Documentation - Clean Grid WordPress Theme

Introduction

Clean Grid is a clean, minimalistic and fully responsive WordPress theme with a three-column grid layout for posts. It is designed for blogs, photography sites, and portfolio websites. Clean Grid features a grid-based post layout, clean post summaries, a sticky navigation menu, a sticky sidebar, a 728×90 header banner widget area, a right sidebar, 4 footer widget columns, social media icons, 1 navigation menu, a scroll-to-top button, and many options. Clean Grid theme also has a translation-ready codebase. The theme is very starter-friendly and easy to set up.

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Quick Start Guide

Install & activate the theme via Appearance → Themes → Add New.
Set up your menu by going to Appearance → Menus. Create a menu and assign it to the available menu location.
Configure widgets by going to Appearance → Widgets. Add widgets to the available widget areas.
Customize by going to Appearance → Customize → Theme Options. Set up your social links, header options, and more.

Theme Features

Responsive Design
Three-Column Grid Layout for Posts
Clean Post Summaries
1 Navigation Menu (Primary)
Sticky Navigation Menu
Sticky Sidebar (Theia Sticky Sidebar)
728×90 Header Banner Widget Area
Right Sidebar and 4 Footer Widget Columns
Multiple Full-Width Widget Areas
30+ Social Profile Links
Custom Logo Support
Custom Header Image
Custom Background
Author Bio Box
Read More Button
Translation Ready
Scroll-to-Top Button
FitVids.JS for Responsive Videos
Full-Width Page/Post Templates

Theme Installation

Method 1: Install via WordPress Dashboard (Recommended)

Log in to your WordPress Dashboard.
Navigate to Appearance → Themes → Add New.
Search for Clean Grid in the search box.
Click Install on the Clean Grid theme, then click Activate.

Method 2: Upload via WordPress Dashboard

Download the clean-grid.zip theme file from WordPress.org.
Log in to your WordPress Dashboard.
Navigate to Appearance → Themes → Add New → Upload Theme.
Click Choose File, select the clean-grid.zip file, and click Install Now.
After installation, click Activate.

Method 3: Upload via FTP/File Manager

Download the clean-grid.zip theme file and extract it.
Connect to your server via FTP (FileZilla) or use your hosting File Manager.
Upload the extracted clean-grid folder to /wp-content/themes/.
Go to your WordPress Dashboard → Appearance → Themes and activate Clean Grid.

Troubleshooting Installation Issues

"The uploaded file exceeds the upload_max_filesize directive" – Your hosting limits file uploads. Increase the limit via php.ini, .htaccess, or contact your host. Alternatively, use FTP.
"The package could not be installed. The theme is missing the style.css stylesheet" – You may be uploading the wrong file. Make sure you upload only the clean-grid.zip file.

Import Demo Content

You can import the demo content, widgets, and Customizer settings shown in the Clean Grid theme demo.

Manual Demo Import

Step 1: Import Main Site Content

This includes: Posts, pages, menus, media, categories, tags, comments, and custom fields.

Download: XML File
Go to Tools → Import.
Under "WordPress", click Install Now if not installed.
Click Run Importer.
Select the XML file and click Upload file and import.
Check "Download and import file attachments", click Submit.

Step 2: Import Widgets

Install the Widget Importer & Exporter plugin.
Go to Tools → Widget Importer & Exporter.
Copy content from: Widgets .wie File and paste into the box.
Click Import Widgets.

Step 3: Import Customizer Settings

Download: Customizer File
Install the Customizer Export/Import plugin.
Go to Appearance → Customize → Export/Import.
Select the .dat file, check "Download and import image files?", click Import.

Regenerate Thumbnails

If your website already has existing posts with featured images, it's highly recommended to regenerate thumbnails after activating the Clean Grid theme. This ensures that all images match the new theme's layout and display sizes.

Regenerating thumbnails is optional if your site is completely new and doesn't have any uploaded images yet.

However, if you imported the demo content, regenerating thumbnails is essential to display images correctly across the site.

Install and activate the Regenerate Thumbnails plugin.
Go to Tools → Regenerate Thumbnails.
Click the "Regenerate Thumbnails for All x Attachments" button to start the process.
Wait until all images are regenerated. This may take a few minutes depending on your media library size.
If you want, you can deactivate and delete the plugin once the process is complete.

This step ensures clean image alignment and sharp visuals throughout your website using the Clean Grid theme.

Header Image

Use the WordPress Customizer to add or manage the header image that appears at the top of your site.

