Title: Global/Master Theme
Last modified: December 20, 2016

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# Global/Master Theme

 *  [Bogus Exception](https://wordpress.org/support/users/bogus-exception/)
 * (@bogus-exception)
 * [9 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/globalmaster-theme/)
 * Given: WP Multisite (sub-domains)
    Need: Master theme for LOTS of children.
 * Make a change in the Master (or even a _child_ of the master) theme, it is reflected
   on all other sites.
 * I understand multi-sites, the theory behind them, etc. But this is a real need.
   If you must know, it was built this way to allow full site functionality (and
   admin) to ‘branches’ (for lack of better word), yet have common menuing and look&
   feel of a _single_ site.
 * I am researching hacking away at it, but surely one of you experts has done this
   before, right? 🙂
 * P.S. Should I also post this in the less-trafficked ‘hacks’ forum?

Viewing 3 replies - 1 through 3 (of 3 total)

 *  [ancawonka](https://wordpress.org/support/users/ancawonka/)
 * (@ancawonka)
 * [9 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/globalmaster-theme/#post-8574513)
 * This is the default behavior of WordPress. If you have a single theme applied
   to lots of sites, and you make changes to that theme, it will be automatically
   reflected in each site. For example, if you change CSS or add a new widget area.
 * You would set up each subdomain site to use the same theme.
 * If you want all the sites to use a common menu, you can hard-code that into your
   theme and good to go. Or you can use a plugin that would allow you to share a
   menu across multiple sites, but still manage it in the WordPress dashboard.
 * Can you be more specific about what you want to do?
 *  Thread Starter [Bogus Exception](https://wordpress.org/support/users/bogus-exception/)
 * (@bogus-exception)
 * [9 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/globalmaster-theme/#post-8586895)
 * ancawonka,
 * Thanks for writing.
 * With 100 sites, sub-domained, I just want to change the CSS in one location, 
   and have it used in all sites.
 * Right now, I am adding CSS to override via the Customizer, but this is used to
   make a site unique from the others. I’m looking to do the opposite.
 * It looks like I need to edit the existing Style.css (or other css) to create 
   the change in look & feel, but this will not survive a theme update (that overwrites).
 * So the need is to (as safe as possible) have one theme, all sites use it, and
   a change to the master changes for all.
 * You see, all my sub-domained sites in my network are meant to look & feel like
   they are on the same “site”. That is, the user would peruse the various sites
   in the network, seeing the same exact theme, and not be aware that they are on
   different sites.
 * Make sense?
 *  [ancawonka](https://wordpress.org/support/users/ancawonka/)
 * (@ancawonka)
 * [9 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/globalmaster-theme/#post-8597314)
 * If you can make a child theme for your site then any updates to the parent theme
   will not break your CSS. What theme are you using?

Viewing 3 replies - 1 through 3 (of 3 total)

The topic ‘Global/Master Theme’ is closed to new replies.

 * In: [Networking WordPress](https://wordpress.org/support/forum/multisite/)
 * 3 replies
 * 2 participants
 * Last reply from: [ancawonka](https://wordpress.org/support/users/ancawonka/)
 * Last activity: [9 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/globalmaster-theme/#post-8597314)
 * Status: not a support question

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