Adapta - A Material Design Gtk+ Theme for Ubuntu and Linux Mint

Ubuntu and Linux Mint are two of most popular Linux distributions available today. Both of these operating systems come with a wide range of customizable themes to help users personalize their user interface. However, if you're someone who likes to stay up-to-date with latest design trends, you may want to consider using Adapta – a Material Design GTK+ theme for Ubuntu and Linux Mint.

In this article, we'll explore what Adapta is, how to install it on your Ubuntu or Linux Mint system, and how to customize it to fit your unique style.

What is Adapta?

Adapta is a Material Design-inspired GTK+ theme that's been designed to provide a modern, elegant, and cohesive look to your Ubuntu or Linux Mint desktop. theme was created by Tista, who wanted to create a theme that was both visually appealing and functional.

One of main features of Adapta is its use of color. theme utilizes a range of different shades of blue, gray, and white to create a clean and minimalistic design. use of flat design also makes theme look modern and up-to-date.

Another key feature of Adapta is its use of shadows and depth. theme incorporates a subtle drop shadow around windows and buttons to give them a sense of depth and help them stand out on screen.

Installing Adapta on Ubuntu and Linux Mint

If you're interested in using Adapta on your Ubuntu or Linux Mint system, good news is that it's incredibly easy to install. Here's a step-by-step guide to help you get started −

• Step 1 − Open up a terminal window on your Ubuntu or Linux Mint system.

• Step 2 − Type following command to add Adapta PPA −

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:tista/adapta

• Step 3 − Once PPA has been added, type following command to update your system's software sources −

sudo apt-get update

• Step 4 − Finally, type following command to install Adapta theme −

sudo apt-get install adapta-gtk-theme

Once theme has been installed, you can activate it by using Appearance settings in Ubuntu or Themes settings in Linux Mint.

Customizing Adapta

While Adapta looks great right out of box, you may want to make some customizations to make it fit your unique style. Here are a few ways you can customize Adapta −

Change Accent Color

One of easiest ways to customize Adapta is to change accent color. accent color is used for things like buttons and checkboxes, and it can be changed to any color you like.

To change accent color, follow these steps −

• Step 1 − Open up a terminal window on your Ubuntu or Linux Mint system.

• Step 2 − Type following command to edit Adapta configuration file −

sudo gedit /usr/share/themes/Adapta/gtk-3.0/settings.ini

• Step 3 − Scroll down to [Adapta] section of file, and look for following line −

selected_bg_color = #4e90cc

• Step 4 − Replace hex code (in this example, #4e90cc) with hex code for color you want to use. You can find hex codes for colors online or using a tool like GIMP.

• Step 5 − Save changes to file and exit text editor.

• Step 6 − Log out of your account and log back in to see changes take effect.

Change Window Borders

Another way to customize Adapta is to change window borders. By default, Adapta uses a thin, flat border around windows. However, you can change this to a thicker border or a border with rounded corners.

To change window borders, follow these steps −

• Step 1 − Open up a terminal window on your Ubuntu or Linux Mint system.

• Step 2 − Type following command to edit Adapta configuration file −

sudo gedit /usr/share/themes/Adapta/gtk-3.0/gtk.css

• Step 3 − Scroll down to .titlebar section of file, and look for following lines −

border-top: 1px solid shade (@theme_bg_color, 1.1);
border-right: 1px solid shade (@theme_bg_color, 1.2);
border-bottom: 1px solid shade (@theme_bg_color, 1.3);
border-left: 1px solid shade (@theme_bg_color, 1.2);

• Step 4 − To change border width, increase or decrease pixel value in each of four lines. For example, to make border thicker, change each line to something like this −

border-top: 3px solid shade (@theme_bg_color, 1.1);
border-right: 3px solid shade (@theme_bg_color, 1.2);
border-bottom: 3px solid shade (@theme_bg_color, 1.3);
border-left: 3px solid shade (@theme_bg_color, 1.2);

• Step 5 − To change border to rounded corners, add following lines to .titlebar section of file −

border-radius: 8px;

• Step 6 − Save changes to file and exit text editor.

• Step 7 − Log out of your account and log back in to see changes take effect.

Change Scrollbar Style

Finally, you can also customize scrollbar style in Adapta. By default, Adapta uses a simple, flat scrollbar design, but you can change this to a more traditional design with arrows and a rounded thumb.

To change scrollbar style, follow these steps −

• Step 1 − Open up a terminal window on your Ubuntu or Linux Mint system.

• Step 2 − Type following command to edit Adapta configuration file −

sudo gedit /usr/share/themes/Adapta/gtk-3.0/gtk.css

• Step 3 − Scroll down to .scrollbar section of file, and look for following lines −

GtkRange {
   -GtkRange-slider-width: 12px;
   -GtkRange-stepper-size: 12px;
   -GtkRange-stepper-spacing: 0;
   -GtkRange-trough-border: 1;
   -GtkRange-trough-border-radius: 10;
   -GtkRange-slider-length: 16;
   -GtkRange-slider-width: 2;
   -GtkRange-min-slider-length: 40;
}

• Step 4 − To change scrollbar style to a traditional design, replace these lines with following −

GtkRange {
   -GtkRange-slider-width: 14px;
   -GtkRange-slider-length: 30px;
   -GtkRange-stepper-size: 14px;
   -GtkRange-trough-border-radius: 5px;
}

GtkRange *:slider {
   border-radius: 5px;
   background-color: @theme_selected_bg_color;
}

GtkRange *:stepper {
   border-radius: 5px;
   border: none;
}

GtkRange *:increment {
   background-image: image(@theme_selected_bg_color, alpha(0.5));
}

GtkRange *:decrement {
   background-image: image(@theme_selected_bg_color, alpha(0.5));
}

• Step 5 − Save changes to file and exit text editor.

• Step 6 − Log out of your account and log back in to see changes take effect.

Conclusion

Adapta is a fantastic GTK+ theme for Ubuntu and Linux Mint users who are looking for a modern, clean, and customizable look for their desktop. With its use of Material Design-inspired colors, shadows, and depth, Adapta can help give your desktop a cohesive and stylish appearance.

By following steps outlined in this article, you can easily install and customize Adapta to fit your unique style. Whether you want to change accent color, window borders, or scrollbar style, Adapta gives you flexibility to create a look that's all your own.