How to add a header image

Go to Appearance → Customize → Header Image.
Click Add new image and choose/upload your image (suggested width: 1090px).
Crop if prompted, then click Publish.

Header image behavior

The header image is displayed at the top of the site, above the header content area.
The header image automatically links to the homepage.
The image height is flexible, so you can use images of different heights.

For best results, use an image that is at least 1090px wide to match the theme's header width.

Navigation Menus

This theme includes one Display Location for menus: Primary Menu.

Right after installing the theme, WordPress may display your existing pages as the default menu items in these locations. You can replace them with your own custom menus containing links, categories, pages, and more by following the steps below:

Go to Appearance → Menus and click the create a new menu link.
Enter a name for your menu in the Menu Name field.
Select a display location for your menu by checking one of the available options under Display location
Click the Create Menu button.
To add items to the menu, use the options in the left-hand column—select the pages, posts, categories, or tags you want, then click Add to Menu.
To create dropdown menus, simply drag and nest the submenu items beneath the parent menu item.
Once you've added your links, click the Save Menu button.

Widget Areas

There are 12 widget areas in the Clean Grid theme. The free version does not bundle custom widgets; use WordPress core widgets or plugins of your choice inside these areas.

Header Banner

Located on the header of the web page. Ideal for a 728×90 ad banner.
Main Sidebar

Right-hand sidebar for your pages and posts.
Top Full Width Widgets (Home Page Only)

Full-width area at the top of the homepage only.
Top Full Width Widgets (Every Page)

Full-width area at the top of every page.
Top Widgets (Home Page Only)

Widget area at the top of the homepage, inside the content wrapper.
Top Widgets (Every Page)

Widget area at the top of every page, inside the content wrapper.
Bottom Widgets (Home Page Only)

Widget area at the bottom of the homepage, inside the content wrapper.
Bottom Widgets (Every Page)

Widget area at the bottom of every page, inside the content wrapper.
Footer 1 Widgets

Footer column 1.
Footer 2 Widgets

Footer column 2.
Footer 3 Widgets

Footer column 3.
Footer 4 Widgets

Footer column 4.

Page Templates

Clean Grid includes two custom page templates you can use for full-width layouts without sidebars.

Full Width, no sidebar (Page) — Template for pages (template-full-width-page.php)
Full Width, no sidebar (Post) — Template for posts (template-full-width-post.php)

How to apply a template

Edit a page or post in the WordPress editor.
In the Page Attributes (or Post Attributes) panel, open the Template dropdown.
Select Full Width, no sidebar and update/publish.

Use featured images with sufficient width (e.g., 1064px+) for best presentation in full-width layouts.

Customizer Theme Options

To see available WordPress Customizer theme options:

Go to your WordPress Dashboard.
Navigate to Appearance → Customize.
Click on Theme Options.

Site Identity Options

Below is the complete list of Site Identity Options available:

Option ID	Option Name	Description	Control Type	Accepted Value	Default
custom_logo	Logo	Image ID of the custom logo uploaded through the Customizer.	Media Uploader	Integer (attachment ID)	0 (none)
blogname	Site Title	Main title of the website shown in the header, browser-tabs, and search-results.	Text	A string	"My WordPress Site" (installer-set)
blogdescription	Tagline	Short descriptive sentence (appears next to or below the title when supported by the theme).	Text	A string	"Just another WordPress site"
display_header_text	Display Site Title & Tagline	Toggles whether the title/tagline are printed on the front-end. When off they remain in the markup for accessibility but are hidden with CSS.	Toggle Switch	true / false	true
site_icon	Site Icon (Favicon)	Image ID for the favicon/app-icon (512 × 512 px recommended). Used in browser tabs, bookmark tiles and WP mobile app.	Media Uploader	Integer (attachment ID)	0 (none)

Colors Options

Below is the complete list of Colors Options available:

Option ID	Option Name	Description	Control Type	Accepted Value	Default
background_color	Background Color	Pick the site Background Color. To change Background Color, need to remove background image first.	Color Picker	Hex color code (e.g. #dddddd)	#dddddd
header_textcolor	Header Text Color	Pick the Header Text Color for the site title and tagline.	Color Picker	Hex color code (e.g. #333333)	#333333

Header Image Options

Below is the complete list of Header Image Options available:

Option ID	Option Name	Description	Control Type	Accepted Value	Default
header_image	Header Image	Upload or select a header image. Suggested width is 1090 pixels.	Media Uploader	Image URL	(none)

