Install a Joomla template from the admin panel: go to System in the sidebar, then under Install click Extensions. Upload the template's zip file (or paste its install URL) and click Upload & Install. Joomla unpacks it automatically. To make it live, go to System > Templates > Styles, find the new template in the list, and click the star icon next to it to set it as the default for your site.
If the template ships with quickstart content or sample data, install that as a separate step, usually a second zip under the same Extensions installer, before you start customizing.
Uploading the template file
Most premium and free Joomla templates come as a zip. You have two ways to get that zip into Joomla:
- Upload Package File: the default tab in
System > Install > Extensions. Drag the zip in or browse for it, then clickUpload & Install. - Install from Folder: if you've already uploaded the zip's extracted contents to your server via File Manager or FTP, point Joomla at that folder path instead.
For the folder method, upload files through the portal's File Manager or an FTP client. Both are listed as service tiles once you're on your hosting service in the portal.
If the upload fails on file size
Large templates with bundled demo images sometimes hit PHP's upload_max_filesize or post_max_size limit before Joomla even gets a chance to process them. If you get a blank screen or a failed-upload error after clicking Upload & Install, that's usually it.
Raise the limit in cPanel: open Software > MultiPHP INI Editor, select your domain, switch to Editor mode, and increase upload_max_filesize and post_max_size (keep post_max_size at least as large as upload_max_filesize). Save and re-run the install. Note that the portal's PHP Version tile only switches PHP versions per domain, it doesn't touch these limits, so MultiPHP INI Editor in cPanel is the right tool here.
Setting the default template and assigning by menu item
Once installed, a template stays inactive until you assign it. In System > Templates > Styles, the star marks the site-wide default. You can also run more than one template at once and assign specific templates to specific menu items: click into the template style, and under Menu Assignment choose which pages use it instead of the default. This is handy if you're staging a redesign on a few pages before switching the whole site over.
After activating a new template, clear your site's cache so old assets don't linger. In Joomla itself, go to System > Maintenance > Clear Cache. On the server side, Flashcloud's LiteSpeed stack keeps its own full-page cache in front of PHP, so also purge that from the portal's Cloudflare CDN page if you're using proxy mode, or wait for the automatic invalidation to catch up.
Why template switches feel fast on Flashcloud
Flashcloud runs LiteSpeed Web Server with LSCache on every hosting plan, which serves logged-out page views straight from cache without touching PHP. Combined with NVMe storage, that keeps the admin panel and the public-facing template preview responsive even while you're mid-install. See How we make your site fast for the full breakdown of the caching layers.
If your template requires a specific PHP version, switch it from the PHP Version tile in the portal (versions 7.4 through 8.3 are available per domain), and manage extensions in cPanel through Select PHP Version rather than editing server config by hand.
When to contact support
If a template install fails with a server error rather than a straightforward size limit, or if you're not comfortable editing PHP settings in MultiPHP INI Editor yourself, open a ticket from Support in the portal. It reaches a real person, not a bot, and you can attach the exact error text or a screenshot to speed things up.