Django Admin Theme Pro — Documentation

Version 3.0 | Django 5.x / 6.x | Python 3.14+

Installation

Estimated time: 5 minutes

Requirements

Python 3.14+
Django 5.x or 6.x
No additional pip packages required

Step 1: Copy the theme folder

Unzip the package and copy the admin_theme_pro/ directory into your Django project root (same level as manage.py):

your_project/
├── admin_theme_pro/    <-- place here
│   ├── static/
│   ├── templates/
│   ├── templatetags/
│   ├── context_processors.py
│   ├── views.py
│   ├── apps.py
│   └── __init__.py
├── your_app/
├── manage.py
└── project/
    └── settings.py

Step 2: Add to INSTALLED_APPS

Add 'admin_theme_pro' before 'django.contrib.admin':

INSTALLED_APPS = [
    'admin_theme_pro',           # Must be FIRST
    'django.contrib.admin',
    'django.contrib.auth',
    'django.contrib.contenttypes',
    'django.contrib.sessions',
    'django.contrib.messages',
    'django.contrib.staticfiles',
    # ... your apps
]

Order matters. Django uses the first matching template it finds. admin_theme_pro must come before django.contrib.admin so its templates take precedence.

Step 3: Add context processor

TEMPLATES = [
    {
        'BACKEND': 'django.template.backends.django.DjangoTemplates',
        'DIRS': [],
        'APP_DIRS': True,
        'OPTIONS': {
            'context_processors': [
                'django.template.context_processors.request',
                'django.contrib.auth.context_processors.auth',
                'django.contrib.messages.context_processors.messages',
                'admin_theme_pro.context_processors.theme_context',
            ],
        },
    },
]

Step 4: Collect static files (production only)

python manage.py collectstatic

For development (DEBUG=True), Django serves static files automatically.

Step 5: Visit /admin/

python manage.py runserver

Open http://127.0.0.1:8000/admin/ — the theme is active.

To add a branded landing page at / with a login form:

# urls.py
from admin_theme_pro.views import home, logout_view

urlpatterns = [
    path('', home, name='home'),
    path('admin/logout/', logout_view, name='logout'),
    path('admin/', admin.site.urls),
]

Configuration

Via Theme settings

# settings.py
ADMIN_THEME_PRO_SITE_TITLE = "My Company"
ADMIN_THEME_PRO_SITE_HEADER = "My Company Admin"
ADMIN_THEME_PRO_WELCOME_TEXT = "Welcome back"

Via Django settings

from django.contrib import admin

admin.site.site_header = "Acme Corp"        # Top-left text
admin.site.site_title  = "Acme Admin"       # Browser tab
admin.site.index_title = "Control Panel"    # Dashboard h1

Theming

How It Works

localStorage / OS preference
         |
         v
   theme.js (inline anti-FOUC script)
         |
         +-- Adds/removes .dark-mode on <html>
         +-- Adds scheme class (scheme-indigo, scheme-violet, etc.)
         |
         v
   theme.css — CSS custom properties swap

6 Color Schemes

Name	Class	Accent Color
Indigo (default)	`scheme-indigo`	`#6366f1`
Violet	`scheme-violet`	`#7c3aed`
Teal	`scheme-teal`	`#0d9488`
Rose	`scheme-rose`	`#e11d48`
Amber	`scheme-amber`	`#d97706`
Emerald	`scheme-emerald`	`#059669`

Schemes are selected via header buttons and stored in localStorage key djp-admin-scheme.

CSS Variables

Variable	Light Value	Used For
`--accent`	`#6366f1`	Buttons, links, active states
`--accent-hover`	`#4f46e5`	Button hover
`--bg`	`#f0f2f7`	Page background
`--bg-card`	`#ffffff`	Cards and modules
`--sidebar-bg`	`#ffffff`	Sidebar background
`--header-bg`	`#0f172a`	Header bar
`--border`	`#e2e8f0`	All borders
`--text`	`#0f172a`	Primary text
`--radius`	`10px`	Border radius
`--font`	`'DM Sans'`	Body font
`--font-mono`	`'JetBrains Mono'`	Monospace

Changing the Accent Color

.scheme-custom {
  --accent: #your-color;
  --accent-hover: #darker-variant;
  --accent-subtle: rgba(r, g, b, 0.10);
}

Changing Typography

:root {
  --font: 'Inter', system-ui, sans-serif;
  --font-mono: 'Fira Code', monospace;
}

For offline environments (no Google Fonts):

:root {
  --font: system-ui, -apple-system, sans-serif;
  --font-mono: ui-monospace, 'Courier New', monospace;
}

Customisation

Custom Logo

Replace the shield icon in CSS:

#branding h1 a::before {
  content: '';
  width: 120px;
  height: 32px;
  background-image: url('/static/your_app/logo.svg');
  background-size: contain;
  background-repeat: no-repeat;
}

:root {
  --sidebar-width: 260px;
  --sidebar-collapsed-width: 56px;
}

Keyboard Shortcuts

Ctrl + K — Command palette
Ctrl + / — Toggle sidebar
Ctrl + Shift + F — Fullscreen

Custom Favicon

Replace admin_theme_pro/static/admin_theme_pro/img/favicon.svg with your own SVG or update base_site.html.

Removing Google Fonts

:root {
  --font: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', sans-serif;
  --font-mono: ui-monospace, 'Courier New', monospace;
}

And remove the @import line at the top of theme.css.

Production Checklist

DEBUG = False
STATIC_ROOT configured
python manage.py collectstatic executed
Static files served by web server (Nginx, WhiteNoise, S3, etc.)
HTTPS enabled

WhiteNoise (simplest option)

pip install whitenoise

MIDDLEWARE = [
    'django.middleware.security.SecurityMiddleware',
    'whitenoise.middleware.WhiteNoiseMiddleware',
    # ...
]

Troubleshooting

Theme not showing?

Check 'admin_theme_pro' is before 'django.contrib.admin' in INSTALLED_APPS
Check the context processor is in your template settings
Run python manage.py collectstatic

Dark mode flashing on load?

The inline script in base_site.html prevents this. Make sure you haven't removed the extrahead block contents.

Fonts not loading?

The theme loads DM Sans and JetBrains Mono from Google Fonts. Use the offline font settings above for intranet environments.

Pricing

License	Price	Projects	Support	Updates
Personal	€29	1 project	—	Yes
Multi-Project	€87	Up to 5 projects	Yes	Yes
Unlimited	€174	Unlimited projects	Yes	Yes

Need help? Visit djangozen.com/support

Info

Product: Django Admin Theme Pro

Type: Digital Product

Version: 3.0

Updated: Mar 14, 2026

All Documentation

Django Admin Theme Pro