Title: Theme Editor won’t save changes Last modified: August 19, 2016 --- # Theme Editor won’t save changes * [mountainsage](https://wordpress.org/support/users/mountainsage/) * (@mountainsage) * [17 years, 6 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/theme-editor-wont-save-changes/) * My theme editor won’t save any of the changes I make to the CSS code. Not even something as simple as a color change. * Any ideas what is wrong and how to fix it? Viewing 10 replies - 1 through 10 (of 10 total) * Thread Starter [mountainsage](https://wordpress.org/support/users/mountainsage/) * (@mountainsage) * [17 years, 6 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/theme-editor-wont-save-changes/#post-905074) * Sorry about the duplicate, I couldn’t find the other one and it didn’t show up in search. * The cache is not the problem. The theme editor will just not hold a change. * Is this the only support available? * [Clayton James](https://wordpress.org/support/users/claytonjames/) * (@claytonjames) * [17 years, 6 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/theme-editor-wont-save-changes/#post-905078) * It is a safer practice to edit your files locally, then upload them to your theme folder. * That being said, you probably need to make the file writable in order to save the changes. * [http://codex.wordpress.org/Editing_Files](http://codex.wordpress.org/Editing_Files) * [http://codex.wordpress.org/Changing_File_Permissions](http://codex.wordpress.org/Changing_File_Permissions) * Thread Starter [mountainsage](https://wordpress.org/support/users/mountainsage/) * (@mountainsage) * [17 years, 6 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/theme-editor-wont-save-changes/#post-905083) * So, you have to overwrite the whole file unlike WordPress.com where you can just change portions of the CSS and hit save? * I’ll read the information you provided. Thank you for your help. * Not very convenient to change CSS is it? * [Clayton James](https://wordpress.org/support/users/claytonjames/) * (@claytonjames) * [17 years, 6 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/theme-editor-wont-save-changes/#post-905084) * > So, you have to overwrite the whole file unlike WordPress.com where you can > just change portions of the CSS and hit save? * No, I said it’s safer. * > Not very convenient to change CSS is it? * Install Firebug in Firefox and make minor edits to html and css on the fly in your browser while viewing the results in real time. Then edit your files. Now that’s convenient. * Thread Starter [mountainsage](https://wordpress.org/support/users/mountainsage/) * (@mountainsage) * [17 years, 6 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/theme-editor-wont-save-changes/#post-905085) * I’ve got the webdeveloper toolbar which shows changes but files are different areas than in WordPress themes. * I just made changes in Notepad and put in the whole css code after deleting the old file and it STILL didn’t save it. It went right back to what was originally there. * Thread Starter [mountainsage](https://wordpress.org/support/users/mountainsage/) * (@mountainsage) * [17 years, 6 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/theme-editor-wont-save-changes/#post-905086) * I understand what you are saying and I’ll try Firebug but the Theme editor won’t change the files! * [Clayton James](https://wordpress.org/support/users/claytonjames/) * (@claytonjames) * [17 years, 6 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/theme-editor-wont-save-changes/#post-905087) * > but the Theme editor won’t change the files! * You must make the file you are trying to edit, **writable by WordPress**. I am currently using 2.7 beta, but I believe the bottom of the edit area in 2.6 used to say something to the effect of _“You need to make this file writable before you can save your changes”_. It might have even given an error message if unable to save the changes when you try (I don’t recall for sure, because I never edit from the admin area). Do you see anything to that effect ? Or did you encounter any error messages while trying to save the file? Open your ftp client, and change the permissions on the css file you want to edit to 666 or 777, your choice. Try to edit the file and see if it saves your changes. If it does, make sure to return your css file permissions to 644 when you are done. * [http://codex.wordpress.org/Editing_Files](http://codex.wordpress.org/Editing_Files) * [http://codex.wordpress.org/Changing_File_Permissions](http://codex.wordpress.org/Changing_File_Permissions) * Thread Starter [mountainsage](https://wordpress.org/support/users/mountainsage/) * (@mountainsage) * [17 years, 6 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/theme-editor-wont-save-changes/#post-905092) * No I don’t get any error messages at all and there is nothing saying I need to make it writable. * Obviously I’m in over my head. I just went to the Theme Editor. Click on the RTL Stylesheet and pasted the code into it and clicked on update file. * Nothing happens…it goes back to the original file. * I give up…thanks for your help. I’ll study the links when I’m feeling better and not so frustrated. * I appreciate very much you trying to help. I’m used to making easy changes in WordPress.com to the CSS code and I just don’t even know what you are talking about. * [thinkstart](https://wordpress.org/support/users/thinkstart/) * (@thinkstart) * [17 years, 2 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/theme-editor-wont-save-changes/#post-905295) * I’m having the same problems of the admin theme editor reverting to the original when I hit “Update”. I have read about file permissions, and to the best of my knowledge changed the permissions through FTP to 777 (temporarily)… but still the problem persists… is there some “global” permission that i’m missing? this has all been a problem since I updated to 2.7 * mountainsage, if you are trying to edit RTL Stylesheet, that may be part of your problem, as style.css and not rtl.css is directing your display. * Thanks for any insights… * [gleble](https://wordpress.org/support/users/gleble/) * (@gleble) * [17 years ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/theme-editor-wont-save-changes/#post-905310) * Go to your FTP. Download /wp-content/themes/your_theme/style.css Open with a text editor and make changes. Change permissions to 777. Upload style.css * Should work Viewing 10 replies - 1 through 10 (of 10 total) The topic ‘Theme Editor won’t save changes’ is closed to new replies. * 10 replies * 4 participants * Last reply from: [gleble](https://wordpress.org/support/users/gleble/) * Last activity: [17 years ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/theme-editor-wont-save-changes/#post-905310) * Status: not resolved ## Topics ### Topics with no replies ### Non-support topics ### Resolved topics ### Unresolved topics ### All topics