Custom CSS Plugin for WordPress Tutorial
There are a number of different ways in which you can modify CSS within a WordPress framework or plugin, but today we will show you how to install a custom CSS plugin for WordPress so that you can modify themes and plugins without committing the rule-sets permanently. This is perfect for when you need to make a quick change but don’t want to manually modify core files, or when you’re designing in browser but you don’t want to commit any CSS changes just yet. Here at Imagine Monkey we often use this for testing purposes when we’re tasked with taking over a clients current website and their previous developers may not have properly annotated their CSS rules properly.
Download the WordPress Custom CSS Plugin
While there are a number of different Custom CSS plugins, we prefer Simple Custom CSS. With over 300,000 active installations and 105 “Five Star” reviews, this plugin is simple enough for any user level. For starters, you’ll want to head on over to the following link and download the plugin (or download it via the WordPress plugin repo in the admin area of your WordPress installation: https://wordpress.org/plugins/simple-custom-css/
Install and Activate the Plugin
Next, you’ll want to install the plugin by navigating to “Plugins”, and then by clicking “Install” . Next you will click “Select From Computer” and then “Upload Plugin” (if you are uploading it directly from your own computer. Once you’ve installed the plugin into WordPress all you have to do is click “Activate” and you’re all set.
Use the Custom CSS Plugin
Once you’ve activated the Custom CSS plugin, you can navigate over to the admin menu named “Appearance” and then click “Custom CSS”. This is where you will apply your own rule-sets to superseded your framework, theme or plugin rules. Ultimately, it’s up to you whether or not you would like to keep the changes here in the Simple Custom CSS UI, or if you plan on migrating these changes over to a child-theme or child-plugin file directory within your theme/framework directory.
