---
title: Start here
summary: From a fresh WordPress site to your own store in four steps, the same ones Appearance → LanternWP lists in your dashboard.
url: https://lanternwp.com/docs/start-here
updated: 2026-10-10
---

# Start here

These are the steps the theme's own screen, **Appearance → LanternWP**, walks you through. It ticks a step off when it sees it done.

![Appearance → LanternWP with its first steps ticked off](images/welcome-screen.jpg)

## 1. Install WooCommerce and the theme

1. Go to **Plugins → Add New Plugin**, search for WooCommerce, then select **Install Now** and **Activate**. The shop, product, cart, checkout and account pages come from WooCommerce; without it the blog and pages work as in any block theme.
2. Go to **Appearance → Themes → Add New Theme** and search for LanternWP, then select **Install** and **Activate**. LanternWP is on its way to the WordPress.org theme directory; it appears in the search once it is listed. Until then, download it from [lanternwp.com](https://lanternwp.com/theme) and upload it in **Appearance → Themes → Add New Theme → Upload Theme**. Once it is listed, WordPress updates it from the directory.

See [Requirements](requirements.md) for the WordPress, PHP and WooCommerce versions it needs.

## 2. Add LanternWP Companion

Companion is a free plugin from lanternwp.com, not from the plugin directory. It imports the demo stores and adds a few store features, such as Bestseller and New badges and the lowest price before a discount. The theme works without it.

1. Download the plugin's zip file from [lanternwp.com](https://lanternwp.com/download/companion).
2. Go to **Plugins → Add New Plugin → Upload Plugin**, choose the file, then select **Install Now** and **Activate Plugin**.

Its updates come from lanternwp.com: **Dashboard → Updates** offers a new version of Companion as it does for plugins from the directory.

## 3. Import a demo store

Go to **Appearance → Demos**, pick Common Goods, Voltline or Kilowatt and import it. The import adds the demo's products with their photos, pages, menus and store settings, and shows its progress as it goes.

## 4. Make it yours

Back on **Appearance → LanternWP**, the remaining steps link to the screens where each is done:

- **Name your store and add its logo**: the header shows your store's name and logo, and browsers show its icon.
- **Choose colours and fonts**: Styles sets the colours and fonts every page follows, and the LanternWP panel in the editor the shape, labels and spacing ([Shape, labels and spacing](shape-and-spacing.md)).
- **Make the home page yours**: the home page is made of sections; change their text and images, reorder them, or add more from the patterns.
- **Set up the menus**: the header and footer menus are Navigation menus; add your pages and product categories to them.
- **Add products and shipping**: add your products, then your shipping zones. The header's free shipping amount comes from their Free shipping method.