setting up new template

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  kerslakeling · Member · Jul 25, 2021 at 5:35 am

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  Hello, i would like to try one of the template before i decide to transfer my domain name or link it to my current provider. can you tell me how to do this. I can’t get past the above options – which i am not ready to decide, until i am happy with the template and getting it to a stage where i know it will work for me.
  Thanks
  Christine

  I don’t have a site with WordPress.com yet

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  aisajib · Member · Jul 25, 2021 at 10:13 am

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  Hi there!

  Do you mean that you want to create a free WordPress.com site here to try out our theme? If so, you can go to https://wordpress.com/pricing → choose the free plan → enter an address that ends in .wordpress.com when it asks you to search for a domain → choose the Free .wordpress.com address.

  If you follow the process above, you’ll end up with a free WordPress.com site where you can activate the free themes from our theme gallery.

  Note that if you have a WordPress site hosted elsewhere (known as self-hosted WordPress.org sites), you can download free themes to install them on a WordPress.org site. The link to download free themes is located at the bottom of the free theme’s showcase page.

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  kerslakeling · Member · Jul 25, 2021 at 10:09 pm

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  Thanks for your reply. I will do that.
  Once happy with the template can i change it to a site without the wordpress.com address? ie, my own address.com.au
  Would also want to remove any advertising if any.
  Pricing to do this?
  Thanks
  Christine

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  staff-totoro · Staff · Jul 26, 2021 at 3:30 am

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  Hi there,

  Yes you can get your site all set up and ready to launch, and then change your address at the end when you are ready to make it public.

  Sites on WordPress.com that are “free” are required to use the “wordpress.com” address and show ads (to help keep the lights on) but any of the upgrades here will allow you to turn off ads, and set a custom .com.au address. https://wordpress.com/pricing/

  You are welcome to start with Personal, since it is the lowest cost plan and will also turn off ads and let you change your URL. If you decide down the road that one of our other plans is a better fit you can move up a level and we will apply the value of your Personal plan so you don’t have to pay full price on the next highest plan.

  Hope that helps. Please let us know if you have any more questions.

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  kerslakeling · Member · Jul 28, 2021 at 5:24 am

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  Thanks Aisajib, have follow your instructions, but it’s not coming up with an option to select a template – I had wanted to use Exford template.
  Thanks
  Christine

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  kokkieh · Staff · Jul 28, 2021 at 5:28 am

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  Hi Christine,

  Click on My Site ->Appearance ->Themes. You can search for and activate Exford from there.

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  kerslakeling · Member · Jul 28, 2021 at 5:46 am

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  thanks. Can you give me a hint where i can find “appearance”?

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  aisajib · Member · Jul 28, 2021 at 6:57 am

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  Hi there!

  Sure! If you click My Site at the top left and select a site if one isn’t already selected, the “Appearance” menu will show up on the left side. Can you check and let me know if you’ve found it?

  You can also go to the Exford theme by clicking here: https://wordpress.com/theme/exford/ → choose your site if you have more than one → click “Activate this Design.” However, I’d like for you to know how to get to the theme gallery on your own in case you want to check other themes in the future. :)

  So let me know if you can find the Appearance menu on the left side.

  Feel free to check out this page for more information on changing themes on WordPress.com: https://wordpress.com/support/changing-themes/

  Regards