Ubuntu – Kubuntu 20.04: How to change icons for GTK applications

gtkiconskubuntuthemes

Hi everyone please I have a quite simple looking question.

I don't know how to change icons for GTK2/3 applications in Kubuntu 20.04. I looked on kde.org where is screenshot from System Settings, but I can only change GTK theme in Kubuntu 20.04, there is no controls for icon themes.

For example Firefox and Thunderbird use Adwaita icons, but I don't see Adwaita settings anywhere in ~/.config/gtk-3.0/settings.ini. Property gtk-icon-theme-name here in ini file doesn't seem to be respected.

Best Answer

I believe that GTK3 applications should inherit the icon theme you set in system settings, but GTK2 applications need a bit more configuration.

You need to edit the file at ~/.gtkrc-2.0:

  • First, make a backup:

    cd ~/
cp .gtkrc-2.0 .gtkrc-2.0.bak

  • Open ~/.gtkrc-2.0 for editing:

    nano .gtkrc-2.0

  • Make changes to values as needed. The value for GTK2 icon themes is gtk-icon-theme-name=. If you wanted to change this to use the "Breeze" icon set, you would change the line to read:

    gtk-icon-theme-name="Breeze"

    The theme name needs to match exactly to an icon theme you already have installed (case-sensitive). Note the use of quotation marks.

  • Save CTRL+O & Exit CTRL+X

  • Settings should take effect the next time any GTK2 icons are called to load, or you can reboot the PC.

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