Background Image Options

Below is the complete list of Background Image Options available:

Option ID	Option Name	Description	Control Type	Accepted Value	Default
background_image	Background Image	Upload or select a background image for the site.	Media Uploader	Image URL	assets/images/background.png
background_preset	Preset	Choose a preset for how the background image is displayed.	Dropdown	Default / Fill Screen / Fit to Screen / Repeat / Custom	Default
background_position_x	Image Position (Horizontal)	Horizontal position of the background image.	Radio	Left / Center / Right	Left
background_position_y	Image Position (Vertical)	Vertical position of the background image.	Radio	Top / Center / Bottom	Top
background_size	Image Size	How the background image is sized.	Dropdown	Auto / Contain / Cover	Auto
background_repeat	Repeat Background Image	Whether the background image repeats.	Checkbox	Repeat / No Repeat	Repeat
background_attachment	Scroll with Page	Whether the background image scrolls with the page or is fixed.	Checkbox	Scroll / Fixed	Fixed

Header Options

Below is the complete list of Header Options available:

Option ID	Option Name	Description	Control Type	Accepted Value	Default
hide_header_content	Hide Header Content	Hide the header content area entirely (logo/title, tagline, and header banner widget).	Checkbox	true / false	false

Post Options

Below is the complete list of Post Options available:

Option ID	Option Name	Description	Control Type	Accepted Value	Default
hide_posts_heading	Hide HomePage Posts Heading	Hide the heading above the posts grid on the homepage.	Checkbox	true / false	false
posts_heading	HomePage Posts Heading	Custom heading text for the homepage posts area.	Text	A string	Recent Posts
thumbnail_link	Thumbnail Link	Whether the featured image in a single post should link to its post.	Dropdown	Yes No	Yes
read_more_length	Auto Post Summary Length	Number of words to display in the post summary. Default is 20 words.	Text	A positive integer	20
read_more_text	Read More Text	Custom text for the read more button on post summaries.	Text	A string	Continue Reading
hide_posted_date	Hide Posted Date	Hide the posted date from posts.	Checkbox	true / false	false
hide_post_author	Hide Post Author	Hide the author name from posts.	Checkbox	true / false	false
hide_post_categories	Hide Post Categories	Hide post categories from posts.	Checkbox	true / false	false
hide_post_tags	Hide Post Tags	Hide post tags from posts.	Checkbox	true / false	false
hide_comments_link	Hide Comment Link	Hide the comment link from posts.	Checkbox	true / false	false
hide_post_edit	Hide Post Edit Link	Hide the edit link from posts (only visible to logged-in users with permission).	Checkbox	true / false	false
hide_thumbnail	Hide Thumbnails from Every Page	Hide featured images (thumbnails) from every page across the site.	Checkbox	true / false	false
hide_thumbnail_single	Hide Thumbnails from Posts/Pages	Hide featured images from single posts and pages only.	Checkbox	true / false	false
show_post_snippet	Show Post Snippet	Show a text snippet/excerpt on post summaries in the grid layout.	Checkbox	true / false	false
hide_read_more_button	Hide Read More Button	Hide the "Read More" button from post summaries.	Checkbox	true / false	false
hide_author_bio_box	Hide Author Bio Box	Hide the author biography box on single posts.	Checkbox	true / false	false

Social Links Options

Below is the complete list of Social Links Options available. The theme supports 30+ social profile links and a search button.

