Title: Zodan Theme Switcher Author: martenmoolenaar Published: June 21, 2025 Last modified: January 7, 2026 --- Search plugins ![](https://ps.w.org/z-theme-switcher/assets/banner-772x250.jpg?rev=3433687) ![](https://ps.w.org/z-theme-switcher/assets/icon-256x256.png?rev=3433687) # Zodan Theme Switcher By [martenmoolenaar](https://profiles.wordpress.org/martenmoolenaar/) [Download](https://downloads.wordpress.org/plugin/z-theme-switcher.1.3.2.zip) * [Details](https://test.wordpress.org/plugins/z-theme-switcher/#description) * [Reviews](https://test.wordpress.org/plugins/z-theme-switcher/#reviews) * [Installation](https://test.wordpress.org/plugins/z-theme-switcher/#installation) * [Development](https://test.wordpress.org/plugins/z-theme-switcher/#developers) [Support](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/z-theme-switcher/) ## Description When we are developing themes, we quite often like to switch between the old (active) and the new (to develop) version of a theme. Sometimes without other people noticing. This plugin does exactly that. #### What does it do? It lets users with certain roles see another (than the currently active) theme, by * Selecting a theme from the list of installed themes * Selecting which user roles are permitted to switch themes and * Optionally, selecting user roles that can use a ‘switch theme/back’ button on the front-end This plugin is under active development. Any feature requests are welcome at [plugins@zodan.nl](https://test.wordpress.org/plugins/z-theme-switcher/plugins@zodan.nl?output_format=md)! ## Installation #### Install the Theme Switcher from within WordPress 1. Visit the plugins page within your dashboard and select ‘Add New’; 2. Search for ‘Zodan Theme Switcher’; 3. Activate the plugin from your Plugins page; 4. Go to ‘after activation’ below. #### Install manually 1. Unzip the Theme Switcher zip file 2. Upload the unzipped folder to the /wp-content/plugins/ directory; 3. Activate the plugin through the ‘Plugins’ menu in WordPress; 4. Go to ‘after activation’ below. #### After activation 1. On the Plugins page in WordPress you will see a ‘settings’ link below the plugin name; 2. On the Theme Switcher settings page: ** Select the theme you want to be able to switch to ** Select the roles with the permission to switch 3. Save your settings and you’re done! ## FAQ ### Does it work in a multisite environment? Yep. It does. ### The Switch theme button on the front-end is not showing, can you help? Hm. It could be that you are using a theme that does not call wp_footer() (which is the hook it is linked to). In that case, you can use the custom hook/action for this. Just add the following php code (make sure it is somehow called on every page): ### Do you have plans to improve the plugin? We currently have on our roadmap: * Adding translations * Adding a custom capability( to be used next to roles, for those who want to add a custom role) * Set the preference per user If you have a feature suggestion, send us an email at [plugins@zodan.nl](https://test.wordpress.org/plugins/z-theme-switcher/plugins@zodan.nl?output_format=md). ## Reviews ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/2aad3bda238485f2f67c57bf1728f43f1021c0d9e37628d9a62bb137acb94e4c? s=60&d=retro&r=g) ### 󠀁[A simple but very useful tool for theme developers](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/a-simple-but-very-useful-tool-for-theme-developers/)󠁿 [Daan Verbaan](https://profiles.wordpress.org/daanverbaan/) June 30, 2025 Z Theme Switcher has quickly become one of my favourite tools when working on new WordPress themes. It solves a very specific problem in a clean and effective way: being able to preview a different theme — just for yourself or selected user roles— without changing the live site for visitors. What I really like: It’s lightweight and easy to set up You can control exactly who sees the development theme The optional front-end switch button is handy during testing It keeps everything safe and invisible to regular users I often need to develop or fine-tune a new design while a site stays online. With this plugin, I can work directly on the live server, test things in context, or share previews with clients — all without setting up a separate staging environment. It’s clear the developer understands real-world needs. The plugin is actively maintained and feels reliable. If you work with custom themes, this is definitely worth adding to your toolkit. ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/6f4a9d2a128a776a5b97397b842b85dfdedb8ced531bfb579ffde894d7608643? s=60&d=retro&r=g) ### 󠀁[Makes developing a lot easier!!!](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/makes-developing-a-lot-easier/)󠁿 [Henry Peters](https://profiles.wordpress.org/henry-peters/) June 30, 2025 Very handy plugin to quickly switch between themes. Makes developing a lot easier. [ Read all 1 review ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/z-theme-switcher/reviews/) ## Contributors & Developers “Zodan Theme Switcher” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin. Contributors * [ martenmoolenaar ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/martenmoolenaar/) * [ Zodan ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/zodannl/) “Zodan Theme Switcher” has been translated into 1 locale. Thank you to [the translators](https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp-plugins/z-theme-switcher/contributors) for their contributions. [Translate “Zodan Theme Switcher” into your language.](https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp-plugins/z-theme-switcher) ### Interested in development? [Browse the code](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/z-theme-switcher/), check out the [SVN repository](https://plugins.svn.wordpress.org/z-theme-switcher/), or subscribe to the [development log](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/z-theme-switcher/) by [RSS](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/z-theme-switcher/?limit=100&mode=stop_on_copy&format=rss). ## Changelog #### 1.3.2 * Name changes #### 1.3.1 * Removed load_text_domain() * Fixed text domain mismatch #### 1.3 * Added setting to also switch in the backend #### 1.2 * Added JS to copy PHP code #### 1.1 * Changed front-end JS and CSS loading method #### 1.0 * Very first version of this plugin ## Meta * Version **1.3.2** * Last updated **3 months ago** * Active installations **Fewer than 10** * WordPress version ** 5.5 or higher ** * Tested up to **6.9.4** * Languages * [Dutch](https://nl.wordpress.org/plugins/z-theme-switcher/) and [English (US)](https://wordpress.org/plugins/z-theme-switcher/). * [Translate into your language](https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp-plugins/z-theme-switcher) * Tags * [development](https://test.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/development/)[switch theme](https://test.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/switch-theme/) [theme development](https://test.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/theme-development/) * [Advanced View](https://test.wordpress.org/plugins/z-theme-switcher/advanced/) ## Ratings 5 out of 5 stars. * [ 2 5-star reviews ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/z-theme-switcher/reviews/?filter=5) * [ 0 4-star reviews ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/z-theme-switcher/reviews/?filter=4) * [ 0 3-star reviews ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/z-theme-switcher/reviews/?filter=3) * [ 0 2-star reviews ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/z-theme-switcher/reviews/?filter=2) * [ 0 1-star reviews ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/z-theme-switcher/reviews/?filter=1) [Add my review](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/z-theme-switcher/reviews/#new-post) [See all reviews](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/z-theme-switcher/reviews/) ## Contributors * [ martenmoolenaar ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/martenmoolenaar/) * [ Zodan ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/zodannl/) ## Support Got something to say? Need help? [View support forum](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/z-theme-switcher/) ## Donate Would you like to support the advancement of this plugin? [ Donate to this plugin ](https://www.buymeacoffee.com/zodan)