How to Add Custom CSS to WordPress Safely
The community recommends using the WordPress Customizer or a child theme while ensuring CSS specificity to avoid relying on !important declarations.
Based on 8 community reports.
Linked sources: 9.
Known Issues
- Over-reliance on !important tags
- Theme updates overwriting direct file edits
- Specificity conflicts with existing theme styles
Community Q&A
Where is the best place to add custom CSS in WordPress?
The recommended method is using the ‘Additional CSS’ section in the WordPress Customizer, which allows you to see changes in real-time.
Should I use !important in my custom CSS?
No, you should avoid using !important. Instead, use browser developer tools to identify the correct CSS selectors to increase specificity.
Will my custom CSS be lost when I update my theme?
If you add CSS via the WordPress Customizer, it will persist. If you edit theme files directly, your changes will be lost unless you use a child theme.
Reddit Sources
- Raw Gutenberg Challenge (r/Wordpress)
- Advice for allowing nonprofit to have better control of their sites WordPress design? (r/Wordpress)
- 5 Things You Never Skip Before Stepping into WordPress Development (A Personal Experience) (r/Wordpress)
- Advice on how to take on updating a client’s existing custom theme from a few years ago (r/Wordpress)
- Why is Gutenberg + TT5 so limited? (r/Wordpress)
- How do I override the theme with my own css? (r/Wordpress)
- GoDaddy Managed WordPress - Can’t upload custom static HTML site (permission denied on root files, SFTP only shows when WP is installed) (r/Wordpress)
- I’ve been trying to make WooCommerce development feel more like building a Shopify theme with liquid (r/Wordpress)
- Moved off WordPress to Astro after a $2k Core Web Vitals quote. Will I regret it? (r/Wordpress)