Working with Templates in Joomla 6

Written by: Thanh Le | 14 October 2025 | Hits: 779
3 min read
Working with Templates in Joomla 6

Templates define how your Joomla 6 website looks and feels. They control the design, layout, and visual style of your pages. Joomla allows you to use different templates for the frontend (site) and backend (administrator) — and you can easily switch or customize them anytime.

1. What Is a Template in Joomla?

A template is like the “skin” of your Joomla website. It determines the overall design, including:

  • Layout and module positions
  • Fonts, colors, and background
  • Menu and content display style

You can install new templates, customize them, or even assign different templates to specific pages.

2. Viewing Installed Templates

  • Go to System → Site Template Styles.
  • You’ll see a list of all installed templates for your frontend.
  • Templates for the admin area are listed separately under Administrator Templates.

The default Joomla 6 installation includes the “Casiopeia” template for the site and “Atum” for the admin panel.

3. Setting a Default Template

To change your active site template:

  • In Site Template Styles, find the template you want to use.
  • Click the star icon next to it to set it as default.

Joomla will instantly apply that template to your entire website.

4. Installing a New Template

You can add new templates from trusted developers or marketplaces like TemplateMonster or JoomlaShine.

  • Go to System → Extensions → Install.
  • Upload your template’s ZIP file or install it from a URL.
  • Once installed, go to Site Template Styles to activate it.

After activation, refresh your site to see the new design.

5. Assigning a Template to Specific Pages

Joomla lets you use different templates for different parts of your site — for example, a blog template for the “Blog” section and another for “Shop.”

  • Go to System → Site Template Styles.
  • Click on a template name to edit it.
  • Open the Menu Assignment tab.
  • Select the pages you want this template applied to.
  • Click Save & Close.

6. Editing Template Files

You can make quick design changes directly inside Joomla:

  • Go to System → Site Templates → Templates → [Your Template].
  • Here, you can edit files like index.php, template.css, or add new overrides.

⚠️ Tip: Always back up your site before editing template files directly. Alternatively, use Template Overrides (see next lesson) for safer customizations.

7. Customizing Template Styles

Some templates include a built-in configuration panel where you can:

  • Change logo, colors, and fonts.
  • Set layout options (full width, boxed, etc.).
  • Enable or disable specific features like breadcrumbs or footer menus.

To open it, click the template’s name in Site Template Styles — options vary depending on the template.

8. Uninstalling Templates

  • Go to System → Manage → Extensions.
  • Set the filter to Type: Template.
  • Select the template you want to remove and click Uninstall.

⚠️ You cannot uninstall a template currently set as the default.

9. Tips for Beginners

  • Always download templates from trusted sources to avoid malware.
  • Use responsive templates for mobile-friendly websites.
  • Keep one clean backup template in case you need to revert quickly.
  • Learn about Template Overrides to customize safely (next lesson).

10. Summary

Templates define your website’s personality. Joomla 6 makes it easy to switch, install, and manage templates without touching any code. Once you understand template positions and styles, you can design a unique site that reflects your brand.

Next, we’ll dive deeper into customizing layouts in Template Overrides Made Easy in Joomla 6.