KarChunT

Ubuntu Theme Setup

Customizing your Ubuntu can significantly enhance your user experience. In this guide, I will walk you through the steps to set up a beautiful and functional theme on your Ubuntu system.

Before we start, take a look at this website gnome-look where you can find various themes, icons, and cursors for your Ubuntu desktop. I’m going to use one of my favorite themes called Orchis-theme . Of course, you can choose any theme you like.

Install gnome-tweaks

To fully customize your Ubuntu theme, you need to install gnome-tweaks.


sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install gnome-tweaks gnome-shell-extensions

To open gnome-tweaks, there are two ways:

Open your terminal and type gnome-tweaks.
You can search for “Tweaks” in your application menu and launch it from there.

Download and Install Orchis Theme

I’m going to git clone the Orchis theme repository and install it.


git clone https://github.com/vinceliuice/Orchis-theme.git

After cloning the repository, navigate to the cloned directory and run the installation script:

Note

There are a lot of options where you can configure the theme. Make sure you read the README file section in the cloned repository.


cd Orchis-theme
./install.sh
./install.sh -h
 
# Here is the option that I selected
./install.sh -d $HOME/.themes -t all --tweaks black

Make sure the theme is installed in the ~/.themes directory.

Change your theme in gnome-tweaks

After installing the theme, open gnome-tweaks and navigate to the Appearance section. Here, you can change your Applications, Cursor, and Icons themes.


gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface gtk-theme "Orchis"

Icons Setup

For the icons, I will use the candy-icons .

Download zip file


wget https://github.com/EliverLara/candy-icons/archive/refs/heads/master.zip -O /tmp/candy.zip

Unzip the file

Extract the .zip file to the icons directory either one of the following locations:

/usr/share/icons/
~/.local/share/.icons/
~/.icons/


unzip /tmp/candy.zip -d ~/.icons

Change your icons in gnome-tweaks


gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface icon-theme "candy-icons"

icons-output

Gnome Extensions

Gnome extensions can significantly enhance your desktop experience. I will install a few useful extensions.

Install Extension-manager


sudo apt install gnome-shell-extension-manager

Open Extension-manager


extension-manager

Install Extensions

You can search for the following extensions and install them:

Add to Desktop: This extension allows you to add applications to your desktop easily.
GNOME Fuzzy App Search: This extension enhances the search functionality in GNOME, making it more intuitive and faster.
App menu is back: This extension brings back the application menu, providing quick access to application-specific options.
Clipboard Indicator: This extension adds a clipboard indicator to the top bar, allowing you to manage your clipboard history easily.
Logo Menu: This extension replaces the default GNOME logo with a customizable menu, giving you quick access to system settings and applications.
Text Clock: This extension adds a text-based clock to the top bar, providing a clear and concise time display.
System Monitor: This extension adds a system monitor to the top bar, allowing you to keep an eye on your system’s performance and resource usage.

My Ubuntu Setup