In this article, you will learn how to customize Ubuntu 18.04 by installing additional themes and make its layout look different from the default.
Ubuntu 18.04 can be customized a lot. You can even make it look to resemble Windows or Mac OS X as you will see below. You can watch a video tutorial or continue reading.
Let’s start with the simplest - Ubuntu Communitheme.
How to install macOS theme on Ubuntu 20.04 step by step instructions. First step is to install Gnome Tweaks. Next, we are going to install Mojave macOS theme. Begin by opening your terminal and installation for all prerequisites: $ sudo apt install gtk2-engines-murrine gtk2-engines-pixbuf Next, download the Mojave macOS theme.
This simple tutorial shows how to install ‘McMojave’, a Mac OS Mojave like theme, in Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 19.10. Following steps will first download and install the GTK theme, icons theme, and a set of wallpapers.And then apply new themes and tweak the left dock to make your Ubuntu desktop look like Mac. I would like to set the Max OS X Terminal theme for Ubuntu Terminal. I really like the fonts and the colors. This is how the Mac Terminal does look: Image source. There are few things that I want to see in the Ubuntu Terminal: I want to replace username@desktop:/Dropbox$ with the username and the computer name in this format: desktop:Dropbox. Windows 10 Theme. Feels quite strange that I am starting with a Windows 10 theme for your.
Communitheme
It is available in the Software Center. Simply search for communitheme and install it. Restart the system and at the login screen, click on the settings icon and select Ubunut with communitheme snap session.
Your new Communitheme is working now.
Note, Communitheme is a very new theme and it is still being developed. So, it is not complete yet and some icons may be missing. But overall it is a really nice theme.
Canta theme
Now, let’s install some themes from gnome-look.org. There are themes for everything like Shell themes, GTK3 themes, cursors, and icons. You can customize Ubuntu endlessly with these themes. I have selected a few themes including Canta theme.
![14.04 14.04](/uploads/1/2/7/7/127725433/600470630.jpg)
Install Canta theme
To install Canta theme in Ubuntu, go to the Files tab (see the image) and download the theme files.
Probably, you would also like to install Canta icons and wallpapers to make this theme look coherent. Download Canta icons and wallpapers from the same Files place.
Go to your Downloads folder and extract the archives. Next, move the extracted wallpapers to your Pictures directory. The content of the icons folder needs to be moved to
.icons
folder in your home directory. Similarly, move the content of the theme folder to your ~/.themes
folder.You can also run the script
installer.sh
present in canta-icon-theme
folder. But I think installing icons manually will give you a better idea of what happens.NOTE: By default,
.theme
and .icons
folder can be hidden in your Ubuntu system. To make them visible, enable Show hidden files in the View menu of the Nautilus file manager.In case you don’t find any
.themes
or .icons
folder, create them in your home directory.Enable Canta theme
When the themes are installed, you need to select them in the Settings. But you won’t find anything like that in the standard Ubuntu settings. You need to install Gnome Tweaks.
You can install it from the Software Center. Open the Software Center, search for
Gnome Tweaks
and install it.Tweaks is very powerful application. You can change a lot of things with it besides themes. But to change the themes, go to the Appearance tab and select Canta in Applications and Icons options.
However, you probably won’t be able to change the Shell theme because User Themes extension is not installed. You need to install it from Software Center by searching for
User Themes
. When the User Themes extension is installed, restart Tweaks.Now, you should be able to select Canta Shell Theme.
Install missing icons in Canta theme
You still may find that not all icons have changed. This is because Canta uses Numix Circle pack to replace missing icons. To install it, you need to run these commands in the terminal:
Now, the icons look as expected.
Finally, change the wallpaper. Right click on your desktop -> Change Background -> go to the Pictures tab > select Canta wallpaper.
Canta theme is complete.
Flat Remix Theme
Flat Remix GTK theme and Flat Remix icons can be installed using the same approach as we used for Canta theme. You can install many other themes by downloading their themes and icons files and placing them into your
.themes
and .icons
folders. I have shown the installation process of Flat Remix themes in my Things to do after installing Ubuntu 18.04 post.Masalla icon theme
Masalla icon theme is one of the most popular icon themes.
Some themes, including Masalla icon theme, have DEB packages for its installation. The installation of icons or themes in DEB packages is pretty simple. Download the DEB packages, double-click on it, and install them through the Software Center. I have shown the installation process of Masalla icons in my Things to do after installing Ubuntu 18.04 post. I highly recommend reading it.
Cursors themes
You can also change the cursor themes in your Ubuntu. I usually use DMZyb cursor theme in my videos.
