The 20 Best LXDE Themes for Linux System in 2020

LXDE themes can change the look and feel of your LXDE desktop
environment. LXDE is a well-known desktop environment for Linux. It is so
minimal and lightweight; hence LXDE is very popular among the low
configuration systems, including netbooks, Raspberry Pi, smart home gadgets, etc.
LXDE is the short form of Lightweight X11
Desktop Environment. A Taiwanese developer started
this project in 2006. Later it got much popularity and
appreciation. Although there are some other design-heavy desktop
environments, LXDE kept its popularity because of the huge
explosion of IoT and smart products. ^[1][2]

LXDE is currently the default desktop environment for Knoppix,
LXLE Linux, and Peppermint OS Linux. But it was the
default desktop environment for one of the most popular Ubuntu
flavor, Lubuntu. Lubuntu was named based on this LXDE desktop
environment. But later, Lubuntu adopted LXQt in 2018. LXDE uses the
OpenBox window manager. But anyone can
use other window managers if they want. Since it uses the GTK+
toolkit, the LXDE themes are easier to develop and compatible with
other GTK+ based desktop environments.^[3][4]

Best LXDE Themes for
Linux

LXDE is used by many popular Linux distributions^[5], and hence it has a
significant amount of market share. Thus the open-source developer
and designer community have a great attraction to develop LXDE
themes. There are numerous free LXDE or Lubuntu themes you will
find on the internet. But choosing the best theme is a confusing
task.

If you don’t have a proper guideline, you have to try out every
theme to find the best one for yourself. This is why we have tried
out and enlisted the most beautiful and productive themes for the
LXDE desktop environment. Take a look and customize your desktop
like no other.

1. Adapta Colorpack

This GTK+ theme is probably the most popular and versatile Linux
desktop environment theme out there. No matter what desktop
environment you are in, it is bound to be compatible with that. The
developer is very active in the theming community and has a good
design sense. Ivankra designed this theme based on the popular
open-source theme project Adapta. Later it was modified by some
other persons to fix some broken components.

The theme follows the flat design language. The user interface
is quite minimal but classy. It has different color variants that
you can choose while installing. Currently, it supports 8 different
colors, including blue, green, teal, indigo, grey, etc. This theme
is almost perfect in any sense, but you can always customize the
look according to your personality.

Download^[6]

2. Qogir Ubuntu

Qogir is a GTK based theme that you might be familiar with. It
supports almost any desktop environment and works flawlessly. Hence
no exception with the LXDE desktop environment. This Lubuntu theme
requires GTK 2 to run on your distribution. But if you are running
GTK 3 or later versions, then you can install some additional
dependencies to make it compatible.

Qogir base theme has got many official and unofficial variants
so far. Qogir Ubuntu, Qogir Manjaro, Qogir Mint are some of them.
They have different colored accents and icon packs. You may also go
for the classic vanilla look of Qogir. It also supports dark mode
if you are a night owl. You can set it up with Qogir’s icon pack to
get the full experience.

Download^[7]

3. Ultimate Plata
Dark

Where is the Dark Mode Squad? Some people say dark mode is just
a trend while some others have a strong opinion about the
beneficially of it. I am not going to make an argument. But dark
mode undoubtedly looks beautiful and elegant. Ultimate Plata Dark
is such a theme that will make your desktop looks dark chocolate
with some cool indigo accents.

Unlike other popular themes, this is a complete desktop theme.
That means you are getting the matching material flat icon pack,
Papyrus icon pack along with the folders icons included inside the
theme package. This will save you valuable time to customize the
theme. The author of the theme also offers similar theming for
popular apps, including, Telegram, Firefox, and TweetDeck.

Download^[8]

4. Victory

Victory is a bold and bright looking theme. It is simple,
minimal, and gorgeous. This theme was specially developed to use as
a Lubuntu theme. But later, it got support for any distros that
have an LXDE desktop environment. This is a GTK theme, and it
should perfectly change the look and feel of your GTK applications^[9].

