How to Place a Search Box in a WordPress Theme

1. Visit the wp-admin sub-directory of your WordPress website and log into the Dashboard. Navigate to 'Appearance' and click the 'Editor' link to load the 'Edit Themes' screen.
2. Locate the template file you want to edit in the list under 'Templates' and click its link. Each template file controls a certain page type or a part of the overall theme, such as the sidebar or the header. File names for templates relate to their function within the theme, so editing footer.php, for example, will change the footer.

3. Place the following code into the file where you want the search box to appear:
Save the updated template file. The search box will now appear in your theme on the pages controlled by the template you edited.