Changes are a part of nature, and this is also the case with technology. As time progresses, technology keeps on evolving and advancing through new and revolutionary changes. Ubuntu is the perfect example of this, as it has seen remarkable growth in its infrastructure. From what was once a simple server-based architecture, to now being used as the primary Linux distribution for desktops, this clearly shows how far Ubuntu has come.Ubuntu has made quite the name for itself in the industry and has quickly become one of the fastest-growing operating systems in today’s market. Being free and open-source, along with having a smooth and silky interface, has made Ubuntu a worthy challenger for Windows and Mac OS. One fascinating aspect about Ubuntu that has made it so sought-after among users is how easily customizable this distro is.

Users can tweak and play around with the settings in Ubuntu and change it with regards to their interests. These include changing themes, design, and even the layout of the interface.

This article shows you how to customize Ubuntu 20.04 to look like Mac OS, a series of operating systems developed by Apple.

Prerequisites: Installing the Required Packages

With a dual boot system the operating system is installed to a seperate partition on the hard drive, or a seperate hard drive all together. When booting up the computer, the user is given the option as to which operating system to load. In our case we could load Ubuntu on our Mac instead of OS X. Debian with Raspberry Pi Desktop is the Foundation’s operating system for PC and Mac. You can create a live disc, run it in a virtual machine, or even install it on your computer.

Before customizing Ubuntu, you will first need to install some required packages that will aid you in this process. The first is the Gnome Tweaks tool, which allows you to tweak and change the look and behavior of Ubuntu. To install this tool, open the terminal via the shortcut Ctrl + Alt + T or from the Ubuntu Dash and run the following commands in the terminal:

Next, install the GNOME Shell Extension package, which adds further functionality to your Ubuntu system. To install this package, run the following command in the terminal:

After installing this package, restart your system.

After installing GNOME Extensions, you will also need to switch on the User Themes extension. To do this, open the Gnome Tweaks tool, and then select the Extensions section. Here, scroll down a bit, and you will see the User Themes option. Click on the switch to turn on the User Themes extension.

Step 1: Install Mac OS GTK Theme

Once you are done installing the prerequisites, it is now time to move on to the first step of making your Ubuntu look like Mac OS, which involves the installation of a Mac OS GTK Theme. To download a theme for your Ubuntu system, go to the gnome-look website and search for the theme you want. This website gives you multiple options, and you can also filter the themes according to date of release and user rating.

Some great Mac OS themes include McMojave, Catalina, McHigh Sierra, and so on. We will be using the McMojave theme in this tutorial. To download the theme, click on the Files section, and then click the download button next to the theme you want to install.

Files Section:

Download Button:

After downloading these files, go to the home directory and press Ctrl + H to show the hidden folders and files. If you do not see the .themes folder, then create a new folder with the .themes name and extract and copy the folders that you downloaded to this directory.

Now, once again, open the tweaks tool and select the Appearance section. Here, change the Applications and Shell theme. You will see an instant change.

Step 2: Install Mac OS Icons

The next step in making Ubuntu look like Mac OS is to install icons that look similar to those in Mac OS. The process is mostly similar to what we did in Step 1. Once again, go to the gnome-look website and search for the icons that you want. Some good options include McMojave-circle, Mojave CT-icons, Cupertino icons, and so on. We will be using the McMojave-circle icon set in this tutorial. The process for downloading the icons is the same as the one described for the theme in Step 1.

After downloading your icon set, go to the home directory and this time, look for the .icons folder. If this folder is not present, create a new folder with the .icons name and extract and copy the folders that you downloaded to this directory.

Again, open the Appearance tab in the tweaks tool, and this time, change the Icons theme.

The icons should now look something like this:

Step 3: Change the Wallpaper

The third step is to change the wallpaper of your Ubuntu system to something that matches that of Mac OS. You can find some really good wallpapers from oswallpapers. To change your wallpaper, right-click on your desktop and select the Change Background option.

Click the Add Picture option in the top right-hand side and select the wallpaper you downloaded.

Your screen should look something like this:

Step 4: Add a Mac OS Dock

The fourth step involves getting a Dock similar to the one in Mac OS. There are numerous external options available for Linux, such as Plank, Cairo Dock, Dash to Dock, and so on. In our case, however, we will just be adjusting the settings of the original Dock.

Open Settings and go to the Appearance tab. Here, under the Dock options, switch on the Auto Hide feature and change the position of your Dock to Bottom.

Next, run the following commands in the terminal to further customize your dock:

The final result should look something like this:

Step 5: Change the System Fonts

The official font used in Mac OS is San Francisco. Download the font, extract it, and install it by clicking on the .otf file.

After installing the font, once again, open the Tweaks tool and select the Fonts section. Change the fonts of the various options to San Francisco.

And, voilà! You are done. Your Ubuntu 20.04 should now look quite similar to Mac OS.

Making Ubuntu 20.04 Look Like Mac OS

Ubuntu is a highly customizable operating system that allows users to easily tweak and configure it according to their interests and needs. For users that want to experience using Mac OS or who just switched from Mac OS to Ubuntu, you can easily customize your Ubuntu system to look like Mac OS by following the steps shown above.

• All current Apple computers released since 2006, run on Intel processors, and boot using EFI (a successor to the earlier BIOS).

• Older Apple computers (1998–2005) run on PowerPC processors, and boot using OpenFirmware.

• Even older Apple computers (pre-1998 Macs) run on Motorola 68000 (m68k) processors.

