# WordPress Theme Detector

> See which WordPress theme any site uses: the name, version and author, the parent behind a child theme, and whether it is up to date.

- Source: https://plugstack.dev/tools/wordpress-theme-detector/
- Published by: PlugStack
- Last updated: 2026-10-22

## How the theme detector works

 

Every WordPress theme lives in its own folder, and a normal page loads its stylesheet from there. The detector reads the home page like a browser does, finds the theme folder in the source, then opens the theme’s `style.css`. The first lines of that file hold the theme name, version, author and, for a child theme, the parent it builds on.

 

When the theme is in the WordPress.org directory, the report adds what the directory knows: the latest version, active installs, rating and the date of the last update. That is how it can tell you whether the site runs an old copy.

 

## What the report shows

 
 

| Detail | Where it comes from |
| --- | --- |
| Theme name, version, author | The header of the theme’s style.css |
| Parent theme | The Template line of a child theme |
| Latest version, installs, rating | WordPress.org, for themes in the directory |
| Screenshot | The theme’s screenshot.png or the directory listing |
| Plugins, WordPress version, security basics | The rest of the same check, further down the report |

 
 

## Child themes, premium themes and custom themes

 

Many sites run a child theme: a small theme that changes a few things and loads everything else from a parent such as Astra, GeneratePress or Hello Elementor. The report shows both, so you see the theme the design is really built on.

 

Premium themes from marketplaces and themes built for one client are not on WordPress.org. The detector still reads their name, version and author from the theme file, and marks them as premium or custom. If the author left a theme website in the file, the report links to it.

 

## When a theme does not show up

 
- The site renames or hides the theme folder, or serves all files from one combined, cached file.
- The site uses WordPress only as a back end, with a front end built in another tool. The detector then says so.
- A firewall or bot check blocks automated visitors. The report tells you when that happens instead of guessing.

 

Want the plugins as well? The same check lists them, or start from the [WordPress plugin detector](https://plugstack.dev/tools/wordpress-plugin-detector/) to see them first.

## FAQ
### Is the theme detector free?
Yes. There is no sign-up and no limit for normal use. The only limit stops one visitor from running hundreds of checks an hour.

### Can it find premium themes like Divi or Avada?
Yes. Premium themes are read from their own style.css like any other theme. They are marked as premium or custom because WordPress.org has no record of them, so there is no latest version to compare.

### Why does it show two themes?
The site uses a child theme. The first one is the child theme that is active, the second is the parent theme it is built on.

### Can a site hide its theme?
Partly. Some security and performance plugins rename folders or combine files. The detector will then report what it can still see, or say that no theme files are linked from the home page.

### Why can some sites not be checked?
Some sites sit behind bot protection, such as a Cloudflare or AWS challenge, that stops every automated visitor. The tool does not try to get around it. Instead it offers a second way: open the site in your own browser, copy the page source and paste it in. The theme, plugins and versions are read from that, and the checks that need the live site are marked as skipped.

### Do you save the sites I check?
Each report is saved for 30 days so the share link keeps working, then deleted. Your IP address is not stored with it. Nothing about you is sent to the site you check.