences it”

WordPress: Whether a child theme exists depends on how the site was built. Developers often create one from the start. With block themes, many adjustments happen in the Site Editor and are saved in the database, so child themes are less common there. Whether WordPress knows about an update for the parent depends on where the theme comes from: WordPress checks themes from the WordPress.org directory on its own, while themes bought elsewhere need their own update mechanism, often tied to a license.

Browser: The styles of the parent and the child are combined in the page. Where both define the same thing, the child’s version usually wins.

In Permo

Section titled “In Permo”

The Parent theme card appears in System info, tab WordPress, under Theme, but only when the active theme is a child theme. It shows the parent’s name and version. When WordPress knows of a newer version, the card turns yellow and names it, with a link to the updates screen. When WordPress has checked the theme and found nothing newer, the card is green and says Up to date. For a theme that WordPress’s update check doesn’t cover, Permo has nothing to compare and shows the version without a color.

The child theme itself is on the card next to it; see active theme.

Section titled “Related”

Sources