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How to add custom CSS in WordPress

Additional CSS lets you adjust colors, sizes and spacing without editing theme files, and you see the result live before anything is published.

  • Time: About 5 minutes
  • You need: A WordPress administrator login
  • Updated:

CSS controls how your site looks. Small changes, like a bigger phone number or a different button color, are safe in Additional CSS because they’re kept apart from your theme. For anything bigger, send it to me: sitewide style changes belong in the theme itself.

Before you start

  • Know which element you want to change. Right-click it on your site and choose Inspect to see its name.
  • The steps depend on your theme. LER’s custom themes use the Customizer. Newer block themes use the Site Editor (see below).

  1. Step 1: Open Appearance, then Customize

    In the left menu, go to Appearance > Customize. A live preview of your site opens with settings on the left.

  2. Step 2: Open Additional CSS and type your CSS

    Click Additional CSS at the bottom of the settings list. Type or paste your CSS in the box. The preview on the right updates as you type, so you can check it before anyone else sees it.

    The WordPress Customizer with the Additional CSS box and the Publish button circled
    WordPress 7.1, classic theme: Additional CSS with a live preview, then Publish.

  3. Step 3: Click Publish

    When it looks right, click Publish at the top. To keep working on it without going live, click the gear next to Publish and choose Save Draft.

Block themes: use the Site Editor

If Appearance shows Editor instead of Customize, you have a block theme. Go to Appearance > Editor > Styles, click the three dots at the top of the Styles panel, choose Additional CSS, then Save.

Undoing a change

Delete the lines you added and publish again. If you need the old version back, it’s in your latest backup.

Quick answers

My CSS doesn’t change anything.

The theme’s own style may be more specific. Try a more specific selector, and avoid !important unless nothing else works. If you’re stuck, send me a screenshot of what you want changed.

Will my CSS survive a theme update?

Yes. Additional CSS is stored separately from the theme. It’s only lost if you switch to a different theme.

Official help pages

Checked against these pages on November 3, 2026.

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