FAQ

Layers is a totally free theme for WordPress (the visual presentation of your content) that provides tools and templates for building custom page and site layouts. Unlike other builders, which use a large amount of proprietary scripting, interfaces and implementation, Layers uses WordPress native UI, functionality and customization experience so you don’t have to learn a complicated new system and your site doesn’t have to suffer the added load.

We have a more detailed overview of Layers here, or you can get started with building right away through our step-by-step guide.

WordPress is a free website platform for publishing website content, commonly referred to as a blog or Content Management System (CMS). If you think of it like a house, WordPress is the foundation, plumbing and basic wiring, whereas Layers is the frame. 

Most website hosts offer WordPress as a free add-on and a “1-click” install, or you can download it from WordPress.org and do it yourself following our step-by-step instructions. 

Unfortunately not, as WordPress.com does not allow the install of any theme or plugin outside their exclusive marketplace, nor do they allow themes to incude the kind of customization Layers offers. Hosting WordPress yourself is super easy and gives you the ultimate freedom and control of your site. 

Most website hosts offer WordPress as a free add-on and a “1-click” install, or you can download it from WordPress.org and do it yourself following our step-by-step instructions. 

A child theme is a Layers theme that inherits the functionality and styling of Layers, called the parent theme or theme framework. Child themes allow you to easily add and switch between pre-made styles, layouts and page templates on your Layers site without losing the Layers functionality.

For developers, child themes offer you a simple way to extend Layers visually without making modifications to the original that are difficult to maintain. 

View our Child Theme documentation

Browse our official collection.

An extension is a WordPress plugin that specifically extends a theme or plugin (or both!). Extensions are dependent on the parent framework or plugin being active in WordPress.

We have a minimal approach to development at Layers, meaning we believe your site should start with a solid base of the most common and useful features which can be applied to the widest range of website projects. 

Layers Extensions provide an amazing range of added functionality for your site, from portfolios and shop customization to more widgets and post types, allowing you to pick and choose only the features your project needs, reducing both bloat and overall cost. Extensions also allow you to freely switch between child themes and visual styles for your site without losing features and functionality.

Browse our official extensions

As a framework, Layers is simple and clean in its design, but offers a power-house of customization options under Appearance  Customize in your WordPress admin. Customization starts with how you choose to build your Layouts and content – an amazing variety of styles can be achieved through different combinations of colors, fonts and graphics!

Layers Pro extends these options even further, adding more widgets, color controls and features.

You can take it one step further with a Child Theme or Style Kit, two simple pre-made ways of changing font sizes, spacing, colors, etc, or try your hand at Custom CSS. 

We offer several tutorials and guides with code snippets and examples, and host a community forum where you can ask for and share tips with developers and other Layers users.

Layers is coded in international English as the primary language and uses WordPress coding standards to ensure quick and easy translation of text elements via plugins or .po file editors. 

As an open-source project, we depend on the community to contribute translations to support other languages. Layers already includes support for several languages, from Dutch to Chinese, which are enabled automatically on WordPress sites set to a supported language. To fine-tune these translations or make your own, you may localize Layers yourself. 

See How to Translate Layers

Absolutely! We are very active in the WordPress and WooCommerce development communities and do everything we can to test new versions before they are released so we can make an update available to address any major changes or problems. 

Layers and Layers products are developed for WordPress 4.3 or higher, and any version prior to that may encounter problems with theme functionality.

Due to the progressive nature of the web and different coding practices of independent developers or companies creating products for WordPress and Layers, we cannot guarantee Layers child themes or extensions authored by third parties will work with the current version of WordPress, WooCommerce or Layers. We do make every effort to communicate changes and assist developers in ensuring their products stay current.

Learn more about plugin compatibility

Due to the progressive nature of the web and different coding practices of independent developers or companies creating products for WordPress and Layers, we cannot guarantee plugins or extensions authored by third parties will work with Layers. In most cases, those that don’t either have a proprietary way of working that requires specific code in your theme, just needs some custom styling, or has been poorly coded and needs a replacement. 

Learn more about plugin compatibility

Layers is an open-source project that depends on the community to help it grow and thrive. We encourage and welcome all contributions, from translations to Layers → Marketplace on the Extension tab.

To contribute code or submit themes and extensions, be sure to read our extended FAQ and visit our Developer resource.

Layers Pro is an extension that you install like any other WordPress plugin. Simply purchase a copy here on our site, download the zip and upload to WordPress. Voila!

Your existing Layers content and settings are not affected by activating Layers Pro.

View the Layers Pro Setup Guide

Official themes sold through this website will indicate any bundled products under the “Description” section of the product page. In most cases, prices shown are for single products, but do include a discount for Layers Pro or other recommended extensions. 

To get updates on special deals and bundles, and free advice on cusotmization and layout building, be sure to subscribe to our mailing list. 

