Title: Theme issue Last modified: November 18, 2025 --- # Theme issue * [ldstuart56](https://wordpress.org/support/users/ldstuart56/) * (@ldstuart56) * [6 months, 3 weeks ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/theme-issue-39/) * I uploaded a theme from WordPress.com to use for my newly created web site. For some inexplicable reason, when I attempt to customize it, the format/layout looks nothing like the theme I previewed before I uploaded it. It seems to be taking the ‘flavor’ of the WordPress template I had to initially select from a very limited list within Bluehost. There is an Arbutus theme available from WordPress. org, but it comes from a completely different author than the Arbutus theme on WordPress.com. Any help would be greatly appreciated. * The page I need help with: _[[log in](https://login.wordpress.org/?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fwordpress.org%2Fsupport%2Ftopic%2Ftheme-issue-39%2F%3Foutput_format%3Dmd&locale=en_US) to see the link]_ Viewing 6 replies - 1 through 6 (of 6 total) * [BluehostSupport](https://wordpress.org/support/users/bluehostsupport/) * (@bluehostsupport) * [6 months, 3 weeks ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/theme-issue-39/#post-18724068) * Looking through that theme, I can see why you chose it – it’s gorgeous! If the theme is taking the “flavor” from other themes that come with the hosting package, you may benefit from deleting the unused themes and clearing the cache from the WordPress dashboard. You may also need to delete and reinstall the Arbutus theme just to make sure it is starting from scratch with no other inputs. I’m sure one of the theme developers will chime in, though, with more detailed information. * Thread Starter [ldstuart56](https://wordpress.org/support/users/ldstuart56/) * (@ldstuart56) * [6 months, 3 weeks ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/theme-issue-39/#post-18724257) * Thanks for your response. There were no other themes other than the one I am trying to use. I did remove the pages and posts from what I now call the ‘phantom’ theme. I then cleared the cache. From there, I found how to upload the .zip files for my desired theme. Having done all of that, I now show nothing, which is still the ‘phantom’ site. No pages and no posts exist from my preferred theme. What can possibly be going on here? [https://mleefoster.com](https://mleefoster.com) * [BluehostSupport](https://wordpress.org/support/users/bluehostsupport/) * (@bluehostsupport) * [6 months, 2 weeks ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/theme-issue-39/#post-18725335) * From what we can see on the install, the site is using Blockbase as the parent and Arbutus from WordPress.com as the child theme. So the Arbutus theme package you wanted is installed and active, which is good news. The issue now is more about what WordPress is being asked to show on the front end. * When you deleted the earlier pages and posts, WordPress was left with almost nothing to display. Themes do not bring their own demo content. On top of that, the site is still showing a “Coming Soon” style screen, which usually means a coming soon or maintenance mode is sitting in front of the theme. * First, in your dashboard go to Appearance, then Themes, and confirm that Arbutus is marked as the active theme. Then go to Pages, then Add New, create a simple test page with a title and one line of text, and publish it. After that, go to Settings, then Reading, set “Your homepage displays” to “A static page,” choose that test page as the homepage, and save the changes. That gives WordPress a specific page to render on the front. * Next, if visiting [https://mleefoster.com](https://mleefoster.com) still shows a Coming Soon or placeholder screen, there is almost certainly a coming soon mode switched on. On many Bluehost installs this is controlled from the Bluehost section in the left side of the dashboard, often under Settings. Open that section, look for any toggle labeled Coming Soon or Maintenance, switch it off, then refresh your site in a private or incognito browser window so you are not looking at a cached version. * If those steps give you your test page on the front end, then the theme and content are working and you can start building out the rest of your pages and layout. If you are still seeing a phantom or blank page after trying this, it would help to know what you see under Settings, then Reading, and exactly which Arbutus theme and author are listed as active in Appearance, then Themes, so folks here can dig a bit deeper with you. * Most of us have had at least one “why is my homepage totally blank” moment, so you are definitely not alone here.” - This reply was modified 6 months, 2 weeks ago by [BluehostSupport](https://wordpress.org/support/users/bluehostsupport/). - This reply was modified 6 months, 2 weeks ago by [Steven Stern (sterndata)](https://wordpress.org/support/users/sterndata/). * Thread Starter [ldstuart56](https://wordpress.org/support/users/ldstuart56/) * (@ldstuart56) * [6 months, 1 week ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/theme-issue-39/#post-18738242) * Thanks for your reply, and sorry for responding so late as I was traveling. * Yes, Arbutus (by Automattic) is marked as the active theme. I created a Test Page and set it as Static. I also turned off the Coming Soon view. Next, I created a Test Post, but it fails to show up on the Homepage. What is being displayed looks nothing like the formatted Theme I should be seeing. I see a logo in the header section that should not be there, as the Theme template does not show any logo. * You indicate, “Themes do not bring their own demo content.”, yet I have images in the media folder that can with the ‘phantom’ theme, just as there were demo pages of About, several demo posts, etc, so that tells me that the ‘phantom’ theme that I cannot see came with demo content. * In summary, what my site is viewing, after following your instructions, does not appear formatted as the Arbutus Theme by Automattic shows. * Thread Starter [ldstuart56](https://wordpress.org/support/users/ldstuart56/) * (@ldstuart56) * [6 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/theme-issue-39/#post-18741799) * Just following up from my last post – is there anyone who can help me with this? * [BluehostSupport](https://wordpress.org/support/users/bluehostsupport/) * (@bluehostsupport) * [6 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/theme-issue-39/#post-18742930) * Happy to take another shot here and maybe a Dev can chime in as well if we miss something. What you’re seeing actually lines up with how this Arbutus theme behaves on a self-hosted site, even though it feels like a ‘phantom theme’ is still hanging around. * You’re using Arbutus by Automattic from WordPress.com, which is a block theme that uses the Site Editor. That part looks correct on your install. What is throwing things off is a mix of the current homepage settings, the template that is being used for the front page, and some leftover starter content from the earlier setup. * Right now, your homepage is set to a static page you created. A static page will only ever show whatever blocks are inside that page or its assigned template. New posts like “Test Post” will not appear there automatically unless either the homepage is set to “Your latest posts,” or the template for that page includes a Query Loop / posts block. If you want the front of the site to act like a blog index, you can either switch Settings > Reading to “Your homepage displays: Your latest posts,” or keep “A static page” and assign a separate page as the “Posts page,” then visit that Posts page on the front end to see the list of posts. * The logo in the header is coming from the current header template, not from the old theme. In block themes like this one, the header is just a reusable template part. To remove or change that logo, go to Appearance > Editor, open the Header template part, click on the Site Logo / Site Title block there, and either swap it for your own branding or delete it and save. That change will apply across the site wherever that header is used. * On the ‘phantom’ demo content: the images and sample pages you saw originally were starter content from the first theme you used. Once they are created, they live in your site as regular pages and media. Changing themes does not automatically remove them, which is why those images are still in the Media Library even though the old layout is gone. Cleaning that up is just a matter of deleting any pages you don’t want and removing unused images from Media. * If the layout still looks nothing like the Arbutus preview after adjusting Reading settings, the next step is to confirm which template your homepage is using. In the dashboard, go to Appearance > Editor > Templates and look for a “Front Page” or “Home” template. If you see one, open it and check that it contains a Query Loop / posts-list block (for a blog-style front) or whatever layout you expect. If there isn’t a front-page template at all, you can use the “Add template” button to create a Front Page template, then insert one of the theme’s built- in patterns from the Patterns panel to get something closer to the demo design. * If you’re up for one more round, it would be helpful to know three things: what you currently have selected under Settings > Reading (latest posts vs static page and which pages), which template name shows at the top when you edit your homepage in Appearance > Editor, and whether that template contains a Query Loop/ posts block or just static blocks. With that, people here can line up the exact template with the right content and get your front page behaving like the Arbutus preview you chose. Viewing 6 replies - 1 through 6 (of 6 total) The topic ‘Theme issue’ is closed to new replies. * ![](https://i0.wp.com/themes.svn.wordpress.org/arbutus/1.6/screenshot.png) * Arbutus * [Support Threads](https://wordpress.org/support/theme/arbutus/) * [Active Topics](https://wordpress.org/support/theme/arbutus/active/) * [Unresolved Topics](https://wordpress.org/support/theme/arbutus/unresolved/) * [Reviews](https://wordpress.org/support/theme/arbutus/reviews/) * 8 replies * 2 participants * Last reply from: [BluehostSupport](https://wordpress.org/support/users/bluehostsupport/) * Last activity: [6 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/theme-issue-39/#post-18742930) * Status: not resolved