Keeping aside the fact that developers prefer a MacBook over a windows system, All of us like to use a MacBook, mainly because of the User Interface it provides. The most significant advantage of using Ubuntu OS is that we can customize it according to our needs.
In this article, we will take a look at a way to make our Ubuntu OS look like a MacOS Big Sur.
Follow the below steps and at the end, you will have your system look like a MacBook (OS)
Install GNOME TWEAKS
sudo apt install gnome-tweaks
GNOME TWEAK icon
Install WhiteSur GTK theme
First of all, we would have to install the WhiteSur GTK theme. It provides the exact macOS Big Sur like application window, window buttons, top panel, and dock. To install the themes, first, we need to run some commands. Run the following commands in the terminal.
sudo apt install gtk2-engines-murrine gtk2-engines-pixbuf
next, run this
sudo apt install sassc optipng inkscape libglib2.0-dev-bin
The above 2 commands will install the dependencies required. Once we are done installing the dependencies, we can install the WhiteSur GTK theme. To do that, run the following set of commands.
git clone //github.com/vinceliuice/WhiteSur-gtk-themecd WhiteSur-icon-theme/./install.sh
//chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/gnome-shell-integration/gphhapmejobijbbhgpjhcjognlahblep
Now head over to GNOME TWEAKS
In Tweaks go to the Appearance tab, and change the Applications and Shell value to “WhiteSur-dark”. There are a bunch of other WhiteSur themes, you can try any one of those.
Icon Theme
The WhiteSur Icon theme is created by the same WhiteSur theme designer. The installation process is also quite similar and below are the installation commands.
git clone //github.com/vinceliuice/WhiteSur-icon-theme.gitcd WhiteSur-icon-theme/./install.sh
Now, again move to GNOME TWEAKS
Under GNOME Tweaks, on the Appearance tab, change the value of Icons to BigSur-dark. There is also an option called BigSur. You can use it with a light theme.
Dash to Dock
Next up, we need to provide the finishing touches to the Ubuntu Dock. Now, Ubuntu already provides you with the option to move the dock to the bottom. However, there’s no option to modify the width and icon size on the dock.
Hence, we will use a popular third-party extension called “Dash to Dock”. It not only lets you shift the dock to the bottom but also adjusts the size of the dock based on the number of open applications. Moreover, I have modified the icon size on the dock and kept it to 55 px to make it look similar to the macOS dock.
Download Link : //extensions.gnome.org/extension/307/dash-to-dock/
Magic Lamp Effect
Finally, we need to get the Magic Lamp effect. This is the animation that is triggered while minimizing a window in macOS. This effect is also ported to Ubuntu’s GNOME desktop environment. To install that, you have to simply install the GNOME extension called “Compix alike magic lamp effect”. Once you have installed the extension, the entire macOS look is complete.
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Do you want to make Ubuntu look like Mac OS X? If so, we’re going to show you how to do it, step-by-step.
The whole point of using Linux is that you can do things like this
Whether you have a bad case of Apple envy or you just appreciate the design aesthetic of Apple’s OS; there’s nothing wrong with aping the appearance of a rival operating system.
After all, the whole point of using Linux is that you are free to do things like this — you certainly can’t make macOS look like Ubuntu!
A stack of Mac GTK themes, icon sets, fonts and cursors are available for Linux, most a quick Google away.
Below you’ll find the Mac GTK and icon themes we think give you the best Mac-like look on your Linux box. But don’t be afraid to explore DeviantArt, GitHub, and other avenues if our choices don’t quite match up with your tastes.
1. Pick the Right Desktop Environment
GNOME Shell
To achieve the most Mac-like look on Linux you need to use the most appropriate desktop environment, and that is GNOME Shell.
This is not a slight against other desktop environments (DEs) as Unity, Budgie, MATE, Cinnamon and more can be made to resemble Cupertino’s computing OS too.
But GNOME Shell is the most customisable desktop environment as it lets you theme and re-arrange everything you need to with the least amount hackery or fuss.
If you’re using Ubuntu 18.04 LTS or later you already have GNOME Shell, so you can skip ahead.
But if you don’t have GNOME Shell installed you will need to install it first.
This is easy. Just click the button below and follow in the on-screen prompts (select ‘lightdm’ as the display manager when asked):
Install GNOME-Shell from Ubuntu Software
You’re also going to need to the GNOME Tweaks tool in a few steps time, so install that now too:
Install GNOME Tweaks from Ubuntu Software
Once both installations are complete you need to logout and select the ‘GNOME Shell’ session from the Unity Greeter:
2. Install a Mac GTK Theme
The easiest way to make Ubuntu look like a Mac is to install a Mac GTK theme.
Our top recommendation is the ‘macOS Mojave’ theme by Vinceluice. This is a near-enough pixel-perfect clone of Apple’s OS skin, and is available in light and dark versions. It’s one of the best designed Mac GTK themes out there (it also has a matching GNOME Shell theme).
The ‘macOS Mojave’ theme requires GNOME 3.20 or later, so you’ll need to be running Ubuntu 16.10 or later to use it.
Download macOS Mojave GTK Theme from GNOME-Look
If you’re running the older Ubuntu 16.04 LTS release you can use the competent ‘macOS Sierra’ clone created by the B00merang project:
Download macOS Sierra GTK Theme from Github
Looking for something more similar to Big Sur? We’ll be updating this post soon!
Tip: How To Install GTK Themes
Once you download your chosen macOS theme from the link(s) above, you will need to install it.
To install themes in Ubuntu first extract the contents of the archive you downloaded, then move the folder inside to the ~/.themes folder in your Home directory.
If you do not see this folder press Ctrl + H to reveal hidden folders. Next, find the .themes folder or create it if it doesn’t exist. Move the extract folder mentioned above to this folder.
Finally, to change theme, open GNOME Tweak Tool > Appearance and select your chosen theme (and the GNOME Shell theme, if you also downloaded one).
3. Install a Mac Icon Set
Next grab some a Mac Icon set for Linux. A quick Google will throw up a bunch of results. Most, sadly, aren’t complete enough to function as a full icon set, so you’ll also want to use (and in some cases manually specify) a fall back icon theme like Faba, or Papirus.
To avoid all of that hassle you may wish to use the fabulous ‘La Capitaine‘ icon pack.
What’s great about La Capitaine is that it’s a proper Linux icon set, with custom macOS inspired icons for many Linux apps and not just a direct port of mac icons to Linux. It’s also totally open-source, and is available to download from Github.
Download La Capitaine Icon Set on Github
How to Install Icon Themes
Once you’ve downloaded your chosen theme from the link(s) above you need to install it. To do this first extract the contents of the archive you download, then move the folder inside to the ~/.icons folder in your Home directory.
If you don’t see this folder press Ctrl + H to view hidden folders. Next, find the .icons folder or create it if it doesn’t exist. Move the extract folder mentioned above to this folder.
Finally, to apply, open GNOME Tweak Tool > Appearance and select your chosen theme.
4. Change the System Font
If you’ve used Mac OS X / macOS at some point in the past few years you’ll know it has clean, crisp system typography.
‘Lucida Grande’ is the familiar Mac system font, though Apple uses a system font called ‘San Franciso’ in recent releases of macOS.
A quick Google should turn up plenty more information (and links to download San Francisco font) but be aware that neither font is not licensed for distribution — so we can’t link you to it, sorry!
Thankfully there’s an open-source alternative to ‘Lucida Grande’ called Garuda. It’s even pre-installed out of the box on Ubuntu, so you don’t need to go on a font safari to find it.
Head to GNOME Tweak Tool > Fonts and set the ‘Windows Titles’ and ‘Interface’ fonts to Garuda Regular (or any other font you wish).
If you use Unity you can use Unity Tweak Tool to change the font on Ubuntu.
5. Add a Desktop Dock
Ask people what a Mac desktop looks like and chances are they will mention its ubiqutious desktop dock. This is a combined application launcher and window switcher.
If you opted to use GNOME Shell back in Step 1 install the excellent Dash to Dock extension from the GNOME extensions site. This dock can be adjusted, tweaked and tune to look exactly like its macOS counterpart.
Dash to Dock GNOME Extension
Dash to Dock doesn’t look very mac-ish by default so you will want to dive in to the GNOME Tweak Tool > Extensions > Dash to Dock > Appearance to change the colour to white, and lower the opacity.
Plank Dock
If you chose to stick with the Unity desktop you can set the Unity Launcher to hide (System Settings > Desktop > Behaviour) and install Plank, a desktop dock, to handle app launching and window switching:
Install Plank from Ubuntu Software
Plank can be configured with all sorts of themes too, making it easy to replicate the Mac OS X experience. Gnosemite is a faithful mac Plank theme worth a look.
Gnosemite Plank Theme on DeviantArt
That’s it; we’ve achieved our aim to make Ubuntu look like a Mac — now it’s your turn.
We’d love to see a screenshot of your mac-inspired creation so do feel free to share one in the comments.
What is the best Mac theme for Ubuntu?
The easiest way to make Ubuntu look like a Mac is to install a Mac GTK theme. Our top recommendation is the 'macOS Mojave' theme by Vinceluice. This is a near-enough pixel-perfect clone of Apple's OS skin, and is available in light and dark versions.
How to apply macOS theme on Ubuntu?
How to install Mac Theme on Ubuntu.
Step 1: First of all, we have to install gnome tweaks. ... .
Step 2 : Next, we are going to install the Mojave macOS theme. ... .
Step 3 : Once the theme is installed you can apply the theme to your current desktop. ... .
Step 4 : Next step is to install Mojave CT icons..
How do I make my Ubuntu desktop look like a Mac?
How to Customize Ubuntu 23.04 to Look Like macOS.
Step 1: Get Started With the GNOME Tweaks Tool. ... .
Step 2: Use GNOME Shell Extensions. ... .
Step 3: Download and Install macOS Themes. ... .
Step 4: Download and Install macOS Icons. ... .
Step 5: Use the GNOME Tweaks Tool to Make Visual Changes. ... .
Step 6: Add a Dash to Dock via Extensions..
How do I customize my dock in Ubuntu like Mac?
Dock Settings In UbuntuAccess your dock settings by pressing the Super key and then type “settings” in the input that appears. Under the Settings menu click on the Appearance tab. There, you'll find the Dock section for customizing your dock.