BuddyX
Get BuddyX Pro

Complete Setup Guide

Pro feature

This is the one guide to follow from start to finish. Begin with a brand-new WordPress site and, step by step, end with a fully themed, working community. Do the steps in order and you will never have to guess what comes next.

Time needed: about 30-45 minutes. You need: a WordPress site (version 6.5 or newer, PHP 8.0 or newer), an admin login, and your BuddyX Pro download.

Coming from BuddyX free? Do Steps 1-3 below, then jump to the Migrate from BuddyX Free step to bring all your existing settings across in one click.

Step 1: Start with a fresh WordPress install

  1. Install WordPress the usual way, or use a local tool like Local, XAMPP, or Studio.
  2. Log in at yoursite.com/wp-admin.
  3. Confirm your versions under Tools > Site Health > Info. You need WordPress 6.5+ and PHP 8.0+. Update first if either is lower.

Step 2: Install and activate BuddyX Pro

BuddyX Pro is a premium theme, so you install it from the zip you downloaded, not from the WordPress.org directory.

  1. Download BuddyX Pro from your account at wbcomdesigns.com.
  2. In your dashboard, go to Appearance > Themes > Add New > Upload Theme.
  3. Choose the zip, click Install Now, then Activate.
  4. Add your license key under Appearance > BuddyX Pro Theme License so you receive updates.

Step 3: Add your community engine (BuddyNext)

BuddyX Pro is built for BuddyNext, our own community platform. It adds member profiles, activity feeds, groups, Spaces, and messaging. (BuddyX Pro also works with BuddyPress and BuddyBoss, but BuddyNext is the complete first-party option we recommend.)

You have a head start on Pro: the theme can install first-party plugins for you.

  1. Go to Appearance > Getting Started and open the Dashboard tab.
  2. In the Wbcom Community Family section, find BuddyNext and read its card.
  3. Install and activate BuddyNext (from its card, or download it from buddynext.com and upload it under Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin).

Your community is now live and themed end to end.

Want more than community? The same Getting Started screen installs the rest of the family in one click: courses (Learnomy), forums (Jetonomy), a job board (WP Career Board), a services marketplace (WP Sell Services), events (Eventonomy), and more. See the Wbcom Plugin Family.

Step 4: Import demo content (recommended)

Do not start from a blank site. BuddyX Pro ships starter pages you can edit into your own.

  1. Go to Appearance > Customize > General and open the demo / starter content option, or use the block editor's Patterns to drop in ready-made sections.
  2. Set your homepage under Settings > Reading > Your homepage displays > A static page.

See Demo Content (Starter Pages) for the full walkthrough.

Step 5: Set your brand (logo, colors, fonts)

Everything visual lives in Appearance > Customize. Start with these three.

  1. Logo: open Site Identity, upload your logo (and a dark-mode logo if you use dark mode), and set the title and tagline.
  2. Colors: open Site Skin. Pick one of the color presets for an instant look, or set your own primary and accent colors. The live preview updates as you go.
  3. Fonts: open Typography and choose a font preset, or set your own heading and body fonts.

Click Publish to save.

Step 6: Build your header, menus, and footer

  1. Header: open Site Header to choose your header layout, menu position, search style, and the cart or account icons. Pro adds extra header layouts and a sticky header.
  2. Menus: go to Appearance > Menus, build your menu, and assign it to the Primary location.
  3. Footer: open Site Footer to set your footer widgets and the copyright line.

Step 7: Style your community pages

Pro gives you full control over the pages your members see. All of these live under Appearance > Customize > Community Settings.

  1. Members Directory and Groups Directory: pick a card or list style.
  2. Single Member and Single Group: choose the header layout for profile and group pages.
  3. Activity Control: set what appears in the feed.

If you use Youzify, note that it takes over these community screens, so the Community Settings panel does not appear while Youzify is active.

Step 8: Design your login and sign-in experience

Pro includes a login designer and a sign-in popup, so members never see a plain WordPress login.

  1. Open Appearance > Customize > WP Login and pick a login preset, then set your logo, background, and button style.
  2. For an on-page login and register popup, open Sign-in Popup and turn it on.

See Login Presets and Sign-in Popup.

Step 9: Already on BuddyX free? Migrate your settings

If you set up your site on BuddyX free first, do not reconfigure by hand.

  1. Go to Appearance > Getting Started and open the Migrate from BuddyX Free tab.
  2. Tick the box and select Migrate.

Your colors, fonts, header, sidebars, logo, and other Customizer settings carry straight into BuddyX Pro. Your free settings are left untouched.

Step 10: Go live and check the member journey

Walk the site the way a member will before you invite anyone.

  1. Open your homepage logged out. It should look finished.
  2. Register a test account and confirm the sign-in popup and profile work.
  3. Visit the members, groups, and activity pages.
  4. Toggle dark mode from the header and confirm every page repaints cleanly.

If every step looks right, your community is ready.

Where to go next

Stuck on any step? See Troubleshooting or the FAQs.