How to install the Shaka theme and import the demo data

Demo Import Installation

Follow these steps to install the Shaka theme on a new WordPress site and import the demo content, so your site starts out like the Shaka demo. The Shaka documentation has more detail on each step.

Before you start

Shaka needs PHP 8.2 or newer. Check your PHP version in Tools > Site Health > Info > Server. If it’s lower, change it in your hosting control panel or ask your host to do it.

1. Download the theme

  • ProteusThemes shop: log in to your ProteusThemes account. In My Themes, download the Shaka file whose name ends in -installable.zip.
  • ThemeForest: open your ThemeForest downloads, click Download next to Shaka and choose Installable WordPress file only.

2. Install and activate the theme

  1. In WordPress, go to Appearance > Themes, click Add Theme and then Upload Theme.
  2. Choose the zip file and click Install Now.
  3. When the theme is installed, click Activate.

If WordPress says the stylesheet is missing, you uploaded the wrong zip file. See Stylesheet missing when installing the theme. If it says your PHP version is too old, see Error when activating the theme.

3. Install the plugins

  1. Go to Appearance > Install Plugins.
  2. Select all required plugins, choose Install from the bulk actions dropdown and click Apply.
  3. Click Return to Required Plugins Installer. Select the plugins again, choose Activate and click Apply.

The Shaka demo also includes shop products, a contact form and projects. To import them, install and activate WooCommerce, Contact Form 7 and Portfolio Post Type from the same list. These are recommended plugins, so you choose whether you need them. Activate them before you import the demo content, or that part of the demo won’t be imported.

4. Register the theme

  1. Go to Appearance > Theme Registration.
  2. Enter your license key (ProteusThemes shop) or your purchase code (ThemeForest) and click Activate. See Where can I find my license key or purchase code?

You have to register the theme before you can import the demo content. In the version from our shop, registering also unlocks the theme’s Customizer options. If you bought the theme on ThemeForest, also add an Envato token on the same page to get automatic updates. See How to set up automatic theme updates.

5. Import the demo content

  1. Go to Appearance > Import Demo Data.
  2. Click Import Demo Data, then click Continue & Import.
  3. Wait until you see Import Complete! This can take a few minutes.

The import sets your home page, blog page and main menu, and the shop pages if WooCommerce is active. The demo images are blurred because of copyright, so replace them with your own. If the import stops with a server error, see 500 server error when importing content.

6. Finish the setup

  1. Go to Appearance > Widgets. The imported Navigation Menu widgets in the Services, Extras, Top Right and Footer sidebars don’t keep their menus. Open each one, select the menu it should show and click Save.
  2. Go to Settings > Permalinks, select Post name and click Save Changes.
  3. If you use WooCommerce, go to WooCommerce > Home to finish setting up your store. Payment, shipping and tax options are under WooCommerce > Settings.

That’s it. Your site now looks like the Shaka demo.