Let's explore how to modify and revamp the appearance of Ubuntu 20.10.
Final Result:
To make your Ubuntu look like macOS you need to alter four things:
- Theme
- Icons set
- Dock appearance and position
- Shell appearance
The requirement to install new themes on Ubuntu 20.10:
To change the appearance of Ubuntu 20.10, you need to have “Gnome Tweak Tool” on your device. Like “Unity” and “Cinnamon”, “Gnome” is a desktop environment that changes the look of the operating system's user interface. “Gnome Tweak Tool” is a quite accessible tool for desktop modifications.
If you don't have it on your Ubuntu machine, then install it using the command shown below:
$ sudo apt install gnome-tweak-toolEnter your password and installation will begin. “Gnome Tweak Tool” can now be seen in the applications.
Let's begin installing theme, icons, shell and dock:
1. Installing macOS theme on Ubuntu 20.10:
Dozens of themes and icon sets are available for Linux distributions. macOS has got one of the excellent and incomparable looking user interfaces of the operating system. Interestingly, you can have a replica of the macOS theme on your Ubuntu device. Let's check out how to get it on your Ubuntu machine.
Firstly, go to this site “http://www.gnome-look.org/”. This is one of the popular sources to get themes and icons for Ubuntu.
Search macOS themes, you will notice many macOS themes and icon sets. Since there are plenty of macOS themes, you can download any theme and install it on your Ubuntu machine following the same approach. I am selecting “WhiteSur-Gtk-Theme”: https://www.gnome-look.org/p/1403328/
Download the dark and light versions of the theme shown in the image below:
Both files can be seen in the “Downloads” folder. Now extract these files.
After extracting you need to copy them in the “.themes” folder, a hidden folder in the “Home” directory. Open the “Home” directory. Now, to unhide the hidden folders, press “Ctrl H”. The hidden folders are visible, as shown in the images below. All folders with the dot before their name are hidden folders.
If you can't find the “.themes” folder then make one by right-clicking and name it “.themes” as shown in the image:
Now copy both extracted themes files in the “.themes” folder:
2. Installing macOS icons set:
After getting theme time to get macOS look-alike icons set, again open www.gnome-look.org and search macOS icons and download any icons set.
I am getting “MacOS-3d” icons set [https://www.gnome-look.org/p/1412504/]. Installation of icons sets shadows the same procedure as themes. Extract the icons set file and then again in the home folder search for the “.icons” folder. If you can't find it, then go ahead and create it using the same approach discussed above. And now place the icons sets extracted folder in the “.icons” folder.
3. Installing macOS dock:
After getting theme and icons, time to add macOS like a dock. For that open “https://extensions.gnome.org/” and install the extension for browser as shown in the image below:
It will ask for permission click ok and proceed. An extension will be added on your browser. Now search “Dash to Dock” extension:
Open “Dash to Dock” and click on “ON/OFF” toggle button and enable it.
4. Enabling Gnome Shell:
To change the shell's appearance, we need to enable the shell option which is disabled by default in “Gnome Tweak Tool”. To enable it to go to “https://extensions.gnome.org/”. After that, click on the “User Themes” and enable it. See the following image:
Open it and enable the same way the “Dash to Dock” enabled by clicking the “ON/OFF” button.
Setting up the macOS theme:
To set the macOS theme, we need “Gnome Tweak Tool”, open it. In the appearance tab, click on the “Applications” option and select the “WhiteSur-dark” or “WhiteSur-light” theme. It is being shown in the images below:
I chose “WhiteSur-light”. Now, follow the same process for icons. Go to the icons option and select the desired icons set:
Also, select the shell from the shell option to give top bar macOS look:
Download macOS wallpaper and make it background image by right-clicking. macOS theme has been set up, see the following image: