Three ways to identify the exact WordPress theme any website is using — from instant detection to manual inspection.
You found a website with a design you love and want to know what WordPress theme powers it. This is one of the most common questions in the WordPress community, and there are several reliable ways to find the answer.
The fastest approach is using our free WordPress theme detector. Paste the URL, and the tool analyzes the site's source code to identify the active theme, installed plugins, and WordPress version — all in under 3 seconds.
Automated detectors work by scanning for /wp-content/themes/{slug}/ paths in the HTML, then cross-referencing with the WordPress.org theme directory and the theme's style.css header for detailed info like version number and author.
If you prefer the hands-on approach, right-click on the website and select View Page Source (or press Ctrl+U). Then search for wp-content/themes/ using Ctrl+F.
You'll find references like:
https://example.com/wp-content/themes/astra/style.css
The folder name after /themes/ is the theme slug. In this example, the site uses the Astra theme. You can search this slug on the WordPress.org theme directory for more details.
Every WordPress theme has a style.css file with a comment header containing metadata. Navigate directly to it by appending /wp-content/themes/{slug}/style.css to the site's URL. The header includes the theme name, version, author, and whether it's a child theme (indicated by the Template field).
Extensions like Wappalyzer or BuiltWith detect the technology stack of any page you visit, including WordPress themes. They're useful if you regularly research website technologies, but for a one-time check, our theme detector is faster — no installation required.
Many high-traffic sites use custom-built themes not available for purchase. You can still identify the theme slug and author through the methods above, but you won't find it in any marketplace. The theme was built specifically for that website by a development team.
If the theme is a child theme, checking the Template field in style.css reveals the parent theme — which often is available commercially. Many "custom" looking sites are actually child themes of popular frameworks like Astra, GeneratePress, or Genesis.
Almost always, yes. The theme slug is embedded in every CSS file, JavaScript file, and image path that the theme loads. The only exception is sites that deliberately obfuscate their asset paths using security plugins or custom server configurations — this is rare outside of enterprise WordPress installations.
No. If the site requires login to view, the HTML source isn't publicly accessible. You can only detect themes on pages that load without authentication.
Not necessarily. Page builders like Elementor, Beaver Builder, or the WordPress block editor can dramatically change a theme's appearance. The detected theme provides the structural foundation, but the visual design may be heavily customized.
This usually means the site uses a child theme. The most frequently referenced slug is the active theme, and the other is the parent. Our detector handles this automatically and shows both.
Ready to find out what theme a website is using? Try our WordPress Theme Detector — it's free and instant.