Docs
Guides to customizing a Linux desktop. Each one explains a window manager, desktop part or palette, then compares every setup in the registry for it: how hard it is to install, what it changes on your system, how to undo it, and whether it is still maintained.
Start here
- What is ricing? A beginner's guide to customizing LinuxWhat ricing and dotfiles mean, the words you will meet (window manager, compositor, bar, Wayland), and a four-step path to your first customized Linux desktop.Read the guide →
- How to install dotfiles safely and roll backWhat a dotfiles install really changes on your system, how to preview it before anything happens, and how to undo it with backups and a rollback.Read the guide →
- Make GTK, Qt, icon and cursor themes match on LinuxWhy apps ignore your theme outside GNOME and KDE, and how to give GTK, libadwaita and Qt apps, icons and cursors one look on Hyprland, Sway or i3.Read the guide →
Desktops and full setups
- Dotfiles21 entriesDotfiles are the configuration files in your home folder, most of them hidden (their names start with a dot) or kept in ~/.config.Read the guide →
- Hyprland19 entriesHyprland is a dynamic tiling Wayland compositor known for its animations and for how far it can be customized.Read the guide →
- GNOME10 entriesGNOME is customized mostly through Shell extensions: small add-ons that run inside GNOME Shell.Read the guide →
- KDE Plasma6 entriesKDE Plasma is customizable through its settings, and further through add-ons: KWin scripts that change how windows behave, KWin effects, and Plasma widgets.Read the guide →
- AwesomeWM5 entriesAwesomeWM is an X11 window manager configured entirely in Lua.Read the guide →
Desktop parts
- Status bars10 entriesTiling window managers do not come with a panel, so you add a status bar: workspaces, clock, battery, network, audio and a tray.Read the guide →
- Launchers13 entriesOn a tiling window manager, the launcher is how you open everything: a keyboard shortcut brings up a search box, you type a few letters, and the app starts.Read the guide →
- Notifications6 entriesGNOME and KDE show notifications themselves, but a standalone window manager needs a notification daemon: the program that receives messages from apps and draws the pop-ups.Read the guide →
- Login screens7 entriesThe login screen comes from a display manager: SDDM (the KDE default), GDM (GNOME), LightDM, Ly, or greetd with a greeter on top.Read the guide →
Themes and colors
- GTK themes16 entriesGTK themes restyle the windows, buttons and menus of GTK applications: most of the apps on GNOME, Xfce, Cinnamon and tiling window managers.Read the guide →
- Icon themes16 entriesAn icon theme replaces the application, folder and status icons across your desktop.Read the guide →
- Cursor themes5 entriesA cursor theme is a small change that shows everywhere.Read the guide →
- Color schemes18 entriesA color scheme is what makes a desktop look like one piece: the same palette in your terminal, bar, editor and GTK apps.Read the guide →
- Catppuccin9 entriesCatppuccin is a pastel color palette with four flavors, from the light Latte to the dark Frappé, Macchiato and Mocha, and a set of accent colors.Read the guide →
Looking for something specific? Search the catalogue, or submit a setup that is missing.