Title: Old WordPress theme database damaging new theme
Last modified: August 13, 2023

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# Old WordPress theme database damaging new theme

 *  [afuz2020](https://wordpress.org/support/users/afuz2020/)
 * (@afuz2020)
 * [2 years, 10 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/old-wordpress-theme-database-damaging-new-theme/)
 * Hello, I need assistance on a persistent issue. I am trying to install a new 
   theme on a site. I am using a sub domain for it before transferring it to the
   main site. At the first try, after installation, when I restored the backup of
   the old site/theme the setup of the new theme got upended, with sidebars and 
   widgets, footer removed.
 * I opted to reinstall again, then transfer the backup separately. I used WordPress
   inbuilt export & import for the post, pages and media. and used Updraftplus to
   import the plugin and database from the old theme. All was fine, until I imported
   the database. The new theme arrangements, layers, sidebars, widgets and footer
   were all changed. It’s being a recurring issue, please, I need help on how I 
   can resolve it.
 * Thank you.

Viewing 2 replies - 1 through 2 (of 2 total)

 *  [catacaustic](https://wordpress.org/support/users/catacaustic/)
 * (@catacaustic)
 * [2 years, 10 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/old-wordpress-theme-database-damaging-new-theme/#post-16969770)
 * Are you importing the site _after_ you set up the new theme? If so, that’s the
   problem.
 * The way to do it is to get the site set up as it was originally, and then apply
   the new theme and make all of the required changes. Using the process that you
   are now will always import the old database with all of the old information in
   it which will always overwrite any changes you did before you try to include 
   any data.
 * Alternatively, you can use a different tool (or that one still if it allows you
   to only import part of the data) to import only the relevant data for pages, 
   posts, categories, etc instead of importing the entire database.
 *  Thread Starter [afuz2020](https://wordpress.org/support/users/afuz2020/)
 * (@afuz2020)
 * [2 years, 10 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/old-wordpress-theme-database-damaging-new-theme/#post-16969848)
 * Thank you for the response.

Viewing 2 replies - 1 through 2 (of 2 total)

The topic ‘Old WordPress theme database damaging new theme’ is closed to new replies.

## Tags

 * [database](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/database/)
 * [wordpress-theme](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/wordpress-theme/)

 * In: [Fixing WordPress](https://wordpress.org/support/forum/how-to-and-troubleshooting/)
 * 2 replies
 * 2 participants
 * Last reply from: [afuz2020](https://wordpress.org/support/users/afuz2020/)
 * Last activity: [2 years, 10 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/old-wordpress-theme-database-damaging-new-theme/#post-16969848)
 * Status: not resolved

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