Editing a theme directly vs using a child theme

Editing a theme directly vs using a child theme

A theme controls how your site looks. A child theme is a small companion theme that borrows everything from the main one but holds your custom changes safely.

Why this matters: if you edit the main theme's files directly, the very next theme update erases your changes. Painful, and easy to avoid.

When to use which:
— Just changing colors or fonts through the customizer or settings? No child theme needed.
— Editing template files or adding custom code snippets? Always use a child theme.

There's a middle path too: a 'code snippets' plugin lets you add small tweaks without touching theme files at all.

In plain words: never edit a parent theme directly, use a child theme so updates don't wipe your work.