Download it and copy the DMZyb folder with cursor icons to the
.icons
folder. Then change the cursor theme in GNOME Tweaks.Customize Ubuntu Dock
Ubuntu Dock is a modified Dash to Dock extension of GNOME. It is meant to resemble Unity layout, but it is not as nice as Unity panel and many users want to modify or replace this Dock. Luckily, it is not extremely difficult to do.
Move Dock to bottom
If you don’t like having the Ubuntu Dock panel on the left. You can move it from the left to the bottom: Open Settings -> Select Dock tab -> Select Bottom. You can also change the size of icons from the same Dock tab.
Move the Applications menu in Dock
In the layout with the Dock at the bottom, the application menu shifts to the right by default, which is not very convenient. Let’s move it to left. You can do that through the Dconfeditor. If you don’t have it, install it through Software Center.
Open the Dconfeditor and search for show-apps-at-top and turn it on.
After that, the application menu will be located on the left side.
Do you need more Ubuntu customization?
Maybe you prefer the simplest layout with a single panel at the bottom as on the image below.
You can achieve it with Dash to Panel and Arc menu extensions which can be installed through the Software Center.
After installation of Dash to Panel, there will be a single panel at the bottom. You can go to the settings of this panel and tweak it even further.
This panel comes with Dash menu:
You can replace it with the more traditional and minimal Arc menu. Install the Arc menu from the Software Center.
Next, remove redundant Dash menu: Open Tweaks -> Extensions -> Dash to panel -> Behavior Tab -> disable the Application icon. Now there is only one Arc menu button.
You can also customize the Arc menu from Gnome Tweak.
Finally, add some matching this theme wallpaper and you will have a rather classical but modern looking desktop.
Mac OS X Theme
Many users are also fans of Mac OS like theme and layout with a top panel and a Dock. You can customize Ubuntu for such theme too.
Open software center and install Dash to Dock.
By default, it is installed on the left side of the desktop. You can change it position from its settings: Gnome Tweaks -> Extensions -> Dash to Dock -> open its Settings -> Select the Bottom position.
When the Dock panel is set, download Mac OS iCons, and McOS Shell and McOS GTK themes. Extract the archives and move them to the corresponding
.icons
and .themes
folders. Open Tweaks and select Mac OS11 icons and themes.To get more resemblance with Mac OS X, you can also move the window buttons to the left: Gnome Tweaks -> Windows -> Titlebar Buttons -> Placement -> Left
Now, your customized Ubuntu desktop looks almost like Mac desktop.
There are still a few things you can add, to make it look even closer to Mac OS, for example, fonts and some effect but this is a topic for a dedicated post on Mac OS theme in Ubuntu.
Final thoughts
Ubuntu 18.04 comes with the theme that mimics Unity, but it is less functional than Unity. Luckily, you can highly customize Ubuntu and its GNOME desktop. You can configure and change its look and feel as you want. There are numerous themes, icons and GNOME extensions that can help you to achieve a beautiful and productive desktop in Ubuntu 18.04 .
What was your favorite theme and layout?
P.S. If you want to learn more Ubuntu tips and tweaks, read my 30 Things to do after installing Ubuntu post.
The native dark theme on Ubuntu 20.04 looks really good. But, ever since I have moved back from PopOS, I have been experimenting a lot with icon packs, GNOME extensions, and desktop themes. To put it, here are the best Ubuntu themes for Ubuntu 20.04.
Best Ubuntu Themes
How to install themes
Before we begin with the list, it’s important to understand how themes work on Ubuntu. For instance, changing the theme in Ubuntu changes 3 things.
- Icons – File Explorer icons, Launcher icons, etc
- GTK – Looks of an app window
- Shell – Top bar, desktop notifications, activity overview, etc.
There are 3 basic ways to install a theme. You can either install it via the terminal or as a deb package. Additionally, few themes are available as archive files. You can download the archive files and transfer the icons and themes to “~/.icons” and “~/.themes” directory respectively.
In order to change themes, you would need to install the “gnome-tweaks” package and User Themes extension.
To completely apply a theme on your desktop, you have to change the 3 following options in GNOME tweaks.
Read: How to Share Screen And Media on Ubuntu
1. Arc Theme
Arc Theme is the most popular theme for Ubuntu. It provides 3 different looks – Arc, Arc-Darker, Arc-Dark. I really liked the Arc-Darker theme which is a mix and match of the dark and light theme. Arc-Dark isn’t exactly black but a darker shade of Navy Blue. It doesn’t work well on the GNOME shell and leaves the calendar in a white patch. Additionally, you don’t get an icon pack with it, so you would have to rely on third-party icon packs.
If you are someone who prefers the light theme instead of dark, Arc Theme is a good option.
