# How To Update The Theme

> Update the Phox theme safely, with the Envato auto-update or manually via FTP or WordPress for Envato and wdes Marketplace purchases, then update the required plugins.

Source: https://phox.wdes.org/docs/how-to-update-the-theme/
Last updated: 2026-11-08

We want to ensure your Phox update goes as smoothly as possible. We’ve created a comprehensive guide to help you with this process, regardless of which Phox version you’re currently on. Please read this in full so you’re informed of how to best update your Phox site. Take note of our **Overview** area below to help guide you through this post’s content.

**If you bought Phox on Envato (ThemeForest):**

There are two ways to update your theme. The first method is our Auto Update feature which requires you to register your purchase via [Token Registration](https://phox.wdes.org/docs/register-your-purchase-via-token-key/). The second is to upload the theme manually, either via FTP or WordPress. This is the traditional method and requires you to download the theme files from ThemeForest first.

**If you bought Phox on wdes Marketplace:**

Themes bought on the wdes Marketplace are updated manually: download the latest version from the **Downloads** tab of your wdes account, then replace the theme via FTP or WordPress.

Before you update, it’s best practice to always check our [Important Update Information](https://phox.wdes.org/docs/general-update-info/) article which is updated for each new version and to make a full site backup and make a database backup. This will ensure you can revert to a working version if anything unexpected occurs.

## Overview

**If you bought Phox on Envato (ThemeForest):**

- [Best Practice:](https://phox.wdes.org/docs/how-to-update-the-theme/#bestpractice) A list of important points to check before updating your site.
- [Auto Update Method:](https://phox.wdes.org/docs/how-to-update-the-theme/#autoupdate) Information on how to update using WordPress’s auto-update feature.
- [Manual Update Methods:](https://phox.wdes.org/docs/how-to-update-the-theme/#manualupdate) This covers uploading through the WordPress admin and how to do a direct FTP installation.
- [How To Update Required Plugins:](https://phox.wdes.org/docs/how-to-update-the-theme/#requiredplugins) Covers details on updating Phox’s required **Core** and plugins.
- [Troubleshooting: ](https://phox.wdes.org/docs/how-to-update-the-theme/#troubleshooting)Some common issues that you might encounter and what to do to fix it.

**If you bought Phox on wdes Marketplace:**

- [Best Practice:](https://phox.wdes.org/docs/how-to-update-the-theme/#bestpractice) A list of important points to check before updating your site.
- [Manual Update Methods:](https://phox.wdes.org/docs/how-to-update-the-theme/#manualupdate) This covers uploading through the WordPress admin and how to do a direct FTP installation.
- [How To Update Required Plugins:](https://phox.wdes.org/docs/how-to-update-the-theme/#requiredplugins) Covers details on updating Phox’s required **Core** and plugins.
- [Troubleshooting: ](https://phox.wdes.org/docs/how-to-update-the-theme/#troubleshooting)Some common issues that you might encounter and what to do to fix it.

## Best Practice

- Before processing any update, be sure to take a full site and database backup. That will ensure you’re able to revert to a working point in your site if anything unexpected happens.
- Before doing an update, we also recommend you give your installation a health check and ensure that your server is configured to the minimum requirements for Phox. You can find details on what you need to check here.
- It’s also very important that you ensure your server limits are at the required minimums for the update/theme install to complete.

**If you bought Phox on Envato (ThemeForest):**

## Auto Update Method

The easiest way to update your theme is to use the Envato Market Plugin Automatic Update feature, which will require you to register your product by [Token Registration](https://phox.wdes.org/docs/register-your-purchase-via-token-key/). Once you have registered the product and a Phox update is released, you will receive an update notification in the _WP Dashboard > Envato Market_ of your installation and requires user acknowledgment to complete the update.

#### How To Update Via The Auto Update Method:

> **Warning:** 🔴 IMPORTANT NOTE:
>
> We highly recommend backing up your theme, files and database before updating.

**Step 1** – Register your purchase by [Token Registration](https://phox.wdes.org/docs/register-your-purchase-via-token-key/).

**Step 2** – Navigate to the _WP Dashboard > Envato Market_ section of your installation.

![auto update](https://phox.wdes.org/docs/assets/auto-update.CDnb-UVW_1zNWLX.webp)

**Step** 3 – If there is an update, the plugin will notify you. and you need to click UPDATE NOW, by clicking on _Dashboard > Updates_. From here you can process your update per usual by selecting and updating your item.

![last update](https://phox.wdes.org/docs/assets/last-update.ZClaY6KQ_ZL1TUO.webp)

## Manual Update Method

With the Manual Update Method, you can either choose to upload the theme files manually via FTP or WordPress. Before you can update manually, download the latest theme files first.

**If you bought Phox on Envato (ThemeForest):**

Continue reading below for instructions on how to download the theme files from ThemeForest and how to upload them.

