Getting started

Installation

Install the NovaSpark theme, add its companion plugin, and get the required plugins in place. About fifteen minutes, no code and no command line.

Before you begin. Check your server first — see Requirements. PHP 8.1 or higher is a hard requirement. On anything older the theme stops with a notice rather than running, so it is worth confirming before you start.

What’s in your download #

When you download NovaSpark from ThemeForest, choose All files & documentation rather than Installable WordPress file only. You will get a ZIP containing:

File or folder	What it is
`novaspark.zip`	The theme. This is the file you upload to WordPress.
`novaspark-child.zip`	An optional child theme. Use it if you plan to add your own CSS or PHP — see Child theme.
`documentation/`	This documentation. Open `index.html` in any browser.
`licensing/`	Licences for the third-party libraries the theme includes.

The most common installation error. If you upload the whole ThemeForest ZIP, WordPress replies “The package could not be installed. The theme is missing the style.css stylesheet.” That is expected — the download is a bundle, not a theme. Unzip it on your computer first, then upload novaspark.zip on its own.

Install through WordPress #

The easiest route, and the one to use unless your host limits upload sizes.

Open the theme installerIn your WordPress admin, go to Appearance → Themes, then click Add New Theme at the top of the page.
Choose the fileClick Upload Theme, then Choose File, and select novaspark.zip from your unzipped download.
Install itClick Install Now and wait for the message “Theme installed successfully.”
Activate itClick Activate. NovaSpark is now your active theme.

The WordPress Add New Theme screen with the Upload Theme panel open and novaspark.zip selected. — Appearance → Themes → Add New Theme → Upload Theme.

Upload rejected for size? Some hosts cap uploads at 2 MB. If you see “the uploaded file exceeds the upload_max_filesize directive”, either ask your host to raise the limit or use the FTP method below — it has no size limit at all.

Install over FTP #

Use this when the admin upload fails. You will need the FTP or SFTP details your host gave you, and an FTP client such as FileZilla or Cyberduck.

Unzip the themeExtract novaspark.zip on your computer. You should end up with a folder named exactly novaspark.
Connect to your serverOpen your FTP client and connect using your host’s details.
Find the themes folderNavigate to /wp-content/themes/ in your WordPress installation.
Upload the folderCopy the whole novaspark folder into it. Wait for every file to finish transferring — a partial upload produces confusing errors later.
Activate itBack in WordPress, go to Appearance → Themes. NovaSpark now appears in the list. Click Activate.

Where the theme belongs

/wp-content/themes/novaspark/        ← the theme
/wp-content/themes/novaspark-child/  ← the child theme, if you use it

Do not rename the folder. It must stay novaspark. The child theme and the theme’s own updates both find the theme by that exact folder name, and renaming it breaks both.

Install the required plugins #

The moment you activate NovaSpark, a notice appears across the top of your admin listing the plugins the theme needs. All three are required — NovaSpark will not work without them.

Plugin	What it does
NovaKit Core	Every NovaSpark feature lives here: Theme Options, Global Blocks, the widgets, the Setup Wizard, the Demo Importer. The theme handles presentation; this plugin does the work.
Elementor	The page builder NovaSpark is built on. The free version is what the theme uses — no Elementor Pro is needed anywhere.
Advanced Custom Fields	Stores your Theme Options and per-page settings. The free version is all you need.

Open the installerIn the notice, click Begin installing plugins. You land on Appearance → Install Plugins. You can return to this screen at any time from that menu.
Select all threeTick the checkbox in the table’s header row to select every plugin at once.
Install themChoose Install from the Bulk Actions dropdown, then click Apply. Leave the browser tab open and let it finish — installing pulls each plugin from WordPress.org, so it needs a working internet connection.
Activate themWhen installation finishes, click Return to Required Plugins Installer. Select all three again, choose Activate from Bulk Actions, and click Apply.

The Install Plugins screen listing NovaKit Core, Elementor and Advanced Custom Fields, with all three selected and the Bulk Actions dropdown open. — Appearance → Install Plugins. Select all three, then Install, then Activate.

Already own ACF Pro? Install that instead of the free version — NovaSpark works with either. The theme ships its own Repeater and Gallery fields so the free version is enough, and both versions store your content in the same format, so you can move between them later without losing anything.

If something goes wrong #

What you see	What to do
“The theme is missing the style.css stylesheet.”	You uploaded the full ThemeForest bundle. Unzip it and upload `novaspark.zip` instead.
“The uploaded file exceeds the upload_max_filesize directive.”	Your host’s upload limit is too low. Use FTP instead, or ask your host to raise it.
A notice saying NovaSpark requires PHP 8.1	Your server runs an older PHP. Most hosts let you switch PHP version from their control panel. See Requirements.
A notice that Advanced Custom Fields is required	ACF is installed but not activated. Go to Plugins and activate it.
The plugin install stalls or times out	Your server was too slow to fetch the plugins. Reload Appearance → Install Plugins and install them one at a time instead of in bulk.
A white screen after activating	Rename `/wp-content/themes/novaspark/` over FTP to deactivate it, then check your server error log. Troubleshooting covers this.

What to do next #

With the theme and all three plugins active, a NovaSpark item appears in your admin sidebar, just below Dashboard. That is the home for everything the theme adds.

Open it and run the Setup Wizard. It checks your server, offers the optional plugins you might want, and can import a complete demo site so you start from a finished design rather than an empty page.

Planning to import a demo? Do it on a fresh WordPress install, before you add your own content. Read Demo Import first — it explains what gets added and what a Fresh Start removes.