One of the most frustrating experiences for any Drupal site builder is losing theme settings after an update, reinstall, or migration. You’ve carefully chosen colors, placed blocks, set up layouts — and suddenly, it’s gone. If you’re using Solo, there are simple ways to avoid this headache and keep your site looking exactly the way you want.
Why Theme Settings Can Be Lost in Drupal
Drupal’s configuration system is powerful, but it works a bit differently from traditional CMS platforms. When you uninstall a theme, Drupal also removes that theme’s configuration from the database. This is standard Drupal behavior, not a Solo-specific issue.
The good news? With a few simple steps, you can back up and restore your Solo settings at any time — even if you need to uninstall or migrate your site.
Best Practices to Protect Your Solo Theme Configuration
1. Always Export Configuration After Customizing Solo
Whenever you make design changes — adjusting colors, layouts, menus, or region placements — export your site’s configuration. This creates a complete backup of your current setup, including all Solo-specific settings.
drush cexOr, use the UI: Configuration > Development > Configuration Synchronization.
Download the config folder and store it safely — this is your insurance policy.
2. Use Configuration Split (Optional)
If you want to keep theme settings separate from other config (like content types or views), you can use the Configuration Split module. This allows you to export Solo’s settings into their own folder, so you can reimport just those if needed.
3. Avoid Uninstalling Solo Unless Absolutely Necessary
If you need to temporarily switch themes, you can disable Solo without uninstalling it. Uninstalling removes configuration — simply disabling does not. You can switch to a different theme under Appearance and safely switch back to Solo later.
4. Manual Backups for Extra Safety
Before updating Drupal core, modules, or the theme itself, it’s smart to manually back up your database. This ensures you have a working copy of all your settings, even if something unexpected happens.
5. Test Updates on a Clone First
For important sites, clone your site to a staging environment, apply updates there first, and make sure Solo’s settings persist correctly. This extra step can save a lot of stress.
What If You Already Lost Your Solo Settings?
If you accidentally uninstalled Solo and lost your configuration, here’s what you can do:
- If you have a recent database backup, restore it and your settings will return.
- If you have a configuration export, reimport your config after reinstalling Solo.
- If no backups exist, you’ll need to manually reapply your settings — but you can use this as a chance to document your ideal setup for the future.
Solo Makes Configuration Management Easier
Solo is designed to work smoothly with Drupal’s configuration system. By following these simple best practices, you can confidently update, migrate, or reconfigure your site without losing your carefully crafted design.
Start Building with Confidence
Ready to design your site with Solo? Download the Solo theme and customize it knowing your work is safe with the right backup practices in place.
Get Solo Now: https://www.drupal.org/project/solo
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