Once installed a Joomla template resides in the template folder in the root of your Joomla installation. Joomla allows you edit or add to these files directly from within your Joomla administration.
Firstly you must ensure that you have the appropriate permissions to access your template file editor. Permission to do so are normally reserved for users with Super User access.
Accessing your template editor
- Log in to your Joomla administration using super user access details.
- Navigate to Extensions -> Templates
- Click into the template you wish to edit.
Presuming you have the correct permissions, you should be presented with a browser for your template files. From the left column you can browse your template files and folders. Simply locate and click the file you wish to edit. This file will then be opened within the right panel. Presuming it is a text based file (eg. file.php, file.css etc.), it will be presented within an editor which you can use to edit the code as required. Once you have made your amendments, click Save to apply your changes.
Other options available include renaming of files, creating new files and deleting files. You can manage folders using the Manage Folders option in the toolbar which include options to create and delete folders within your template.
It is worth noting that any amendments to your template will be overwritten if you update your template. For this reason it is always a good idea to backup your template folder prior to updating.