Option ID	Option Name	Description	Control Type	Accepted Value	Default
hide_header_social_buttons	Hide Header Social Buttons	If checked, all social buttons and search button in the header will be hidden.	Checkbox	true / false	false
show_footer_social_buttons	Show Footer Social Buttons	Show social buttons in the footer area.	Checkbox	true / false	false
twitterlink	Twitter URL	Twitter profile URL.	Text	A valid URL	(empty)
facebooklink	Facebook URL	Facebook profile URL.	Text	A valid URL	(empty)
googlelink	Google Plus URL	Google Plus profile URL.	Text	A valid URL	(empty)
pinterestlink	Pinterest URL	Pinterest profile URL.	Text	A valid URL	(empty)
linkedinlink	Linkedin URL	LinkedIn profile URL.	Text	A valid URL	(empty)
instagramlink	Instagram URL	Instagram profile URL.	Text	A valid URL	(empty)
vklink	VK URL	VK profile URL.	Text	A valid URL	(empty)
flickrlink	Flickr URL	Flickr profile URL.	Text	A valid URL	(empty)
youtubelink	Youtube URL	YouTube channel URL.	Text	A valid URL	(empty)
vimeolink	Vimeo URL	Vimeo profile URL.	Text	A valid URL	(empty)
soundcloudlink	SoundCloud URL	SoundCloud profile URL.	Text	A valid URL	(empty)
lastfmlink	Lastfm URL	Last.fm profile URL.	Text	A valid URL	(empty)
githublink	Github URL	GitHub profile URL.	Text	A valid URL	(empty)
bitbucketlink	Bitbucket URL	Bitbucket profile URL.	Text	A valid URL	(empty)
tumblrlink	Tumblr URL	Tumblr blog URL.	Text	A valid URL	(empty)
digglink	Digg URL	Digg profile URL.	Text	A valid URL	(empty)
deliciouslink	Delicious URL	Delicious profile URL.	Text	A valid URL	(empty)
stumblelink	Stumbleupon URL	StumbleUpon profile URL.	Text	A valid URL	(empty)
redditlink	Reddit URL	Reddit profile URL.	Text	A valid URL	(empty)
dribbblelink	Dribbble URL	Dribbble profile URL.	Text	A valid URL	(empty)
behancelink	Behance URL	Behance portfolio URL.	Text	A valid URL	(empty)
codepenlink	Codepen URL	CodePen profile URL.	Text	A valid URL	(empty)
jsfiddlelink	JSFiddle URL	JSFiddle profile URL.	Text	A valid URL	(empty)
stackoverflowlink	Stack Overflow URL	Stack Overflow profile URL.	Text	A valid URL	(empty)
stackexchangelink	Stack Exchange URL	Stack Exchange profile URL.	Text	A valid URL	(empty)
bsalink	BuySellAds URL	BuySellAds profile URL.	Text	A valid URL	(empty)
slidesharelink	SlideShare URL	SlideShare profile URL.	Text	A valid URL	(empty)
skypeusername	Skype Username	Skype username (not URL).	Text	A plain text username	(empty)
emailaddress	Email Address	Email address for contact.	Text	A valid email address	(empty)
rsslink	RSS Feed URL	RSS feed URL.	Text	A valid URL	(empty)

Footer Options

Below is the complete list of Footer Options available:

Option ID	Option Name	Description	Control Type	Accepted Value	Default
footer_text	Footer Copyright Notice	Custom copyright notice text displayed in the footer.	Text	A string (HTML allowed)	(empty)
hide_footer_widgets	Hide Footer Widgets	Hide all footer widget areas.	Checkbox	true / false	false
hide_credit	Hide Theme Designer Credits	Hide the theme designer credit link in the footer.	Checkbox	true / false	false

Other Options

Below is the complete list of Other Options available:

Option ID	Option Name	Description	Control Type	Accepted Value	Default
enable_widgets_block_editor	Enable Gutenberg Widget Block Editor	Enable the Gutenberg block-based widget editor instead of the classic widget editor.	Checkbox	true / false	false

Translation & RTL

Clean Grid is translation-ready. It ships with a POT file for localization but does not include RTL-specific styles.

🌐 Translating the Theme

The theme includes a clean-grid.pot file located in the /languages folder inside the theme directory. You can use this file to create translations in your own language using any of the following tools:

Poedit – Desktop translation editor (view tutorial)
Loco Translate – Translate the theme directly from your WordPress dashboard (view tutorial)

After translating, save your files as:

clean-grid-[language_code].po
clean-grid-[language_code].mo

Place them inside the /languages folder in the theme.

↔️ RTL Language Support

RTL styles are not bundled with this theme. If you need RTL, add custom CSS or child-theme overrides after enabling an RTL site language.

Performance & SEO Tips

Here are some best practices to improve your site's performance and SEO when using Clean Grid:

Use a caching plugin — Install W3 Total Cache, WP Super Cache, or LiteSpeed Cache to improve page load times.
Optimize images — Use plugins like Imagify or EWWW Image Optimizer to compress images.
Use a CDN — A Content Delivery Network (e.g., Cloudflare) serves your content from servers closest to your visitors.
Install an SEO plugin — Use Yoast SEO or Rank Math to manage meta tags, sitemaps, and structured data.
Keep WordPress updated — Always use the latest versions of WordPress, themes, and plugins.
Minimize plugins — Only keep the plugins you actually use.
Use quality hosting — A good hosting provider makes a significant difference in performance.
Set featured images — Always set a featured image for posts to ensure proper display in the grid layout and when sharing on social media.

