Common Installation Errors

Theme is missing the style.css stylesheet error

A common issue that can occur when installing WordPress themes is “The package could not be installed. The theme is missing the style.css stylesheet.” error message being displayed when uploading or activating the theme.

One of the reasons you may receive this error is if you have uploaded the incorrect file. You have 2 options for downloading your theme.

1. Installable WordPress file only.

2. All files and documentation (full zip folder). You will need to extract and locate the installable WordPress file.

NOTE: Please make sure you are uploading only the installable theme which is called NameOf Theme.zip. If you upload ALL these files you will receive an error.

The link you followed has expired

The quickest way to fix "The link you followed has expired" error is by increasing the file upload size, PHP memory, and execution time limits for your website.

There are multiple ways to do that. We will show you all of them, and you can choose the one that looks easier or the one that works on your hosting environment.

Method 1. Fix by increasing limits in .htaccess file

For this method, you will need to edit the .htaccess file by using an FTP client or the File Manager app in cPanel.

Simply connect to your website using FTP and edit the .htaccess file.

Now, you need to add the following code at the bottom of your .htaccess file.

php_value upload_max_filesize 64M 
php_value post_max_size 64M
php_value max_execution_time 600
php_value max_input_time 600

Don’t forget to save your changes and upload the file back to your website.

Method 2. Fix by increasing limits in php.ini file

The php.ini file is a configuration file used by PHP and WordPress. You'll need to connect to your WordPress site using an FTP client and look for php.ini file in your site’s root folder.

Most users are on a shared hosting account, so they may not find it in their site’s root folder. In that case, you need to create a blank php.ini file using a plain text editor like Notepad and upload it to your website.

Now edit the php.ini file and add the following code inside it.

upload_max_filesize = 128M
post_max_size = 128M
max_execution_time = 300

Don’t forget to save your changes and upload the file back to your website.

You can now visit your website and try to upload the theme or plugin file. The error would disappear, and you should be able to upload the file.

If it doesn’t, then try to increase file limits to match the file size you are trying to upload.