Template is missing.
“Template is missing.” in WordPress: causes and what to check
WordPress shows this message for a theme that has style.css but no main template: index.php for a classic theme, templates/index.html for a block theme. A child theme also shows it when its Template header names a parent theme that is not installed.
Which of these do you see?
The main template file was deleted or not copied, so WordPress has nothing to fall back to.
The templates folder is missing or incomplete after an update or a migration.
The child theme’s style.css names a parent in its Template header, and that parent folder is not in wp-content/themes.
Common causes
References
Rather not fix it yourself? Let WP119 handle it automatically.
A broken theme is handled automatically: the system first fixes the damaged fragment, then reinstalls the theme from the official theme directory, and only as a last step switches to a safe fallback theme (the appearance may differ). Fixes are made on a copy of your site in the recovery station and written back only after re-verification passes. In your site’s database, the protected tables (members, comments, orders and form submissions) are copied as structure only. In SSH and FTP mode, the system creates a pre-recovery backup on your host before writing back and restores from it if verification after write-back fails. If the recovery cannot be completed, the recovery fee is refunded in full.
- Initial assessment: Site URL entry
- Copy to the recovery station: Work on a copy
- Diagnosis: Item-by-item checks
- Recovery and verification: Home and inner pages
- Write-back or delivery: Only after verification passes
Use WP119 when the active theme shows this message and the site no longer loads.
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