How to install a custom GTK3 Ubuntu theme without having to add a PPA?

Question

Adding a PPA is an action that requires trust.

If I haven't read the source code of the repository that is held in the PPA, I shouldn't install a random PPA for security reasons.

Therefore, is there a way to install a theme (I'm interested in a dark one) for Ubuntu 16.04 without adding a PPA? I've already tried to download this one, and after decompressing the tar.gz and looking that there are no executable files, I've placed it in my ~/.themes folder but unity-tweak-tool doesn't see it (maybe this tool is deprecated for this version of ubuntu?).

That one doesn't look like a properly structured theme; it's just a bunch of .svg files. — Jos, Nov 27 '16 at 17:07
"Adding a PPA is an action that requires trust." and there is a reason not to trust the owner of any PPA that is hosted on launchpad? " and looking that there are no executable files" a --theme-- would need an executable? why? It is a cinnamon theme. So you are using cinnamon? Or did you expect a cinnamon theme to work in -unity-? — Rinzwind, Nov 27 '16 at 17:08
I downloaded it from a page of gtk3 themes, ubuntu uses GTK3 — knocte, Nov 27 '16 at 17:10
wrt "executable" I'm of course not saying that a theme needs one, I'm saying that a malicious PPA could contain an executable in their .deb files — knocte, Nov 27 '16 at 17:11

score 2 · Answer 1 · answered Dec 14 '16 at 07:43

2

You need to download .zip of the theme that you want to install. For example dark theme. Now extract this and you will get named folder.

Place that folder inisde of ~/.themes. and run the following command:

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

Here, theme_name should be name of your theme/folder.

answered Dec 14 '16 at 07:43

Thanks , that works. But why the theme not loaded on the gnome-tweak-tool? – Kesavan Muthuvel Nov 24 '17 at 17:20
Have you restarted GTT or rebooted sys.? – Nov 25 '17 at 09:17

knocte · Answer 2 · 2018-10-19T13:05:47.270

In Ubuntu 18.04, sudo apt install gnome-tweaks and Adwaita(dark) is there in the list by default (my initial motivation was to find a dark them for night hacking).

OLD ANSWER:

In the Gnome-Look site, I finally found one which linked to a github repo, so I could look inside (to check it only has images and data files, e.g. xml, css, etc) and download it myself.

In particular, I downloaded https://github.com/B00merang-Project/B00merang-Themes/, and copied the B00merang-Dark folder to /usr/share/themes.

Then installed unity-tweak-tool, and chose it with it.

How to install a custom GTK3 Ubuntu theme without having to add a PPA?

2 Answers2