How to Change Your Website Template in Squarespace 7.1 

Squarespace Tutorial
Written By Walid Hasan

Considering revamping your website design, but not quite sure how to change your template in Squarespace 7.1?

You’re not alone.

A lot of creatives and entrepreneurs who start with a Squarespace site will want to change up the design down the road, whether in response to a rebrand, to optimize usability, or to keep up-to-date with the latest design fads. And if you’re used to Squarespace 7.0, WordPress, Wix, or Shopify, you might be looking for a “Change Template” button.

But there’s a critical difference: Squarespace 7.1 does not have traditional template switching.

That might seem like a limitation, but that is a very powerful feature once you understand the way the platform works.

Here’s what we’ll cover in this post:

  • Why Squarespace 7.1 doesn't support template switching

  • What’s new compared to 7.0 and other platforms

  • How to overhaul your site with a new design without changing templates

  • Pro tips for making your site look like a professionally designed new theme

Why You Can’t Switch Templates in Squarespace 7.1

In Squarespace 7.0, templates like Brine, Bedford, and Skye each had different design limits and built-in layout styles. If you wanted to alter your website’s appearance or functionality, you would frequently need to change templates.

But that system had drawbacks:

  • Some of the features were restricted to certain templates

  • Changing templates often meant rewriting large parts of your content.

  • It was difficult to make things consistently work throughout your website

Squarespace 7.1 fixes this by using a universal template system.

Rather than relying on multiple templates, every site in 7.1 uses the same design engine. That means:

  • You can build and customize anything without needing to switch templates

  • All features and blocks work consistently across your entire site

  • You have full design control — all through sections, styles, and page layouts

In short: You don’t need to switch templates anymore — you can simply redesign.

What You Can Do: Redesign Without Changing Templates

Let’s say you want a bold new look, a minimalist layout, or a modern refresh. Even though you can’t “change the template,” you can still transform the entire visual identity of your site.

Here’s how:

1. Use Site Styles to Transform Your Design

Squarespace 7.1 lets you deeply customize your site’s appearance through the Site Styles panel.

Go to: Design → Site Styles

You’ll be able to change:

  • Fonts & heading styles

  • Colors (backgrounds, buttons, links, etc.)

  • Spacing & padding

  • Animation effects

  • Button styles, image ratios, and more

You can completely rebrand your website — from a bold, high-contrast portfolio to a soft, muted lifestyle blog — without touching the structure.

Tip:

Use Color Themes to save and reuse your palette throughout the site for consistency.

2. Use Pre-designed Page Layouts

If you want a fast way to “rebuild” a page with a modern layout:

Go to: Pages → Add Page → Page Layouts

Choose from:

  • About Pages

  • Contact Pages

  • Service Overviews

  • Galleries

  • Product Highlights

  • And more

These are professional layouts designed by Squarespace that you can fully customize.

You can add, remove, or rearrange sections using drag-and-drop, then update colors, fonts, and buttons to match your style.

3. Customize Sections with Content Blocks

Every page in Squarespace 7.1 is built with modular sections — rows you can stack and edit individually.

Each section can include:

  • Images

  • Text

  • Video embeds

  • Buttons

  • Forms

  • Galleries

  • Products

  • Newsletter signups

Want to add a full-screen hero section or a testimonial slider? Just insert it as a section; no new template is needed.

4. Use Custom CSS for Advanced Design

If you have a design vision that goes beyond what the built-in editor offers, you can add Custom CSS to get full control.

Go to: Pages → Custom Code → Custom CSS

With CSS, you can:

  • Change hover effects

  • Add animations

  • Adjust font weights or spacing

  • Style the latest versions of blocks

  • Add advanced visual elements like gradients or parallax effects

Only use CSS if you're comfortable small mistakes can affect mobile design or responsiveness.

5. Start with a New Site (If You Want a Clean Slate)

If you’re determined to use a different “template” starting point, you can create a new Squarespace website entirely:

  1. Go to your Squarespace dashboard

  2. Start a new site using a different pre-styled demo

  3. Rebuild the pages you need using new layouts

  4. Copy-paste over the content from your old site

This approach is ideal if:

  • You’re early in your site-building journey

  • You want a radical new structure

  • You don’t mind manually migrating content

Bonus: Use Third-Party Design Kits (Optional)

Some designers offer Squarespace 7.1 design kits that come with:

  • Prebuilt demo pages

  • Custom code blocks

  • Matching color & font palettes

These aren’t official templates, but they let you recreate beautiful, modern styles inside Squarespace’s 7.1 structure.

Summary: What You Can and Can’t Do

Feature Available in 7.1?
Switch between core templates ❌ Not supported
Redesign using Site Styles ✅ Yes
Use new page layouts ✅ Yes
Add content blocks & sections ✅ Yes
Customize design with CSS ✅ Yes
Start fresh with a new site ✅ Yes
Import/export templates ❌ Not supported

Final Thoughts

While the lack of template switching in Squarespace 7.1 may seem limiting at first, it’s a shift toward total creative freedom.

You can redesign your site anytime using styles, layouts, and blocks without worrying about compatibility or template lock-in.

Whether you’re a small business, designer, coach, or online store, the flexibility in 7.1 gives you everything you need to create a fresh, on-brand website with no “template change” required.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. Can I switch templates in Squarespace 7.1 like I could in 7.0?

No. Squarespace 7.1 uses a universal template system, meaning all sites share the same flexible design framework. Instead of switching templates, you can fully redesign your site using style settings, layout sections, and custom CSS — without starting from scratch.

2. What if I want a completely different look for my site?

You can achieve a brand-new look by updating your Site Styles, using pre-designed Page Layouts, and customizing sections and content blocks. These tools allow you to redesign fonts, colors, spacing, and structure — all within the same site.

3. Is there a way to use a different demo or template style as a new starting point?

While you can’t “apply” a new template in 7.1, you can start a new site with a different demo design. Then, rebuild the needed pages and copy your content over. This is helpful if you want a completely clean slate or are rebranding entirely.

4. What happened to templates like Brine, Bedford, or Skye?

Those were part of Squarespace 7.0, which had multiple separate template families with limitations. In 7.1, all those designs have been unified into one system, giving you consistent control and features across every page of your site.

5. Can I use third-party Squarespace templates or design kits with 7.1?

You can’t install a template file like in WordPress, but many designers offer design kits for Squarespace 7.1. These typically include demo pages, matching styles, and setup instructions to help you recreate modern, professional designs inside the 7.1 system.

6. Will redesigning my site affect my existing content or SEO?

No. Updating your site’s design through Site Styles or layout changes will not affect your URLs, page content, or SEO settings. Just avoid deleting key pages or changing slugs unless you're intentionally restructuring your site.