If I Switch to a New Squarespace Template and Then Switch Back, Will My Site Go Back to the Way It Was?

What Happens When You Switch and Switch Back

First Switch: Original → New Template

Your content transfers. Site Styles reset to the new template's defaults. Custom CSS stops working (different selectors). Header and footer reconfigure to the new template's structure. You spend time setting up the new template.

Second Switch: New Template → Back to Original

Your content transfers back. Site Styles reset again - to the original template's defaults, not to your previous configuration. Custom CSS you wrote for the new template stops working. Any CSS you wrote for the original template may or may not work depending on whether you kept it. Header and footer reset to defaults again.

The Result

Your site has the original template installed with all your content, but it looks like a freshly installed version of that template - not like your customized version from before the first switch. You need to reconfigure everything: fonts, colors, header layout, Custom CSS, and section arrangements. If you documented your settings before the first switch, you can restore them. If you did not, you are rebuilding from memory.

What Survives Both Switches

All page content - text, images, headings, and formatted content on every page.

Blog posts - all posts with categories, tags, metadata, and content.

Products - descriptions, pricing, variants, inventory, and images.

Navigation structure - page hierarchy, main nav, not-linked, and footer nav.

SEO settings - meta titles, descriptions, URL slugs, and social sharing images.

Domain configuration - your custom domain connection remains intact.

Code Injection contents - scripts in header and footer Code Injection persist.

What Does NOT Survive

Site Styles configuration - fonts, colors, button styles, and spacing reset to defaults with each switch. For font/color restoration, our guide to fixing fonts and colors after switching covers the process.

Custom CSS effectiveness - CSS code remains in the editor but selectors may not match after switching back. For CSS migration, our guide to why CSS disappears after switching covers rewriting selectors.

Header and footer layout - configuration resets to template defaults. For header fixes, our guide to header changes after switching covers reconfiguration.

Section-level design choices - background colors, padding, and visual treatments on individual sections may change.

How to Restore Your Site After Switching Back

If You Documented Before Switching

Use your screenshots, written Site Styles values, and CSS backup to reconfigure everything. This is the fastest path - you know exactly what values to enter. The reconfiguration typically takes 30 minutes to an hour for a well-documented site.

If You Did Not Document

You are rebuilding from memory or from reference. Check the Wayback Machine (web.archive.org) for cached versions of your old site. Ask colleagues or clients if they have screenshots. Search your email for any design specifications you sent. Use browser DevTools on cached pages (if available) to extract CSS values.

A Better Approach: Test Without Switching

Preview Instead of Install

On 7.0, use Design > Template > Preview to see how your content looks on a new template without installing it. This non-destructive preview lets you evaluate templates without affecting your live site.

Use a Trial Site for Testing

Create a free trial Squarespace site to test new templates. Build a sample page with your actual content (copy-paste text, upload key images) and see how it looks. This gives you a full editing experience on the new template without touching your live site.

Document Everything Before Any Switch

If you do decide to switch: screenshot every page, save Custom CSS to a text file, write down all Site Styles values (font names, hex codes, sizes), save Code Injection contents, and note your header configuration. Five minutes of documentation makes any future restoration straightforward. For backup procedures, our guide to backing up your Squarespace site covers every method.

Consider 7.1 to Avoid This Problem

On Squarespace 7.1, there is no template switching. You redesign by changing Site Styles, rebuilding sections, and updating CSS - all on the same site. Reverting means re-entering previous values, not re-installing a template. The round-trip template switch problem does not exist on 7.1. For version comparison, our guide to checking your Squarespace version covers migration considerations. For design strategies, our Squarespace design tips guide covers safe redesign approaches. For the complete switching process, our guide to changing templates on Squarespace covers every step.

Document First, Switch Second

Switching back does not restore your site - it gives you a fresh installation of the old template that you need to reconfigure from scratch. The round trip costs you double the reconfiguration work with no automatic restoration.

Preview before switching. Document before committing. And if you switch and want to go back, your documentation is the only thing that makes the restoration fast and accurate.