Accessing functions.php in the WordPress Theme File Editor While the functions.php file in WordPress core can only be accessed through secure file transfer protocol (SFTP) or through cPanel, your theme and child theme functions.php files can also be accessed in the WordPress Theme File Editor. Now comes the question of how to access functions.php in WordPress. Knowing where to find functions.php is only half the job. The WordPress child theme functions.php file is located in the main directory of your child theme folder: wp-content → themes → yourtheme-child. Where is functions.php in the WordPress child theme folder? Your theme’s functions.php file is located in the main directory of your theme folder: wp-content → themes → yourtheme. Where is functions.php in my WordPress theme folder? The best thing to do is simply replace WordPress with a fresh installation, rather than trying to remove all the offending scripts one-by-one. If you find that functions.php has been corrupted or hacked, chances are you may have other areas of WordPress that are affected. The most likely scenario for poking around in functions.php in WordPress core is if you suspect that malware has been injected into it.īefore even opening functions.php, you should make a backup of your WordPress site in case you accidentally make a change to the file that causes a critical error. While you should never edit functions.php in WordPress core, you may find yourself needing to inspect it for one reason or another. If you’re looking for the location of functions.php in WordPress core, you’ll find it in the wp-includes folder of your WordPress installation.
Where is functions.php in WordPress core? In this section we’ll go over where to find each one. We’ve mentioned that there are up to three locations for functions.php: WordPress core, your theme folder, and your child theme folder. Your root directory is usually named something like public_html or Once you’ve found where your WordPress files are located on your server, you can start looking for your functions.php files. We’ve talked about what the functions.php file does both in WordPress core and in the theme files, but how do you find the functions.php file? Where is functions.php in WordPress?Īll of your WordPress files are located in your site’s root directory and in various subfolders. The difference is that functions.php should be used for code that is theme-specific, while plugins should be used for functionality that will remain even when you switch themes.
Your theme’s functions.php file behaves in much the same way as a WordPress plugin. Your theme’s functions.php file is where all the theme-specific features of your website live - like custom menu locations, widget areas, custom header and footer content and functionality, post excerpt length, and more. You should almost never modify the code in WordPress core’s functions.php file. The functions.php file in WordPress core contains important code that’s required for WordPress to function. If you’re using a child theme, you should also have a functions.php in your child theme folder. There are actually at least two functions.php files in every WordPress website - one included with WordPress core and one included with your theme. In WordPress, the functions.php file is where vital code lives that determines the way your site works. Can I add JavaScript to my functions.php file?.How do I restore functions.php from a backup if I don’t have access to my WordPress dashboard?.Do I need to create a child theme to edit functions.php?.What code can I add to functions.php in WordPress?.How to protect functions.php from security exploits.Using a plugin to add functions to your WordPress site.Editing functions.php directly in cPanel.Editing functions.php with a text editor.Editing functions.php in your WordPress Theme File Editor.When should I edit functions.php in WordPress?.Accessing functions.php in your WordPress Admin Interface.Where is the functions.php file located?.You can start at the beginning and read through or jump to a specific section using the table of contents below: We’ll even include a few useful code snippets to try out. You’ll learn what functions.php does and how to find and edit it. In this article, we’ll cover everything you need to know about WordPress functions.php files. Knowing where these files live, what their purpose is, and how and when to modify them will help you when troubleshooting issues and give you more control over your site’s functionality. There are actually three possible functions.php files that you might use on your WordPress website, and each plays a different role. If you’re just getting started with WordPress development, one of the most important files you should familiarize yourself with is the functions.php file.