Most pages refer to current (Intel-based) models, but powerpc is also a supported architecture. m68k has not been supported since etch (2007), but packages still exist in unstable.

The Debian Mactel Team's goal is to maintain the packages necessary to run Debian on Apple computers.

Intel-based Macs (2006-today)

Laptops

MacBook Pro

• MacBookPro

• MacBookPro12,1 (13' Retina Mar 2015)

• MacBookPro11,1 (13' Retina Oct 2013)

• MacBookPro10,1 (15' Retina Jun 2012)

• MacBookPro9,2 (13' Jun 2012)

• MacBookPro9,1 (15' Jun 2012)

• MacBookPro8,3 (17' Oct 2011, 17' Feb 2011)

• ?MacBookPro8,2 (15' Oct 2011, 15' Feb 2011)

• ?MacBookPro8,1 (13' Oct 2011, 13' Feb 2011)

• ?MacBookPro6,1 (17' Apr 2010)

• ?MacBookPro6,2 (15' Apr 2010)

• MacBookPro7,1 (13' Apr 2010)

• ?MacBookPro5,2 (17' Jun 2009, 17' Jan 2009)

• MacBookPro5,3 (15' Jun 2009)

• ?MacBookPro5,4 (15' Jun 2009)

• MacBookPro5,5 (13' Jun 2009)

• MacBookPro5,1 (15' Oct 2008, 15' Mar 2009)

• ?MacBookPro4,1 (17' Oct 2008, 17' Feb 2008, 15' Feb 2008)

• ?MacBookPro3,1 (17' Jun 2007, 15' Jun 2007)

• ?MacBookPro2,1 (17' Oct 2006)

• ?MacBookPro2,2 (15' Oct 2006)

• ?MacBookPro1,2 (17' Apr 2006)

• ?MacBookPro1,1 (15' May 2006, 15' Jan 2006)

MacBook

• MacBook

• ?MacBook7,1 (May 2010)

• MacBook6,1 (Oct 2009)

• MacBook5,2 (May 2009, Jan 2009)

• ?MacBook5,1 (Oct 2008 - Alu)

• ?MacBook4,1 (Oct 2008, Feb 2008)

• MacBook3,1 (Nov 2007)

• MacBook2,1 (May 2007, Nov 2006)

• ?MacBook1,1 (May 2006)

MacBook Air

• MacBookAir6,2 (13' Dec 2014)

• MacBookAir6,1

• ?MacBookAir5,2 (13' Jun 2012)

• MacBookAir5,1 (11' Jun 2012)

• MacBookAir4,2 (13' Jul 2011)

• ?MacBookAir4,1 (11' Jul 2011)

• MacBookAir3,2 (13' Oct 2010)

• ?MacBookAir3,1 (11' Oct 2010)

• MacBookAir2,1 (13' Oct 2008, 13' Jun 2009)

• MacBook Air (Model 2,1)

• ?MacBookAir1,1 (13' Jan 2008)

Desktops

Mac Pro

• DebianOnIntelMacPro

• ?MacPro5,1 (Jul 2010, Nov 2010, Jun 2012)

• ?MacPro4,1 (Mar 2009)

• ?MacPro3,1 (Jan 2008)

• MacPro2,1 (Apr 2007)

• MacPro1,1 (Aug 2006)

Mac mini

• MacMiniIntel

• ?Macmini5,3 (Jul 2011)

• ?Macmini5,2 (Jul 2011)

• ?Macmini5,1 (Jul 2011)

• Macmini4,1 (Jun 2010)

• ?Macmini3,1 (Mar 2009, Oct 2009)

• ?Macmini2,1 (Aug 2007)

• ?Macmini1,1 (Feb 2006, Sep 2006)

Debian Mac Os Theme

iMac

• iMacIntel

• iMac12,2 (27' May 2011)

• ?iMac12,1 (21' May 2011, 21' Aug 2011)

• ?iMac11,3 (27' Jul 2010)

• ?iMac11,2 (21' Jul 2010)

• ?iMac11,1 (27' Oct 2009)

• iMac10,1 (27' Oct 2009, 21' Oct 2009)

• ?iMac9,1 (24' Mar 2009, 20' Apr 2009)

• ?iMac8,1 (24' Apr 2008, 20' Apr 2008)

• ?iMac7,1 (24' Aug 2007, 20' Aug 2007)

• ?iMac6,1 (24' Sep 2006)

• ?iMac5,2 (17' Sep 2006)

• ?iMac5,1 (20' Sep 2006, 17' Sep 2006)

• ?iMac4,2 (17' Jul 2006)

• ?iMac4,1 (20' Jan 2006, 17' Jan 2006)

Xserve

Debian Mac Theme

• Xserve1,1 (Aug 2006)

• ?Xserve2,1 (Jan 2008)

• ?Xserve3,1 (Apr 2009)

PowerPC-based Macs (1998-2005)

Laptops

Desktops

Debian Mac Iso

• iMacG5

• Power PC

Contribute

If your model isn't listed above, you can create a new page. Name it something like 'ModelName/etch' (it will be created under the current page):

Useful Links

• http://www.apple.com - Homepage

• Debian-Laptop mailing list

• Debian-PowerPC mailing list

• Tuxmobil 's Linux on Apple Installation Guides

• Linux-on-laptops.com's Linux on Apple Laptop Installation Guides

• IRC: #debianppc

• CategoryDebianOn

• CategoryMacintoshComputer