How To Solve “The Package Could Not Be Installed. The Theme Is Missing The style.css Stylesheet”

While you are working with WordPress and trying to install a theme on your website, this is one of the most frequent issues that pops up. In the process of installing the following message is shown, “The package could not be installed. The theme is missing the style.css stylesheet.” This error message is mostly shown while you are trying to upload or activate a WordPress theme.

In the following, we will discuss what the possible reasons for showing this message are and what can be the probable solution to this issue.

Why this Message is Shown?

There are few reasons why this might happen.

Uploading a Wrong File

While you are uploading a theme on your WordPress, if you mistakenly upload a wrong file then this message is most likely to pop up.

Not Following Documentation

Every theme comes with a set of documentation. This documentation usually guides you through the process of installing a theme, importing demo and so on. This message can occur if you do not follow the steps and process mentioned in the documentation.

Broken Theme

This is the least likely reason to happen. But it can be that the theme you have collected or purchased might be broken. Even though it is highly unlikely, it can also happen. Even if it does, it will be nothing but an exception.

Getting Confused Between Plugins & Themes

Many times, we get query from our clients who face a similar issue. And we have noticed that many of them mistakenly get confused between plugins and themes. As a result, they end up uploading the plugin in the theme section, instead of the theme. This renders the process dysfunctional hence the outcome is not there.

Uploading non WordPress Themes

We have also seen examples of individuals trying to upload other files such as HTML file and PSD files as themes. As you are trying to activate the WordPress theme so HTML and PSD file will not be of any use. You have to download the WordPress theme and use it accordingly.

How to solve “The package could not be installed. The theme is missing the style.css stylesheet.“

• Firstly, you will have to unzip and extract the files that you have downloaded from the marketplace. The zip file usually contains other files such as the ‘parent theme’, ‘child theme’, ‘demo data’ and ‘documentation’.
• Secondly, you will have to upload a specific file from the zip, not the entire zip file. If you upload the entire zip file, then this error will occur. The zip file package should also have an installable theme called “theme-name.zip”. For example, if you have purchased a theme called Saasland, the zip file that you need to upload is “sassland.zip”. There might be other files such as “saasland-child.zip”, but you should not upload this one. If there is an error in the upload then the “The package could not be installed. The theme is missing the style.css stylesheet” message will be shown.
• Once the theme is uploaded on your website, click on the “Activate” button to activate the theme.

Uploading WordPress themes on your website is fairly easy. You can have a look at the following steps through which you can upload themes on your WordPress website easily.

1. Install WordPress theme via WordPress Dashboard:

In order to install a WordPress theme via the WordPress dashboard, you will have to take the following options:

• Log in to your WordPress admin. If you do not have access, ask your website developer for your WordPress access or guide them through the process.
• Click on “Appearance“ from the menu on  the left hand side, and then click “Themes“
• Upon going to a new interface, click on the “Add New“ button and select the “Upload Theme” option.
• Navigate through your desktop or laptop and upload the zip file. Please note again the zip file will be named after the theme.
• After the upload is completed, click on the “Install Now“ button.
• Once the installation is completed you can activate the theme by clicking on the “Activate” option

If you follow these steps clearly, you will be able to solve this issue easily.

2. Apart from uploading themes via WordPress, you can upload WordPress theme via FTP.
3. You can easily access your hosting server with the help of FTP clients.
4. Then navigate to the ‘wp-content/themes‘ of your WordPress installation process.
5. To upload via FTP, you need to unzip the ‘theme-name.zip‘ file and find the ‘theme-name‘ folder and place it on the ‘wp-content/themes/’ of your server.
6. In the next step, you will have to log in to admin area of your WordPress
7. Navigate to the WordPress Dashboard > Appearance > Themes to activate the theme
8. If you want to customize the theme, click on the “Customize“ link in the customization box menu.
9. After you have done the necessary customization, click on the “Save & Publish“. Your customization will be completed and your website should be ready to use.   

Applying this strategies is most likely to solve your problem. However, even if you do not get any solution from these steps, then it is better to reach out to the theme author. If you have access to them, connect with their support team, explain your situation and details and they might be able to give you a concluding remark.

By following the above mentioned ways, you can solve the “The package could not be installed. The theme is missing the style.css stylesheet” issue of your WordPress theme. If you are in the process of having your own website this step by step guide will be your lifesaver. You can easily create your website and with the proper use of a good blend of plugins, your website will be ready in no time.