## Installing the free edition from the WordPress.org directory
URL: https://hub.jkdevstudio.com/knowledge-base/installation/install-free-from-wordpress-org
Updated: 2026-09-06
Summary: Two ways to install the free edition of a jkdevstudio theme, why it is the same code as the paid one, and how it works alongside the Pro plugin.
The free edition of a jkdevstudio theme is distributed through [the WordPress.org theme directory](https://wordpress.org/themes/) and nowhere else. There is no purchase, no key and no account. Not every product has a free edition, so check the product page first.
**"Free download" mirrors and collection sites are not our product.**
They are not supported, the files in them are routinely modified, and what usually comes with them is covered in [why nulled copies do not work](/knowledge-base/licensing/nulled-copies).
## From your own admin
The shorter route, and the one to use unless you have a reason not to.
:::steps
### Open the theme browser
Go to [[Appearance > Themes > Add New]].
### Search for the theme by name
Type the theme name into the search box. Check the author line on the result before installing, because theme names in the directory are not unique.
### Install, then activate
Click **Install**, wait for it to finish, then click **Activate**. Installing and activating are two separate steps, and the theme does nothing on your site until the second one.
:::
## From the WordPress.org site
Use this when your host blocks the admin theme browser, or when you are preparing a file for a site you cannot reach yet.
:::steps
### Download the zip
Open the theme's page on [wordpress.org](https://wordpress.org/themes/) and download it.
### Upload it
Go to [[Appearance > Themes > Add New]], click **Upload Theme**, choose the zip and install it.
### Activate
Click **Activate** once the upload finishes.
:::
## What this copy actually is
The theme in the WordPress.org directory is the same code as the theme in a paid package. It is not a cut down demo version, and switching to a paid package later does not give you different theme files.
One thing differs: where updates come from.
| Free edition | Theme from a paid package |
| Update source | WordPress.org | the jkdevstudio update server |
| How updates appear | on your WordPress Updates screen | in the theme's Version Control screen |
| Timing | roughly a day behind a release | as soon as the release is out |
The delay exists because every update to a directory theme passes a review before it is published. That is the directory doing its job, not a hold up on our side.
## Using it with Pro
The directory copy fully supports the Pro plugin. If you buy Pro later, you do not reinstall anything: keep the theme you already have and add the Pro plugin on top, whether you bought it from us or on Envato.
One consequence to expect: the theme then updates from WordPress.org while the Pro plugin updates from our server. Two components with two update sources is the normal arrangement here, not a misconfiguration.
Installing the free companion plugin
## What a directory listing guarantees
Worth knowing when you judge any free WordPress theme, not only this one.
:::deflist
It was reviewed by people
: Every theme passed a manual review against [the WordPress theme requirements](https://make.wordpress.org/themes/handbook/review/required/) before appearing, and every update passes the same review.
It is fully GPL
: The theme and everything bundled with it can be used, modified and redistributed. No part of a directory theme is locked behind a payment.
Updates arrive through WordPress itself
: A new version shows up on your Updates screen the way a plugin update does. Nothing to configure, no key involved.
:::
## Common questions
Is the free edition a trial that expires?
No, it is a real theme with a smaller feature set and it keeps working indefinitely, with no date attached to it anywhere.
Why can I not find the theme in the search?
Either the product has no free edition, or your site cannot reach wordpress.org, and the way to tell them apart is whether other themes appear in the same search, because an empty result for everything is a server firewall rather than anything about this theme.
Do I get support for the free edition?
Through the theme's support forum on wordpress.org, since direct support is part of what a licence pays for.
The install fails while downloading
That is almost always the server rather than the theme: either it cannot reach wordpress.org, or the themes folder is not writable, and both are visible in [[Tools > Site Health]]. If neither is the cause, download the zip by hand and upload it instead.