Installation Command:
2. Pop
I recently moved back to Ubuntu from PopOS and I carried back the theme with me. The icons, shell, wallpapers are too good to leave. You can download the wallpapers from this link. I prefer the PopOS dark mode over Yaru and the shell is much refined. For instance, the notifications stacked up have much more padding between them.
Unlike Arc, the Pop theme is continuously updated due to the PopOS.
Installation Command:
3. McMojave
McMojave is the exact theme if you crave for that macOS look. In order to install McMojave, you would have to download the archive from the link below, extract it and then move it to the “~/.themes” directory. Once done, restart GNOME by giving an Alt+F2, type r, and hit Enter.
To complement McMojave, you would need the “La Capitaine” icon theme. Similar to McMojave, you would need to download, extract the archive, and move it to the “~/.icons” directory. Once done, choose the icon theme and you would have Mojave-style icon packs. Additionally, you can download the Mojave OS wallpapers for the final touch.
If you want to replicate the Mojave wallpaper dynamic theme, we have a detailed article on how to do it.
Download McMojave & La Capitaine Icon
4. Materia
Materia is another popular theme for Ubuntu. I liked the Materia-dark-compact theme which makes the Windows Titlebars pretty concise. Another small nuance is the ripple effect. In Materia, if you click on a button or an option, it gives a subtle ripple effect on the selected area.
Installation Command:
5. Vimix
Vimix Theme is based on the popular Materia theme. You would have to download both the archive files for the Vimix theme and the Vimix icon pack. Next, you just have to extract and run the “install.sh” script file in the terminal.
Vimix, unlike other themes, provides a huge number of options. You have approximately 15+ themes ranging from teal to ruby, beryl, etc. I liked the nuances in the Vimix theme. For instance, when you hover past the dropdown menus, there’s a shadow trail giving you the feel of motion blur. I did like that!
Download Vimix Theme & Vimix Icon Pack
6. Ant
Ant is a plain flat theme for Ubuntu 20.04. In case you are more into the light theme, Ant is a fantastic theme to go by. Ant only supports GTK and GNOME shell. Hence, you might have to go with a third-party icon pack. I loved the blood accent on the white theme.
Download Ant
7. Sweet
Sweet is the fanciest theme in this list. Rock with it with an icon pack like Candy or Luv and you would have a colorful desktop to look at. I loved the neon-pink accent to the Sweet dark theme. Apart from that, you get a Sweet (light) and Sweet Mars theme. Similar to McMojave, you would have to download and move the extracted archive to the “~/.themes” directory.
Download Sweet
8. Cloudy
Cloudy is a good GTK theme sitting right in between the light and dark themes. It has 8 different variants that provide a combination of dark, light theme with blue and brown accents. I like that it draws a line between the icons and file-labels to make it look like a 3-pane window.
Although Cloudy does have a shell theme, it’s showing its age. It doesn’t look good with the DND and calendar on the notification shade. You’d be better of using the default Yaru shell.
Installation Command:
9. Nordic
Nordic is a minimal dark theme based on the Nord color palette. You can complement it with a blue color icon theme and a white flashy background for a minimal look.
Download Nordic Theme
10. Layan
Layan is an interesting take to Ubuntu themes. It turns every sharp corner on the desktop to rounded corners. Although Layan has options for both dark and light themes, I particularly liked the light theme more. Similar to Materia, you get a ripple effect when you click on an option.
Installation command:
11. Flat Remix GNOME
Flat Remix GNOME is a gorgeous looking theme with its own icon pack, GTK, GNOME shell theme, and wallpapers. You have a lot to choose from. I really liked the Flat-Remix-Miami theme. It brings a lot of subtle yet poppy colors to the shell. Another subtle change is that the theme makes the Topbar transparent. This really makes your desktop look slightly bigger. The theme also adds extra drop-shadow to the windows and dropdowns.
Installation command:
12. Adapta
Mac Theme Ubuntu 16.04
Adapta is another popular theme for GNOME desktops. You can directly install it from the Ubuntu store or apt repository. The theme is being regularly updated but the GNOME shell theme’s a bit wonky. Similar to Arc, it left a white patch on the calendar in the notification shade. However, you can still combine it with the default Ubuntu GNOME shell theme and it’s good to go.
Installation Command:
13. Lumiere
Mac Theme For Ubuntu
Similar to Ant, Lumiere is a fantastic light theme. I could find a GitHub repo with a whole bunch of different themes. It also has a dark edition called Fantome. You can clone the repo and see what suits your need. The themes don’t have a shell and icon theme. So, you would be better of going with Yaru as shell and Yaru icon pack.
Ubuntu Mac Os Theme
Installation Command:
Closing Words
I mostly switch between the Vimix dark and the Pop Dark theme. Let me know what you use.
Make Ubuntu Look Like Mac Os
Also Read: 7 Best Download Managers For Ubuntu