1. Click Register at top-right and sign up, or login if you already have an account on our site. Please note this is not the same as your try.layerswp.com or forum login!
2. You will land on your My Account page
3. Click Redeem
4. Follow the steps there to locate your CodeCanyon  license key and paste it into the field there. That will grant you access to future downloads and support.
5. Download Layers Pro from the downloads tab.  
6. Go to your WordPress admin and click Plugins. Deactivate and delete any existing Layers Pro install.
7. Click  Add New at the top 
8. Locate the zip you downloaded from our site (layers-pro-extension.zip) and upload.
9. Install and activate.

You can find a complete guide here.

See How to Redeem Envato Purchase Code on Layerswp.com for detailed help. 

If you still get an error, please go to your My Account page and click the blue chat bubble at the bottom to send us a message. Include the product name you are trying to redeem, and the purchase code you are copy/pasting into our form.

Note: Only themes and extensions authored by us (Obox) can be redeemed on this website.

The e-mail is sent the moment your complete sign-up or payment is approved, usually within a few minutes. If you don’t receive an email receipt or login information soon after, please contact us and we’ll check on your payment and account.

Make sure your email address is correctly entered on the My Account page and you have checked your SPAM folder. 

If you’re simply waiting on login details, try changing your password by clicking the Lost your password? link on the login form.

If you still get an error, please go to your My Account page and click the blue chat bubble at the bottom to send us a message.

Make sure your email address is correctly entered on the My Account page and you have checked your SPAM folder. 

Try changing your password again by clicking the Lost your password? link on the login form.

If you still get an error, please click the blue chat bubble at the bottom right to send us a message.

Make sure you are logged in to the right account and you have received a receipt confirming the purchase.

If you originally bought your product on Themeforest or CodeCanyon, you need to redeem it first.

If you’re confident the products should be there, please go to your My Account page and click the blue chat bubble at the bottom to send us a message and include the product name you are trying to redeem. If you bought a product on behalf of a client, be prepared to provide that information.

Layers Coupon codes may be redeemed on the Layers website shop during checkout for any new  purchase or license renewal. Coupon codes are found on your My Account page if you have redeemed or purchased at least one product, and can be used to discount a single item or upgrade.

New Purchases

1. Visit our shop and choose a product
2. Choose a license and add it to your cart
3. Enter your coupon code on the cart page and click APPLY COUPON
4. Your discount will be applied on checkout

Renewals/Upgrades

You will need to Upgrade your license if you re-sell client sites using one of our products, or are a developer looking to repackage an extension in your own product.

1. Visit our shop and choose a product
2. Choose a license
3. Enter your coupon code in the coupon field on the cart page and click APPLY COUPON
4. The discount will be applied on checkout

We currently accept payment via 2Checkout which accepts Visa, MasterCard, JCB, Discover, Diner’s Club and American Express card from just about anywhere in the world. We also accept Paypal.

Please login and visit the My Account page, then click the blue chat bubble in the lower-right to send us your request so we can deactivate your account. This will remove your access to purchases, discounts and licenses on our site.

Please note that we will retain license and order history for legal reasons which may include your name, email address, payment option choice and product.

Purchase codes are only required if you bought one of our products on the Envato marketplace (Themeforest or CodeCanyon) and wish to get access to support and downloads on our website.

Products purchased directly on this website will provide a different kind of purchase code in the form of your transaction ID which is included in the payment receipt you receive from 2checkout or Paypal. We will only ask for this code if you encounter problems with accessing your purchases.

Sorry, no. Layers and Layers child themes were designed in the browser with the customization tools we created to ensure precision, simplicity and coherence with WordPress. We find that designing new layouts, custom styles and themes for Layers goes much faster in the Customizer in combination with your browser inspector and front-end development skills. 

Get started with Custom CSS in Layers or check out DevKit, our amazing little tool for creating child theme stylsheets in the visual customizer.

You can give Layers a go over on http://try.layerswp.com and see some of the features available with StoreKit or Layers Pro.

To demo the themes, visit their product page and click the Demo icon.

If you have questions on how our themes work, take a look at our Documentation for more information before you buy, or click the blue chat icon at the bottom of our homepage to send us your question (be sure to add a valid email address so we can reply if not immediately available!)

Themeforest & CodeCanyon Customers

Please review the Themeforest refund policy here.

We strive to make our customers 100% satisfied with the product they’ve purchased from us. If you are experiencing any technical or setup issues, and you’re feeling frustrated, then please send us a message first so we can help you out.

If you find the product you’ve purchased is defective, then you do have the option to request a refund.

Here are the circumstances in which refunds will be granted:

You can get a refund if

• You’ve purchased your Layers product from this website in the last 14 days
• The product you’ve purchased is non-functional or your issue is found to be with our product and not due to a 3rd party conflict.
• You’ve asked us for help
• You are unable to download your product within 48 hours of purchase

Please note that refunds can take up to 30 days to reflect in your account based on the payment processor’s policies and credit card company timeframes.

Layers is released under the GPL 2.0 License, which governs how the code can be distributed. It does not govern copyright at the product level or trademark of the brand.

• “Layers for WordPress”, LayersWP and the Layers brand are copyrighted and trademarked by Obox Themes.
• Images and iconfonts are covered by Creative Commons with Attribution.
• PHP Code within Layers is individually copyrighted by the contributing author, or by Obox Themes, and covered by GPL.
• Javascript libraries are governed by their own license structures linked from the attribution.