The developer also added support for different styling of window
borders for the OpenBox window manager, which lies in the core of
LXDE if you want to change the color of the theme you have to go a
little further. Because it only supports changing styles by editing
the CSS file that you will find inside the theme’s root
directory.

Download^[10]

5. Numix-N

You might have already known about the Numix icon pack. The
Numix icon pack is one of the most popular icon packs for any
theme. The developer created the Numix-N to match with that icon
pack. This theme has a flat look into it with minimal title bar and
buttons.

The design of this theme has such styling that the window
borders are bold and vibrant. The progress bars and buttons have a
green accent to suit with the icons. The overall footprint of the
theme looks a little bit retro, but probably this feature will
attract the most.

Download ^[11]

6. Candra

Candra is an LXDE theme suite of flat and minimalist designs. It
is used by default in Candra OS that is a simple derived Linux
distro. It has both light and dark variants. It was mainly
developed for GNOME. But later, it got support for any desktop
environments based on the GTK+ toolkit, including LXDE.

The folder icons have classic yellowish icons that look much
“folder-y.” The windows are borderless and look totally like any
modern material theme. The default theme has teal accents that
blend perfectly with the overall user interface. The developer has
some other great themes for the LXDE desktop environment you can
try out.

Download ^[12]

7. DeLorean Dark
Stripped

This LXDE theme is a fork of the DeLorean Dark theme, which is a
popular GTK theme^[13] for Linux. The stripped
version has all the features of the classic DeLorean Dark without
any sort of bloatware. This is why this theme uses fewer resources
to run, and you get the absolute performance from your PC.

DeLorean Dark Stripped has two different variants. One is with
dark grey window background, and another is with the pitch-black
background. The title bar and the buttons have a monochromatic
gradient effect that brings more depth to the design. The elements
are rounded, and the overall user interface looks very elegant.

Download^[14]

8. zonColor

zonColor is a theme pack that consists of different beautiful GTK themes for Linux^[15]. These themes come with
different color variations that anyone can customize their desktop
with some unique flavors. The themes are more like templates, and
this is why users don’t need to edit the codes to bring any change
in the theme. Rather they can browse and apply their choices from
different elements.

You will find GTK themes, icon themes, wallpapers, and some
other theme components in the theme archive. The themes have a
solid flat colored title bar and pane area. Some of the components
have a semi-transparent design. The wallpapers provide modern
gradient colors to match the themes.

Download^[16]

9. WinAte

WinAte is a complete Windows 7 or Windows 8 transformation pack
for Linux. You can easily customize your LXDE desktop environment
to look like either of the two operating systems by Microsoft. You
will even get all the icons of Windows with this theme.

This theme has got the Windows Aero design language. You will
get the progress bars and title bars exactly looking like those on
Windows. Even the login screen will be changed by installing this
theme. You have to have installed the GTK 2 engine to run this
theme properly. It uses a simple Install.sh script file to install
the whole theme.

Download^[17]

10. Ambiance

This Ambiance theme is an error fix to the original Ambiance,
which is created by RAVEfinity. RAVEfinity’s version had some
problems that didn’t change the look for GTK3 apps. This fork has
solved that problem, and now it will support your LXDE desktop that
has got GTK3 apps.

The theme has a simple and stock alike look. But this overall
theme has a darker look while the Radiance theme from the same
author uses a light color scheme. This theme also applies the
matching look for common applications like Thunar, Totem, and
Brasero.

Download^[18]

11. FF-BlackGreen

The FF-BlackGreen is one of the most popular dark color schemed
Lubuntu themes for Linux. It is fully compatible with the LXDE
desktop environment. It has a bright green accent to it. Sometimes
the black texts on the dark panel don’t catch the eyes. But apart
from this, the overall user interface is very bold and focused.

The folder icons are nicely themed so that it matches the color
of the theme. OpenBox window manager is also themed in this package
with support for both GTK2 and GTK3 applications.

Download^[19]

12. GruvBox Icon
Theme

Linux theming remains incomplete without proper icon packs. The
default icons of the Lubuntu are not cool looking at all. This is
why the icon packs come into play. GruvBox is a gorgeous icon pack
for LXDE themes. It has a bunch of colorful and flat icons for
almost all the common applications.

