Bulk uploading themes to sites with an already active theme

[denisgomes (Denis Gomes Franco)]

Hi. I usually update plugins on my sites by searching for the plugin name in the Manage Plugins screen, then I just tick the box to select all sites that have that plugin installed and then MainWP allows me to bulk upload a new version to the checked websites.

But I noticed that I can’t do this with a theme. When searching via the Manage Themes screen, MainWP shows the websites that have that theme installed but I can’t select them as there is a padlock icon (indicating that the theme is active). I understand this is to prevent accidentally deleting an active theme but then I can’t upload a new version via this method. This search is needed because not all websites are using the same theme.

One workaround I found is to hover my mouse over each website, note the ID number of it, then write it down in Notepad formatted as such:
&selected-sites=2-4-5-9-10-(etc)

After that I go to the url /wp-admin/admin.php?page=ThemesInstall and append the string I wrote above. With this the Install Themes screen will open with all those sites already checked, just like with the Install Plugins screen does after a search.

[bojan (Bojan Katusic)]

Hey @denisgomes

Currently, the workaround you shared is the most effective solution available.

Looking ahead, we plan to explore options that would allow sites with active themes and a padlock to be selectable. This way, the Install to selected site(s) button could still be used in this scenario.

Another approach to consider is creating a Tag for sites with that specific theme installed. With this Tag, you could quickly install new versions of the theme across all tagged sites. However, it’s important to note that this method requires you to keep the Tag updated whenever new sites with the theme are added or when a site changes its theme.