Installing Blogger XML Templates

This short guide will walk you through installing an XML Blogger template from a .txt file on your own computer.

The first thing you do is download the template from the website. If it’s in a .zip file, the next thing you must do is unzip the file, preferably into the same folder that you downloaded it to. This is very simple if you have a file decompressor program installed like Winzip or similar. Here’s a link to some free ones if you don’t have one installed: File Decompressors. Unzipping is easy, normally you can just right click on the file and then select Extract Here.

Once you’ve done that your file will be in a .txt format which can easily be opened in Notepad. It’s not necessary to open the file though, you can use the automated file uploader built into Blogger’s control panel. This makes it extremely easy to install a new template. BUT before you move on to the install you may want to do a complete back up of your template so that you don’t lose your links and buttons. Click here for an easy guide to doing just that: Back up your XML template widget data.

Once you’re satisfied with your backup, go to your blogs’s control panel and click on the Template tab, once that window opens click on the smaller Edit HTML tab just below it. What you’ll see is a page area like in the image below.

Installing Your XML Template

Then just click on the Browse button (arrow in photo above) and navigate to the unzipped file. Once the file name shows in the little window, click Upload. And that’s it! You’ve just changed your template the easy way!

I hope this guide helps, comments are welcome.

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7 Responses to “Installing Blogger XML Templates”

  1. Vanessa Says:
    March 4th, 2008 at 5:34 pm

    Okay you are a genius! You are the first person to actually give instructions as to how to EXTRACT the file once you download it to your computer. So I get getting something that looked like ??????? this. So frustrating.

    I have read instructions over months and this is the first time I have ever read this in the instructions Why? Oh why?

    Genius! You have not forgotten about us wanna be geeks who are still tech dummies. God bless you! I now have a new template to mess up on my test site. I would hug you if I could!

  2. Vanessa Says:
    March 6th, 2008 at 2:44 pm

    I am so sorry I changed the name of the blog and had to come back and let you know. Thanks again for the instructions I was able to get the template up and running.

  3. tammy Says:
    March 10th, 2008 at 10:29 pm

    Thank you! Oh, thank you! That was so easy, thanks to you.

  4. dizzie Says:
    March 17th, 2008 at 4:14 am

    kewl

  5. Ahmed Fouad Says:
    March 22nd, 2008 at 7:25 am

    Well done man i’m a vb & sql server programer iI don’t know if I can explain to the ppl in very much easy way like u

    god bless you

    Yours
    Ahmed Fouad

  6. Carrie Gardner Says:
    April 1st, 2008 at 8:30 am

    I used one of your templates on March 8/08 and have been unable to get into my site since. I don’t know what I’ve done wrong, I saved my original template in word pad but that will not paste, and when I click on “view page source”, all the html comes up but I cannot past my old template nor delete the one that is there received from you. it keeps showing both headers on the front page and I am unable to see the “customize” button at the top. Anyway to help me?

  7. Popi Says:
    June 2nd, 2008 at 8:28 pm

    Hai there. Thank you for the instruction. I’m sure need it because i’m not really aware of this kind of technology hehehehe. And thank you for making this so easy to understand

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