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[HelpHub] Clarify theme ZIP file structure for updates #2514
This lack of explicit documentation can lead to a specific bug, as demonstrated in the Trac ticket https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/63737. When a user attempts to update a theme via ZIP upload, if the theme's files are at the root of the ZIP archive (instead of being inside a containing folder), a previous failed update attempt (e.g., trying to upload the theme ZIP through the plugin installer) can cause subsequent, correct update attempts to fail. WordPress, in this scenario, creates a new directory (e.g., my-theme-1) instead of overwriting the existing theme folder, breaking the update process.
Proposed Change:
Add a new, clear, and prominent section to the relevant documentation that explicitly states the correct ZIP file structure for themes. This should be added to both developer-facing and user-facing documentation.
To help with this ticket specifically, you could propose changes directly in this Github issue or by linking to a Google Doc, then a member of the Docs team who has edit access can review and make changes to the article.
Activity
github-actions commentedon Sep 29, 2026
Heads up @WordPress/docs-issues-coordinators, we have a new issue open. Time to use 'em labels.
mdtareqmiah commentedon Oct 5, 2026
Hi! I'd like to work on this issue as my first contribution to the WordPress Documentation Team. I'm looking forward to learning and contributing!
andreawetzel commentedon Oct 8, 2026
@mdtareqmiah Thank you for contributing. Please visit the Docs team page for onboarding information.
To help with this ticket specifically, you could propose changes directly in this Github issue or by linking to a Google Doc, then a member of the Docs team who has edit access can review and make changes to the article.
[-]Clarify theme ZIP file structure for updates[/-][+][HelpHub] Clarify theme ZIP file structure for updates[/+]