Boiled down to smaller chunks, the GPL license sets forth the following conditions:

It allows you to:

• Freely download and use Layers, in whole or in part, for personal, company-internal or commercial purposes
• Build Child Themes or Extensions for use with or based on the Layers framework for personal use or a client project
• Install Layers on as many websites as you wish

It forbids you to:

• Redistribute Layers in whole or part without proper attribution.
• Modify or remove the branding, copyright notice or attribution in whole or part  in a re-distributed package
• Redistribute Layers with modifications that are malicious or illegal.

It requires you to:

• Include a copy of the license in any redistribution you may make that includes Layers code
• Retain all attributions and copyright notices in the original documents

It does not require you to:

• Include the full source of Layers itself in any redistribution you may assemble that includes it (such as a child theme or extension)
• Submit changes that you make to Layers back to the Layers project (though you earn extra awesome points for doing so!)

See more information on Layers and GPL here

Premium extensions such as Layers Pro are commercial products governed by a slightly different license structure than Layers, one that covers access to support and updates, and one that governs the source code.

• Like Layers, the general source of our extensions and themes is covered by the GPL 2 license.
• Graphics and icons are governed by the Creative Commons
• CSS Stylesheets, UI and concept design is copyright of Obox Themes
• Javascript and 3rd party libraries included in our themes or extensions may have their own license information in the attribution.

To cover all use cases, we offer three licenses to ensure copyrights are transferred appropriately. This is important for your clients or any commercial venture you plan to launch using our products.

Regular License

Also known as a personal license, this one is appropriate for most single site owners, a single client project where your client will maintain the site, or your own personal non-commercial projects.

Multi-Domain

This license is appropriate for professionals who plan to build multiple sites for multiple clients or wish to manage multiple commercial projects under one license/purchase.

Extended

This developer license is needed if you plan to bundle an extension in one single end product for sale (such as bundling Pro with your child theme) or would like to use a theme or extension as part of a provisioned website service or multi-site where you are paid per install, exceeding the 5 site multi-domain limitation.

These licenses are not concurrent with any Envato licenses, but use the same general terms. If you previously purchased your product on Themeforest or Codecanyon, your license is converted to a Regular license automatically.

Not sure which is right for you? Drop us a line via Layers Messenger and we’ll be happy to clarify.

Yes, you just need to purchase the Extended license to do so.

Yep! Here are some step-by-step instructions for reinstalling if you need them.

Child Themes

Extensions

Yes, you just need to purchase the Extended license to do so. Please be sure to read up on our license FAQs and check out the next FAQ on white-labelling below.

You can white-label your WordPress admin using a variety of methods to hide menus, turn off the Layers credit or offer custom onboarding. What you can’t do is remove the Layers icon from our widgets or “rebrand” Layers to your own brand in a commercial setting (a site for sale or a platform reselling Layers).  

Check out our blog post on admin white-labelling, or for developers, our in-depth guide on admin customization. For situations where you want your client to have custom onboarding etc, we recommend creating a custom child theme.

Once we have a clearer understanding of marketplace requirements and checkout flow, we will reach out to third party developers. We don’t have a timeline for opening up the marketplace to independent sellers, but will move in that direction after we prove our products are doing well in the short term. We invite you to contact us with your interest so we can begin vetting the best of the best 🙂

Sure! There are two ways this is done. One is between you and the client, of course, following whatever method you use to tranfer project copyrights or licenses. The other is access to the product updates and support on our site.

If your account only has your client purchases, you may edit your account details to reflect your client’s WordPress admin email address and name, then simply turn over the layerswp.com login to them. You may continue logging in to our community forum using your own login option.

If your account contains a mix of purchases, please create a new account for your client using the client’s WordPress login email address (this is so we can validate support via layers messenger users) and then contact us to get help with a transfer. We will remove the product from your account and add it to the other one.

Developers who have a standard license from CodeCanyon already can redeem that license key to manage it separately if desired. You will then need to purchase the Developer license from the pricing page and apply the coupon code.

The CodeCanyon standard license cost is rolled into the new Developer package and covered by the coupon discount.

To thank you for registering on our site, we do offer a couple freebies and discount codes. You can also find free themes on github for adding buddypress support or walking you through child theme development. You can also find several free style kits linked throughout our tutorials.

Our affiliate program allows you to receive a 30% comission on sales of our products when purchased by someone you refer, and all purchases they make for 45 days after clicking your link. Referrals can come from a variety of sources, including newsletters, your blog or an affiliate shop.

Learn more here

Sign up via this form. We will evaluate your submission and make an approval decision within 7 days. If approved you will receive an email notifying you as such.

Become an Affiliate

Affiliate links are built using an url extension containing your affiliate ID. You can find an URL generator on the Affiliate Area once logged in.

1. Go to the purchase page for the item you want to link to (the purchase page is the one with the buy now button on it, not the overview/category.

2. Add /?ref=ID to the end, where ID is your affiliate number. Example https://layerswp.com/layers-pro/?ref=5

We pay via Paypal