FAQ

In this section, you'll find quick answers to the most frequently asked questions about using the Clean Grid theme. If you can't find your answer here, you can contact our support team for more help.

My menus disappeared after theme activation. What should I do?

Go to Appearance → Menus → Manage Locations and reassign your existing menus to the correct theme location.

How do I add social media links?

Go to Appearance → Customize → Theme Options → Social Links and enter your profile URLs for each social network.

How do I change the footer copyright text?

Go to Appearance → Customize → Theme Options → Footer and enter your custom text in the Footer Copyright Notice field.

How do I use a static page as my homepage?

Create at least two pages (one for the homepage, one for the blog).
Go to Settings → Reading.
Select A static page under "Your homepage displays".
Choose your homepage and posts page from the dropdowns.
Click Save Changes.

How do I show post snippets on the grid?

Go to Appearance → Customize → Theme Options → Post Options and check the Show Post Snippet option.

How do I add a numbered page navigation?

Install and activate the WP-PageNavi plugin. The theme will automatically use numbered navigation when the plugin is active.

Troubleshooting

This section covers common technical problems you may encounter. If your issue isn't listed, reach out to our support team.

Post thumbnails are missing when sharing on social media

Install an SEO plugin like Yoast SEO or Rank Math and enable Open Graph tags. Always set a featured image for each post.

I get "The uploaded file exceeds the upload_max_filesize directive" error

Increase the upload limit via php.ini, .htaccess, or contact your hosting provider. Alternatively, use FTP.

Widgets are not appearing

Go to Appearance → Widgets and make sure widgets are added to the correct widget areas. Consider disabling "Enable Gutenberg Widget Block Editor" in Theme Options → Other Options.

The sidebar is not visible

The sidebar only appears on single posts and pages. On the homepage, archive pages, and search results, the theme uses a full-width grid layout without a sidebar. Also ensure widgets are added to the Main Sidebar widget area.

Support & Licensing

The Clean Grid theme is released under the GNU General Public License v2.0 (GPL v2). You can use the theme on unlimited websites and modify the code.

What's included in free support:

Help with theme installation and setup
Bug fixes and troubleshooting related to the theme
Guidance on using built-in theme features

What's not included in free support (but available as paid tasks):

Theme customization or resolving third-party plugin conflicts
Custom coding or feature implementation requests
Performance tuning, SEO setup, or server configuration assistance

If you need help, please contact us. We typically respond within 24-48 hours on working days.

Contact Support

Upgrade to Clean Grid PRO

For more features including color options, font options, news ticker, related posts, and much more, consider upgrading to Clean Grid PRO.

Changelog & Versioning

The following is a log of all updates and changes made to Clean Grid. We recommend always using the latest version.

= Version 1.0.4 =

Fixed coding issues.

= Version 1.0.3 =

Fixed coding issues.
Theme Customizer updated.

= Version 1.0.2 =

Fixed coding issues.
Theme Customizer updated.

= Version 1.0.1 =

Fixed coding issues.
Improved coding.
Improved accessibility.
Screenshot updated.

= Version 1.0.0 =

Initial Release.

Date Formats

You can use the following date format values to control how dates appear in various places such as custom widgets, post metadata, news tickers, and more. These formats follow the standard PHP date formatting rules used by WordPress. Refer to the table below to choose a format that best fits your design and content style.

Format Key	Example Output
H:i	00:50
g:i a	12:50 am
g:i A	12:50 AM
g:i:s a	12:50:48 am
g:i:s A	12:50:48 AM
d.m.y	27.11.10
Y.m.d	2010.11.27
Y-m-d	2010-11-27
Y/m/d	2010/11/27
m.d.Y	11.27.2010
m-d-Y	11-27-2010
m/d/Y	11/27/2010
d.m.Y	27.11.2010
d-m-Y	27-11-2010
d/m/Y	27/11/2010
m/d/Y g:i:s a	11/27/2010 12:50:48 am
m/d/Y g:i:s A	11/27/2010 12:50:48 AM
Y/m/d \a\t g:i a	2010/11/27 at 12:50 am
Y/m/d \a\t g:i A	2010/11/27 at 12:50 AM
d F	27 November
F, Y	November, 2010
F j, Y	November 27, 2010
d M Y	27 Nov 2010
M j, Y	Nov 27, 2010
M j, Y @ H:i	Nov 27, 2010 @ 0:50
l, F j, Y	Saturday, November 27, 2010
l, F jS, Y	Saturday, November 27th, 2010