How to Install and Configure Divi 5 in WordPress

Learn how to install the Divi 5 theme, activate your licence and adjust the initial settings so that you can start building your website on the right footing.

Installing Divi 5 takes ten minutes. Configuring it properly so that you do not carry problems forward takes a little longer. In this article, we show you both: how to buy and upload the theme, connect the licence, leave the website in “Coming Soon” mode while you work and create a child theme so that your customisations survive updates. It is the same process we use for every website we build.

Summary

  • You buy Divi from Elegant Themes and install it like any other theme.
  • Without connecting the licence, you do not receive updates or support.
  • Coming Soon mode lets you work without anyone seeing a half-finished website.
  • A child theme is optional, but it can save you from unpleasant surprises.

Before you start designing

Before creating your first pages, you need to install Divi and complete some basic settings that we will use throughout the rest of the journey.

Once this preparation is complete, you will have everything ready to begin working with the visual builder.

Buy and download Divi

Buy Divi 5

Select the plan that best suits your needs and budget:

  • Annual subscription.
  • One-off lifetime payment.

Our choice at Scale & Own

In our case, we chose the lifetime licence because we develop and manage several websites continuously. Although the annual licence also allows you to use Divi on an unlimited number of websites, the lifetime option is more cost-effective over the long term and avoids renewing the subscription each year.

If you are taking your first steps with WordPress and are still in a learning or discovery phase, starting with an annual plan is entirely understandable. You can always switch to the lifetime licence later if you decide to continue using Divi for future projects.

In addition to the Divi licence, we use some complementary Elegant Themes tools, although they are completely optional when you are starting:

  • Divi AI: content generation and assistance within the editor.
  • Divi VIP: priority support.
  • Divi Cloud: storage and reuse of custom layouts.

To follow this journey and create your website, you only need the basic Divi licence.

Download Divi 5

Once you have completed the purchase:

  • Go to Your Account → Product Downloads.
  • Click Download Divi 5 Theme.
  • A .zip file will be downloaded, for example Divi.zip.

Warning

Important: do not unzip the file. WordPress needs it in .zip format.

Install Divi in WordPress

Upload and install the theme

  • Open your WordPress dashboard.
  • Go to Appearance → Themes → Add New Theme.
  • Click Upload Theme.
  • Select the Divi.zip file.
  • Click Install Now.
  • When the installation finishes, click Activate.

Your website will now use Divi as its main theme and you will have access to its powerful visual builder.

Connect the Divi licence

Why is this important?

To receive theme updates and access Elegant Themes support, you need to connect your Divi licence.

  • Go to Divi → Theme Options → Updates.

Enter:

  • Your Elegant Themes username.
  • Your API key.
  • Click Save Changes.

Automatic activation

If you are logged in to Elegant Themes in the same browser, the details may be completed automatically.

Manual activation

If not:

✅ Done! You can now benefit from all Divi updates and its exclusive advantages.

Enable Coming Soon mode

During the next stages, your website will be under construction. You will create pages, modify the design and add content before publishing it. In the meantime, it is not advisable for visitors or search engines to access a website that is still incomplete.

To prevent this, we will enable Coming Soon mode. It will display a temporary page to anyone who visits your domain, while you can continue working normally from your administrator account.

The difference between Coming Soon and Maintenance mode

Coming Soon

This is used when the website is still being developed and has not yet been published.

Maintenance mode

This is used when the website has already been published and you need to hide it temporarily while making changes, applying updates or carrying out maintenance work.

At Scale & Own, we use SeedProd, whose free version is more than sufficient for enabling Coming Soon mode.

Enable Coming Soon mode

  • Go to Plugins → Add New Plugin and search for SeedProd.
  • Click Install Now, then Activate.
  • In the side menu, go to SeedProd → Dashboard.
  • In Status and Configuration, enable the Coming Soon Mode switch.

From that moment, every visitor will see the Coming Soon page, while you can continue building your website normally whenever you are logged in as an administrator.

Scale & Own recommendation

Keep Coming Soon mode enabled throughout the website-creation process. Once you have finished reviewing the design, content and general operation of the project, simply disable it to publish your website.

This step is recommended if you want to customise your website beyond the options provided by Divi in the future, for example by adding CSS code, PHP functions or other advanced modifications.

What is a child theme?

Definition

A child theme inherits the design and operation of the main theme, but allows you to store your code customisations separately.

  • Divi is the parent theme.
  • The child theme keeps your modifications without altering Divi’s original files.

It is important not to confuse this with your website’s content. Whether or not you use a child theme, pages, posts, images and the WordPress and Divi settings will be preserved when the theme is updated.

The difference is that only modifications made directly to Divi’s files may be lost after an update. The child theme prevents this problem.

Why do we recommend using one?

Even if you do not know how to code today, you may want to make small customisations with the help of artificial intelligence in the future. Creating a child theme from the outset will allow you to do this safely.

  • It protects code customisations.
  • It keeps the original theme intact.
  • It makes long-term website maintenance easier.

Create a child theme step by step

There are several ways to create a child theme. At Scale & Own, we will use the Child Theme Configurator plugin because it is the simplest and safest option for people getting started with WordPress.

Install the Child Theme Configurator plugin

  • Go to Plugins → Add New Plugin.
  • Search for Child Theme Configurator.
  • Click Install Now.
  • Then click Activate.

Configure the child theme

  • Go to Tools → Child Themes.
  • Under Parent Theme, select Divi.
  • Click Analyze.

The plugin will automatically suggest a name for the new child theme, usually Divi-child, which you can leave unchanged.

For optimal operation, we recommend keeping the default options. In particular:

  • Main stylesheet (style.css): this will store your custom CSS code.
  • Do not add any parent theme stylesheet: this avoids loading unnecessary CSS files, reducing possible conflicts and improving performance.

When everything is ready, click Create New Child Theme and wait a few seconds.

Activate the child theme

  • Go to Appearance → Themes.
  • Find Divi Child.
  • Click Activate.

If you wish, you can use the Live Preview option before activating it.

Once it is active, you will continue using Divi normally, but any code customisations you make can remain separate from the main theme.

Expected result

Divi is installed, your licence is connected and your website now has the environment required to begin working with the visual builder.

If you also created a child theme, your future code customisations will be better organised and protected from theme updates.

Divi is now ready. In the next article in the series, we will begin using the visual builder: How to use Divi 5 →

Frequently asked questions

Is the annual licence enough, or do I need the lifetime licence?

Both allow you to create an unlimited number of websites. The annual plan is ideal if you are learning; the lifetime plan is worthwhile if you plan to manage several projects over the long term.

Is a child theme compulsory?

No. You only need one if you intend to modify code such as CSS or PHP. Your content and settings are preserved during updates even without a child theme.

Does Coming Soon mode harm SEO?

No. It is temporary and exists precisely so that Google does not see a half-finished website. You disable it when you publish.

What happens if I update Divi without a child theme?

Pages, images and settings remain in place. Only modifications made directly to Divi’s files are lost. The child theme prevents exactly that.