> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.ectobuilder.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # How to Customise Ghost's Source Theme: Every Setting, What Needs Code, and a Visual Alternative - URL: https://www.ectobuilder.com/blog/ghost-source-theme/ - Published: 2026-10-28T18:48:02.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-28T18:48:02.000Z - Description: Source, Ghost's default theme, has more settings than most people realise. Every one of them explained, what you can only change with code, and when to build a Source-style theme you can edit visually instead. - Author: Michal Wlosik - Tags: Guides, Themes, Design Source is Ghost's default theme, and for good reason: it's clean, fast and built around Ghost's newsletter and membership features. It also comes with more settings than most people realise. You can change its menu, fonts, colours, homepage header and post layout from Ghost Admin without touching a line of code. This guide goes through every setting Source has (as of version 1.7), shows what each one does, explains what you can only change with code, and when it makes sense to stop tweaking Source and build a Source-style theme you can edit visually. ![Ghost's Source theme on its demo site, shown in a desktop browser and on a phone](https://www.ectobuilder.com/content/images/2026/10/image-mvsgsk7c.webp) Source, Ghost's default theme, on desktop and phone. ## Where to find Source's settings In Ghost Admin, open **Settings → Design & branding → Customize**. The panel on the right has three tabs: - **Brand**: settings every Ghost theme shares, such as your accent colour, logo, icon, cover image and publication description. - **Site-wide**, **Homepage** and **Post**: the settings that belong to Source itself. Ghost groups them for you, so you only see the Homepage ones when you're designing the homepage. The preview on the left updates as you change things, and nothing goes live until you click **Save**. ![All of Source's custom settings grouped as Site-wide, Homepage and Post, with their default values](https://www.ectobuilder.com/content/images/2026/10/image-mvsgsmsk.webp) Source's own settings and their defaults, as the theme defines them. ## Site-wide settings These change every page of your site. - **Navigation layout.** *Logo in the middle* (the default), *Logo on the left* with the menu beside it, or *Stacked*, with the logo on top and the menu on a row underneath. Stacked suits sites with a lot of menu items. - **Site background colour.** White by default. A warm off-white or a pale tint is the quickest way to make Source look less like every other Ghost site. Source switches text to light colours on its own if you pick a dark background. - **Header and footer colour.** *Background colour* keeps them the same as the page; *Accent colour* fills them with your brand colour, from Brand. - **Title font.** *Modern sans-serif*, *Elegant serif* or *Consistent mono*. - **Body font.** *Modern sans-serif* or *Elegant serif*. - **Signup heading** and **Signup subheading.** The words on the newsletter box in the footer. Left empty, they use your site title and description. ![Source with its default settings: stacked menu and sans-serif fonts](https://www.ectobuilder.com/content/images/2026/10/image-mvsgsowh.webp) ![Source with the logo on the left, serif title and body fonts, and a warm background colour](https://www.ectobuilder.com/content/images/2026/10/image-mvsgsrfh.webp) ![Source with an accent-coloured header and mono title font](https://www.ectobuilder.com/content/images/2026/10/image-mvsgstu2.webp) The same Source demo with different settings: the defaults, a serif look on a warm background, and an accent header with mono titles. ## Homepage settings **Header style** decides what sits at the top of your homepage, and it's the biggest change Source offers: | Header style | What it shows | Good for | | ----------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------- | | Landing (default) | Your header text and a big signup form, over your cover image if you like | Newsletters and new sites | | Highlight | A lead story, a few recent posts and a column of featured posts | Sites that publish often | | Magazine | A large lead story with a row of stories below it | News and magazine sites | | Search | A headline and a search box | Archives, guides and documentation | | Off | Nothing: the post list starts at the top | Minimal blogs | The rest of the Homepage settings: - **Header text** (Landing and Search only). Defaults to your site description. - **Background image** (Landing and Search only). Uses the cover image you set under Brand. - **Show featured posts** (Highlight and Magazine only). Fills the featured spots with posts you've marked as featured in the post settings. - **Post feed style.** *List* (one post per row) or *Grid*. - **Show images in feed** (List only), **Show author** and **Show publish date**. - **Show publication info sidebar.** Adds your logo, description and a signup box beside the post list. ## Post settings - **Show post metadata.** The author, date and reading time under each post title. - **Enable drop caps on posts.** A large first letter, magazine style. It looks best with the serif body font. - **Show related articles.