Transform Your Linux into a Beautiful MacOS Mojave: A Step-by-Step Guide!

Have you ever been fascinated by the sleek and stylish design of MacOS Mojave? Do you wish you could have the same look and feel on your Linux computer? If yes, then you’re at the right place! In this article, you’ll learn step-by-step how to transform your Linux into a beautiful MacOS Mojave.

What You Will Need

Before you get started with the transformation process, make sure that you have the following applications installed:

  • GNOME Tweak Tool
  • Plank Dock
  • La Capitaine Icon Theme
  • macOS Mojave GTK Theme

If you don’t have them already installed, you can easily get them from the Ubuntu Software Center or Synaptic Package Manager.

Step 1: Install the macOS Mojave GTK Theme

The first step in transforming your Linux into a MacOS Mojave is to install the macOS Mojave GTK Theme. You can easily download the theme from Gnome-look.org. Follow these steps to install the theme:

  • Extract the downloaded archive and move the “macOS Mojave” folder to the “.themes” directory in your home folder (if the folder doesn’t exist, create it).
  • Open GNOME Tweak Tool and go to the Appearance tab.
  • Under the Themes section, select the macOS Mojave theme for both the Applications and Icons options.

Step 2: Install the La Capitaine Icon Theme

Now that you have installed the macOS Mojave theme, it’s time to install the La Capitaine Icon Theme. Follow these steps to install the icon theme:

  • Download the La Capitaine Icon Theme from Gnome-look.org.
  • Extract the downloaded archive and move the “La-Capitaine” folder to the “.icons” directory in your home folder (if the folder doesn’t exist, create it).
  • Open GNOME Tweak Tool and go to the Appearance tab.
  • Under the Icons section, select the La Capitaine theme.

Step 3: Install the Plank Dock

The next step is to install the Plank Dock, which will replace the default dock in Ubuntu. Follow these steps to install the Plank Dock:

  • Open the terminal and run the following command:

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install plank

  • Once the installation is complete, open Plank Dock from the applications menu.
  • Right-click on the dock and go to Preferences.
  • Under the Appearance tab, select the macOS Mojave theme for the dock.

Step 4: Update the Wallpaper

The last step is to update the wallpaper to match the MacOS Mojave design. You can easily get the wallpaper from Gnome-look.org. Follow these steps to update the wallpaper:

  • Download the MacOS Mojave wallpaper from Gnome-look.org.
  • Right-click on the desktop and select Change Background.
  • Under the Pictures tab, click on the + icon and select the downloaded Mojave wallpaper.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have successfully transformed your Linux into a beautiful MacOS Mojave. Now you can enjoy the sleek and stylish design of MacOS on your Linux computer. If you face any problems during the installation process, feel free to ask for help on forums or online communities. Happy customizing!

For all users of Ubuntu, there is one area where it falls short when compared to other operating systems and that is with how it looks. By default, the eye candy of Ubuntu is rather drab: I have never been a fan of the purple and orange colour scheme that greets a fresh installation. Even the dark theme on Windows is a pleasure to use.

For me, personally, darker themes make it easier to concentrate and get things done. However, like all aspects of Canonical’s system, Ubuntu is highly customisable, and thanks to a dedicated community, there is a wealth of options users can take advantage of to spice up their desktops.

Return of the Mac

One operating system that has always looked beautiful is Apple’s macOS. The brand new “Mojave” marks the fifteenth release, and one of the most striking elements is the deep and rich dark theme that is known as a distraction-free way to put your work center stage. The only problem is that Linux users want both the freedom of an open-source system and a modern visually-pleasing environment.

Thankfully, Gnome Look provides a number of community created themes and add-ons that can transform Ubuntu from dull to delicious! A version of Apple’s Mojave theme is available here, and it is very simple to install.

Installation

There are a few prerequisites that will make life a little easier, namely to install the Gnome Tweaks tool. You can find this in the Software Center and install as normal.

With that done, go to the website above and download the following package, “mc-os-mjv dark mode.” After this, extract the archive file to the “~/.themes/” directory in your Home folder.

If you don’t have a .themes folder, then press Ctrl + H to show hidden files. If you still don’t have the folder, then you can simply create one. Alternatively, you can move it into “/usr/share/themes,” but remember you will need to be root to copy or extract here.

Once copied, simply open the GNOME Tweak tool and change your GTK theme. Lastly, give your system a reboot to ensure that the theme applies correctly and fully.

The Result

As you can see, once the reboot is done, Ubuntu is transformed into a dark landscape with blue highlights. The theme is so well put together, that it will apply to system-wide applications (if placed within usr/share/themes) and will even alter some Snap applications.

The creator of the theme has also given other desktop environments the same love, which means XFCE or Cinnamon users can experience some Apple design.

Additional Tweaks

As a bonus, here are some additional tweaks that you can use to change icons, add a dock and the like for the entire Apple experience.

Change Icons

To change the icons, download the Cupertino icon set.

Next, you need to locate the file you downloaded and right-click to extract it. Just as before with the theme, copy it to the “~/.icons” folder. If you do not have this, then you can create it.

Docks

To create a dock, you first need to install the Plank application from the Software Center.

Open the Software Center, and search for “Plank,” then install as normal. Should Plank not be found, you can revert to the PPA that the Docky/Plank team provide.

To install the PPA, open the Terminal, and enter the following commands.

After this you should be able to install the application with:

Next, you need to download the Mojave & High Sierra Plank Dock themes.

These can then be extracted as previously and moved to the “~/.local/share/plank/themes” folder. The final step is to right-click on the blank space within the dock and access the Plank Preferences. If you can’t access the right-click, press Alt + F2 and run plank -preferences. Within the preferences, look for the theme, and apply your newly installed theme.

What themes do you prefer? Do you like a darker environment or prefer a cleaner, brighter desktop? Let us know in the comments along with any other great themes you have found.

Matt has worked in the tech industry for many years and is now a freelance writer. His experience is within Windows, Linux, Privacy and Android.

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