[Downloading the theme](https://phox.wdes.org/docs/downloading-the-theme/)

**If you bought Phox on wdes Marketplace:**

1. Log in to your [wdes account](https://wdes.org/login).
2. Navigate to **Subscriptions**.
3. Choose the **Phox** product and click on it. ![phox market product](https://phox.wdes.org/docs/assets/phox-market-product.CDKzV3sx_ZDfEkA.webp)
4. Open the **Downloads** tab and download the latest version. ![phox market download](https://phox.wdes.org/docs/assets/phox-market-download.BBjOg4g5_22wE30.webp)

#### How To Update Phox Via FTP

**If you update via FTP, it’s important that you delete (not replace or overwrite) the old Phox theme folder.** If you only overwrite the folder, then any files that were removed in the new version will remain in your site’s theme files. This is because it only updates exactly matching file names. This will cause issues in the theme, including fatal errors. When you update via the WordPress admin, the folder is automatically deleted first in the installation process.

1. Log into your server using FTP and navigate to the _wp-content > themes_ folder. Here you’ll find a folder called ‘Phox’.
2. Backup the ‘Phox’ theme folder by saving it to your computer. Once that’s completed, you can delete it from the server. Deleting the theme files won’t remove your content. Your content such as pages, options, images, and posts **will not** be lost or erased by doing this. However, any customizations to the theme’s core files, such as PHP files, will be lost unless you’re using a child theme.
3. Envato: Retrieve the theme files you’ve just downloaded. If you’ve downloaded the installable WordPress file, then you only need to extract it once to get to the ‘Phox’ folder. If you’ve downloaded the Full Theme Package you must extract it once to access the secondary ‘Phox.zip’ file, and then extract the secondary ‘Phox.zip’ file to get to the ‘Phox’ folder. wdes Marketplace: Retrieve the package you’ve just downloaded. Extract it once to access the ‘phox.zip’ file, and then extract ‘phox.zip’ to get to the ‘Phox’ folder.
4. Once extracted you can drag and drop the new Phox theme folder into the _wp-content > themes_ directory. Make sure the Phox theme folder is named _phox_ and **not** Phox.zip.
5. Don’t forget to update the required plugins.![ftp view phox](https://phox.wdes.org/docs/assets/ftp-view-phox.C-SUEkW2_2iPCfV.webp)

#### How To Update Phox Via WordPress

When you update via WordPress, your old theme folder will be deleted automatically, so you won’t need to do that yourself.

1. First, you need to deactivate your current Phox theme located in the WordPress Dashboard > Appearance > Themes section. To deactivate, simply switch to a different theme. For example, the default WordPress” twentytwenty” theme.
2. After deactivating you can go ahead and delete it. To do this, hover over the theme thumbnail then click ‘Theme Details’. In the bottom right corner of the window, click the ‘Delete’ button. Your content such as pages, options, images, and posts **will not** be lost or erased by doing this. However, any customizations to the theme’s core files, such as PHP files will be lost unless you’re using a child theme.
3. Envato: Retrieve the theme files you’ve just downloaded. If you’ve downloaded the installable WordPress file, then you do not need to extract it. If you’ve downloaded the Full Theme Package, you have to extract it once to access the secondary installable ‘phox.zip’ file. wdes Marketplace: Retrieve the package you’ve just downloaded and extract it once to access the installable ‘phox.zip’ file.
4. To install, navigate to the _WordPress Dashboard > Appearance > Themes_ section of your installation and click the ‘Add New’ button near the top of the page. Then click the ‘Upload Theme’ button.
5. Click on the ‘Choose File’ button and select the installable ‘phox.zip’ file and upload it. Once uploaded, click ‘Install Now’.
6. When this has completed successfully, re-activate the theme by clicking the ‘Activate’ button.
7. Don’t forget to update the required plugins. ![install wp](https://phox.wdes.org/docs/assets/install-wp.BRhqrZjj_GYcS8.webp)

## Updating The Required Plugins

Phox has a required plugin, the **‘Phox-Host’** plugin Without this plugin, the theme won’t work properly. With every theme update, there’s always update for the required plugin. Make sure you update the required plugin after updating the theme to ensure that you don’t run into any compatibility issues. To learn how, please click the button below.

[Plugin Installation Article](https://phox.wdes.org/docs/plugin-installation/)

## Troubleshooting

#### _‘Are You Sure You Want To Do This?’_ Error Message

If you get the “Are You Sure You Want To Do This” message when installing the ‘Phox.zip’ file via WordPress, it means your server has an upload file size limit, which is set by your host. If this happens, install the theme via FTP, or contact your hosting company and ask them to increase the limit. _We recommended an upload limit of 32M._

#### Theme Install Failed _‘Destination Folder Already Exists’_

You may be getting this error because you have a duplicate ‘Phox’ folder. This error happens because WordPress only allows you to have one theme with the same name when uploading the theme via the WordPress admin. Envato: We recommend updating the theme via the [Auto Update](https://phox.wdes.org/docs/how-to-update-the-theme/#autoupdate) method to get around this, or you can update the theme via [FTP](https://phox.wdes.org/docs/how-to-update-the-theme/#manualupdate). wdes Marketplace: We recommend updating the theme via [FTP](https://phox.wdes.org/docs/how-to-update-the-theme/#manualupdate) to get around this.