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Troubleshooting Common Color and Style Issues in Twenty Twenty-Two

31 threads Sep 7, 2025

Content

Many users of the Twenty Twenty-Two theme encounter challenges when trying to customize colors and styles. This guide addresses the most common issues and provides clear, step-by-step solutions based on community experiences.

Common Color and Style Problems

Users frequently report the following issues:

  • Inability to change the Site Title color on the homepage (Thread 7, Thread 15)
  • Links displaying an unexpected black color (Thread 8)
  • Difficulty applying custom CSS classes to style specific links (Thread 14)
  • Global color palette changes not saving or not appearing in the post/page editor (Thread 24, Thread 17)
  • Specific elements like the search button or block quote sidebar not responding to color changes (Thread 20, Thread 22)
  • Link hover color not being configurable in the Site Editor (Thread 11)

Why These Issues Happen

Twenty Twenty-Two is a block theme, which means it relies heavily on the Site Editor and a theme.json file for styling, a significant shift from traditional theme structures. Conflicts can arise from:

  • Specificity in CSS: The theme's core styles can sometimes override customizations due to more specific CSS selectors (Thread 13).
  • Global Styles vs. Local Styles: Changes made in the Global Styles (Styles panel) might be overridden by styles applied directly to a specific block instance.
  • Plugin Conflicts: Plugins can sometimes override the theme's color palette, especially in the editor (Thread 17).
  • Inheritance: Some styles, particularly for links, are inherited from global presets like --wp--preset--color--foreground (Thread 8).

How to Troubleshoot and Resolve These Issues

1. For Site Title and Link Colors Not Changing

The most reliable solution is to use Additional CSS. Inspect the element using your browser's tools to find the correct selector.

Example for a white Site Title on a white background:

.wp-block-site-title a {
    color: #000000 !important; /* Your desired color */
}

Example for all links:

.editor-styles-wrapper a,
.wp-site-blocks a {
    color: var(--wp--preset--color--primary) !important; /* Or use a hex code */
}

2. For Styling Specific Links with a Custom Class

When adding a custom class to a link, ensure the CSS selector is written correctly. The class must be applied to the link itself, not just a parent paragraph.

Correct CSS Syntax:

a.custom-class {
    color: #519585;
    text-decoration: none;
}
a.custom-class:hover {
    color: #f9a392;
}

3. For Link Hover Colors and Other Unavailable Styles

Some styles, like link hover states, are not yet fully controllable through the Site Editor interface. Custom CSS remains the most effective workaround.

Example for navigation link hover color:

.wp-block-navigation a:hover {  
   color: #yourcolor !important;
}

4. For Global Color Palette Issues

If you cannot edit the default palette, ensure you are not using a plugin that manages editor colors, as this can cause conflicts (Thread 17). For changes made in a child theme's theme.json to appear in the post editor, a full site cache purge may be necessary.

Conclusion

While the Twenty Twenty-Two theme offers powerful styling tools through the Site Editor, some customizations still require traditional CSS. Using your browser's inspector to identify the correct selectors is the key to successfully overriding default styles. The community has found that a combination of Global Styles for broad changes and Additional CSS for specific tweaks is the most effective strategy for customization.

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