How to make and install a KakaoTalk theme
Pick pieces → Make → Get it on your phone · About five minutes
On Tesil you pick theme pieces, tap Make, and out comes a theme file you can put on your phone. It is a .ktheme file on iPhone and an .apk file on Android. The formats differ because KakaoTalk reads themes differently on each platform, so the last few steps differ too. This page covers everything — from making the theme to applying it in KakaoTalk.
What this page covers
1. Pick your pieces
A Tesil theme is built from pieces. You do not have to fill every slot — even one piece makes a theme. A single background already looks lovely.
| Piece | Where it shows up |
|---|---|
| 🖼️ Background | The home and chat list, the chatroom, the lock screen, and the splash screen (the Android launch screen) |
| 💬 Speech bubble | My bubble and Their bubble are two separate slots. Use one image for both, or add two images to make them different. |
| ✨ Icon | The five bottom tabs (Friends, Chats, Open Chat, Shopping, More) and the dots on the passcode screen |
| 🎀 Bottom bar | The strip behind the bottom tabs |
| 🙂 Profile | The default profile image |
Icons come in two states — default and when tapped — and you can add either one on its own. Every piece credits the artist who made it. They are all original work.
2. Make it
Tap "Make ✨" and the preview opens
Switch between the four tabs — Lock, Home, Chatroom, and Splash — to see how it looks. Not happy with it? Tap Choose again and swap the pieces.
Name the file
Whatever you type here becomes the name in your KakaoTalk theme list. Something you will recognize — "Spring Blossom", say.
Make the bottom tab bar transparent (optional)
Tick this and your background image runs all the way behind the bottom tabs. Leave it unticked and we fill that strip with a color picked from the bottom of your background. If your background is pretty right down to the edge, tick it.
Tap 📱 iPhone or 🤖 Android
Pick the button for the phone you use. Give it a moment and your theme file is ready.
3. Get it on your phone
This is where iPhone and Android part ways. Just read the half that applies to you.
📱 iPhone — .ktheme
Pick KakaoTalk from the share sheet and you are done
Tap "💬 Send to KakaoTalk"
Once the file is built, the share sheet opens. Choose KakaoTalk from the list.
Send it to "Chat with Myself"
Pick Chat with Myself as the recipient and the file lands in your own chatroom, where you will not lose it.
Tap the file in the chat
Tap the file that arrived and Apply theme appears. Tap that, and the theme is on.
🤖 Android — .apk
You install it like an app — that is how Kakao designed themes
Tap "🤖 Android" and the download starts
The file is built and saved to your Download folder.
Pull down your notifications and tap the .apk
Swipe down from the top of the screen and you will see a "download complete" notification. Tap it to go to the install screen.
Missed the notification? Open the My Files app (your file manager) and tap the file in the Download folder.
Allow "install unknown apps"
When Android asks, go to Settings and turn it on for the browser you are using (Chrome, Samsung Internet, and so on). Then tap Back and the install carries on.
Settings → Security and privacy → Install unknown apps (the wording varies a little by phone)
Tap "Install"
When it finishes, the theme is on your phone. You do not need to open it from the app drawer — KakaoTalk finds it by itself.
4. Apply the theme in KakaoTalk
iPhone or Android, the last step is the same.
KakaoTalk → More (…) → Settings (⚙️) → Theme → pick the theme you made → Apply
It will be listed under the file name you chose in step 2. To go back to the standard look, choose Default on the same screen.
Use your own photos
You can also make a theme from your own photos instead of our pieces. Tap Upload on the piece-picking screen.
- Background — portrait, 1080 × 2340 px recommended
- Speech bubble — landscape, around 320 × 260 px, transparent PNG
- Icon — 120 × 120 px, transparent PNG
- Bottom bar — a wide strip, 1080 × 210 px
- Profile — square, 400 × 400 px
Photos you upload stay on your phone only, in your browser's storage. Nobody else sees them.
Frequently asked questions
I downloaded it but I cannot find the file.
On Android, swipe down from the top of the screen and tap the .apk in your notifications — it installs straight away. If the notification is gone, look in the Download folder of My Files or any file manager.
On iPhone, it is saved in the Files app under Downloads. That said, on iPhone it is far easier to share it straight to KakaoTalk instead of saving it.
What is "install unknown apps"? Is it safe?
It is the confirmation Android asks for whenever you install an app that did not come from the Play Store. Kakao designed KakaoTalk themes as apps (.apk), so everyone installing a theme goes through this step. A Tesil theme file holds only images and colors, and asks for no other permission.
If it still makes you uneasy, turn the permission back off after installing. The theme keeps working.
I am on Android and I cannot see the "Send to KakaoTalk" button.
Android browsers block sharing of .apk files for security reasons. So on Android there is no share button — the file downloads directly and you install it by tapping the notification. Sending through the share sheet is an iPhone thing only.
I opened the link from KakaoTalk, Instagram, or Discord and cannot save the file.
Pages opened inside another app (an in-app browser) often block downloads. Tap "Open in browser" at the bottom of the screen, or use the menu in the top right to open the page in Chrome or Safari. Then make the theme again and it will save.
I am on iPhone and KakaoTalk is not in the share sheet.
Swipe the row of app icons to the left, or tap More (…) at the end of the row to find KakaoTalk. Still nothing? Tap "💾 Save" to put the file in the Files app, then long-press it there and choose Share → KakaoTalk.
How do I change or remove a theme?
To change it, go to More → Settings → Theme in KakaoTalk and pick another one.
To remove it, on iPhone delete it from that same screen. On Android, uninstall it like any other app (Settings → Apps → the theme's name → Uninstall).
Will my theme disappear when KakaoTalk updates?
Usually it stays put. After a big KakaoTalk update, though, parts of a theme can end up slightly out of place. If that happens, make it again on Tesil and re-apply it — the pieces you picked are still in your basket.
Are the photos I upload sent to a server?
iPhone themes (.ktheme) send nothing at all. The file is built entirely inside your browser.
Android themes (.apk) have to be signed and compiled, which only a server can do. Even then, only the colors and images are sent, encrypted, and they are deleted the moment the file is built. There are no accounts and we store nothing.
Is Tesil free?
Yes — free, with no sign-up and no payment. Every piece is an artist's original work, and you are welcome to use the themes you make for yourself. See the Copyright Policy for the details.
When something goes wrong
| What you are seeing | What to try |
|---|---|
| Tapping a button does nothing | Refresh the page and try again. If you opened the page inside an app like KakaoTalk or Instagram, open it in a real browser instead. |
| It says "Add a piece first" | You have not picked anything yet. One piece is enough to make a theme. |
| The Android build fails | Give it a minute and try again. If it keeps failing, tell us on the contact page. |
| I installed it but KakaoTalk does not show it | Close KakaoTalk completely and reopen it. On Android, check the install ran all the way to the end. |
| My speech bubbles look stretched | Bubbles work best landscape, around a 5:4 ratio. A tall image will be stretched to fit. |
Tesil is an independent creative curation site, unaffiliated with Kakao or KakaoTalk. We use the phrase "KakaoTalk theme" for descriptive purposes only; KakaoTalk is a trademark of its owner. This guide draws on Kakao's official theme documentation, rewritten for Tesil users.