How to Use the WordPress Customizer

The WordPress Customizer gives you a live preview of your site as you make changes to its appearance. It's one of the easiest ways to adjust your theme settings without touching any code.

Opening the Customizer

Go to Appearance > Customize in your WordPress dashboard. Your site will load in a preview panel on the right, with a settings panel on the left.

What You Can Change in the Customizer

The options available depend on your active theme, but most themes include:

• Site Identity - site title, tagline, and logo
• Colors - primary, background, and text colours
• Header - header image or video, navigation menus
• Background - background colour or image
• Menus - create and assign navigation menus to theme locations
• Widgets - add and configure widgets in sidebars and footer areas
• Homepage Settings - same as Settings > Reading, accessible here for convenience
• Additional CSS - add custom CSS without editing theme files

Making and Saving Changes

1. Click any section in the left panel to expand its options.
2. Make your changes - the preview on the right updates in real time.
3. When you're happy with the result, click the blue Publish button to save.

Scheduling Changes

The Customizer also lets you schedule changes to go live at a future date and time - handy for seasonal updates or promotions. Click the arrow next to Publish to see the scheduling option.

If you'd like help customizing your theme, contact our support team at dotCanada and we'll point you in the right direction.