** A row of posts at the bottom of each post. Fonts deserve one more note: under **Brand**, Ghost also has its own typography setting with a longer list of fonts for headings and body text, and Source follows it. For a font that isn't on either list, see [how to use custom fonts in Ghost](https://www.ectobuilder.com/blog/ghost-custom-fonts/). ****On Ghost(Pro) Starter?** Settings are all you can change: Starter only runs Ghost's official themes, so an edited copy of Source won't upload. See [custom themes on Ghost(Pro) Starter](https://www.ectobuilder.com/blog/ghost-pro-starter-custom-theme/). ## Small changes with code injection For a tweak the settings don't cover, Ghost's **Settings → Code injection** lets you add CSS to every page. Source is built on CSS variables and plain class names, so a few lines go a long way: ```html ``` Code injection restyles what Source already shows. It can't add things Source doesn't have, and every Ghost update to Source can move the class names your CSS relies on. ## What needs real code Some changes mean editing Source's Handlebars templates, either in Ghost Admin's [built-in theme editor](https://www.ectobuilder.com/blog/ghost-theme-editor/) or on your computer: - New sections on the homepage: a pricing table, testimonials, an about block, logos, an FAQ. - A different post layout, such as a [sidebar](https://www.ectobuilder.com/blog/ghost-post-sidebar/) or a [table of contents](https://www.ectobuilder.com/blog/ghost-table-of-contents/). - [Dropdown menus](https://www.ectobuilder.com/blog/ghost-dropdown-menu/) or footer columns. - Custom templates for one-off pages, like a landing page or a [contact page with a form](https://www.ectobuilder.com/blog/add-contact-form-to-ghost/). Once you edit Source's files, it's your own custom theme. Ghost won't update it any more, so you'll miss Source's fixes and new features unless you copy them in by hand. ## Is there a visual editor for Source? Not for Source itself. Ghost Admin's preview is the closest thing: it shows your settings changes live, but it can't move sections or add new ones. Visual Ghost theme builders, Ectobuilder included, don't open Source's files either. They build a theme of their own from sections. What you can do is build a **Source-style theme** visually: the same calm, newsletter-first layout, with the parts Source doesn't have, and change it whenever you like by clicking. In [Ectobuilder](https://www.ectobuilder.com/) the quickest start is the Newsletter or Magazine theme from the gallery: ![Ectobuilder's Newsletter theme: a Substack-style homepage with a signup form and recent posts](https://www.ectobuilder.com/content/images/2026/10/image-mvsgswam.webp) Ectobuilder's Newsletter theme: a Source-like start you can change by clicking. - **Header styles become sections.** Pick a hero with a signup form, a lead story, a magazine grid or a search box from the library, and stack as many as you like. - **Add what Source can't.** Pricing tables that read your Ghost tiers, testimonials, FAQs, contact forms, sidebars, tables of contents and dropdown menus are all ready-made sections. - **Keep Ghost Admin settings.** Your theme can still have settings in Design & branding, so you or a client can change headlines and images there. See [custom Ghost Admin settings](https://www.ectobuilder.com/blog/ghost-custom-theme-settings/). - **Publish in one click**, or download the theme as a zip and upload it anywhere. For the full walkthrough, read [how to build your Ghost theme visually](https://www.ectobuilder.com/blog/build-ghost-theme-visually/), or compare the options in [Ghost theme builders in 2026](https://www.ectobuilder.com/blog/ghost-theme-builder/). [![CTA Image](https://www.ectobuilder.com/content/images/size/w256h256/2026/06/Ecto_builder_logo_sq_small.png)](https://editor.ectobuilder.com/login?mode=signup&plan=free&ref=ectobuilder.com) ****Outgrown Source?** Build a Source-style theme with the sections Source doesn't have, change it by clicking, and publish it to Ghost. Free to start. [Start free ](https://editor.ectobuilder.com/login?mode=signup&plan=free&ref=ectobuilder.com) ## FAQ #### Is Source free? Yes. Source is Ghost's default theme, free and open source, and it's already installed on every new Ghost site. #### Will I lose my changes when Source updates? Not your settings. Settings live in Ghost, not in the theme files, so they survive updates. Edits to the theme's files do get lost if you install a newer Source over them. #### Can I use Source's settings on Ghost(Pro) Starter? Yes. Every setting in this guide works on Starter. What Starter doesn't allow is uploading an edited copy of Source or any other custom theme. #### How do I change Source's accent colour? Under Settings → Design & branding → Customize → Brand. Source uses it for buttons and links, and for the header and footer if you set Header and footer colour to Accent colour. #### Can I move Source's sections around? No. Source's layout is fixed in its templates; settings can turn parts on and off and switch styles, but not reorder them. For that you need to edit the templates or build a theme from sections. [![CTA Image](https://www.ectobuilder.com/content/images/size/w256h256/2026/06/Ecto_builder_logo_sq_small.png)](https://editor.ectobuilder.com/login?mode=signup&plan=free&ref=ectobuilder.com) ****Your Source-style theme, designed by clicking.** Start from a gallery theme, add sections, and publish to your Ghost site. Start free and pay only when you go live. [Start free ](https://editor.ectobuilder.com/login?mode=signup&plan=free&ref=ectobuilder.com)