#What a free demo needs
A free demo installs on the free edition of a jkdevstudio theme with the free companion plugin, JKD Theme Companion. No license, key or account is involved.
Not every theme has a free edition, and not every free edition has free demos. Start with these two articles:
#How to tell whether a demo is free
There are two places to check.
- The product page
Check the theme's page on our site before you install anything.
- The Demo Import screen
After you install the theme from WordPress.org and activate the companion, the Demo Import screen in the theme's menu lists the demos. A free demo has an Install button. A premium demo shows a locked Pro button, and hovering it says "This premium demo needs the Pro plugin and an active license to install."
#Installing it
Install and activate the theme
Install the free edition from the WordPress.org theme directory and activate it.
Install and activate the companion plugin
Open the Plugins screen (Plugins), click the Add Plugin button, search for JKD Theme Companion, install it and activate it. The theme's welcome banner also offers an Install JKD Theme Companion button.
Open Demo Import
The theme's menu appears in the WordPress sidebar. Open Demo Import.
Install a free demo
Click Install on a free demo, choose what to import, and click Start Import. If the demo needs other plugins, the dialog lists them first with a button to install each one.
The preparation checks apply here in full. A free import fails on a low max_execution_time exactly the way a paid one does.
#What a free demo includes
Think of the free edition as a trial of the full version, one with no end date. The WordPress.org directory rules keep functionality that belongs in plugins out of themes, so a free demo includes as much as those rules allow. That is more than most free themes carry, and it is still a smaller site than the full version builds.
For the full feature set, premium demos and the Pro layer, buy the full version directly from jkdevstudio. The free edition stays as it is: the rules that shape it do not change, and no amount of reinstalling unlocks a premium demo, because premium packages are only served to an active license.
#Common questions
Do I need an account to import a free demo?
No account, no key and no activation. That is also why nothing on this route can fail for licensing reasons.
Why is the demo list short, or empty?
The list shows the free demos this theme has, and premium demos appear with a locked Pro button. Some themes have few free demos or none at all.
Can I import a free demo now and buy the full version later?
Yes. You keep the theme and add the Pro plugin after activating your license, and the imported site stays in place while the premium features become available.
The Demo Import page is missing
The companion plugin is either not installed or not activated. The free edition has no import screen without it.
The import fails partway
Everything on the preparation and demo import problems pages applies to free imports too. Start with the server limits, because that is where most interrupted imports come from, whichever edition is running.
#Still stuck
Open a support ticket and say what you tried and where it stopped. Your product, your domain, a screenshot and the exact message you saw are usually enough to settle it in one reply.
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