The folder icons and the control panel icons have a linear look,
which is pretty classy. Through the applications icons are derived
from the original Papyrus icon pack, the creator of this theme has
tweaked them a bit to be compatible with all the software.

Download ^[20]

13. Alette

Alette is a simple yet minimalist theme for LXDE desktop. It
supports the OpenBox window manager, which is the default window
manager on the LXDE platform. It provides a whole user interface
wide theming support.

This theme also supports the GTK2 and GTK3 applications. The
vanilla or stock look of this theme is a little bit old school. But
if you configure this with some third party icon packs, your
desktop may go to a whole new level.

Download^[21]

14. Cyana 3D II

Cyana 3D II has a different approach to Linux theming. It didn’t
go to a traditional flat look. Instead, it brings a 3D pop to all
its elements. This design language brings more depth to the overall
user interface. Although some people don’t like these kinds of
looks.

Just like the name, this theme creates a cyan schemed ambiance
to your entire desktop. Cyan is such a color that brings an
adequate amount of darkness and brightness to the look. The people
who have a great fascination for colors and want to experiment with
new looks then this theme is for them.

Download^[22]

15. Zukitwo Dark
Reloaded

This theme is a direct modification of the Ambiance theme from
the default Ubuntu installation. So you are going to experience the
classic Ubuntu look into your LXDE desktop environment no matter in
which distro you are in.

The theme modder added a dark color scheme into the user
interface and derived the launcher design from the popular Vertex
theme for Linux. This theme supports GTK3 applications, but you
have to install the GTK 2 engine to run this theme properly.

Download^[23]

16. METROux

This theme will remind you of Microsoft’s ambitious Metro UI,
which was first adapted into Windows 8. Though the Metro UI is
almost dead now, this theme will let you bring that classic vibe
into your Linux. This theme is specially optimized for small
display devices.

The devices that support touch screen functionality will get a
special advantage using this theme. It needs the GnoMenu platform
installed if you want to have the full experience. The app launcher
has the apps arranged in colorful tiles though the tiles don’t
support live info feature for now.

Download^[24]

17. Win7-like Aero

This theme is a bit aged. But Win7-like aero frame and button
theme will bring that Windows vibe into your Linux desktop. It was
created for the GNOME desktop environment. But later,
the developer tested it on LXDE, and it worked fine with some
changes in the script. ^[25]

The theme has a bluish tint on the frames, just like on Windows
7 or Vista. The title bar buttons exactly look like those on the
Aero theme by Microsoft. Though the developer pulled out the
progress bar design from the KDE distro, it looks almost similar to
Windows. There are many modern themes for cloning Windows 10. But
if you want a bit classic look, then this theme is yours.

Download^[26]

18. Lubuntu
Shadowplay

This is one of the nicest looking Lubuntu themes out there. But
this theme works on other distros running the LXDE desktop
environment. Lubuntu Shadowplay is based on the Carbon Gold theme.
But this theme is extremely modified, and it doesn’t look like the
original theme.

The theme is completely dark with cool light gradients. This is
why it looks like a game of light and shadow. Maybe this is the
origin of the theme’s name. The buttons have a nice touch onto
them. The progress bar doesn’t have a typical flat design. Rather
it has a fluid-like design and has a depth into it.

Download^[27]

19. CircleGame

I am sure that this is not the most professional looking theme
out there. But it’s really beautiful. Some people love this kind of
cartoonish theme. The developer created this theme based on the
look and feel of the spring season with some low-poly design.

The subtle green accent is eye soothing. The overall design
brings a retro vibe into the desktop. The creator has recommended
some icons and wallpapers to use with this theme that you will find
on the download page so that you get the complete spring setup.

Download^[28]

20. Sage

The bright and colorful theme named Sage, will completely blow
your eyes. This can be your next LXDE theme for your Raspberry Pi
media center or your child’s very own Linux system. And yeah, it is
not a crime to install it into an adult’s desktop. Moreover, these
bright and bold themes are liked by many Linux users.

It is completely compatible with GTK2 applications. The yellow
highlights on the green panel may not be the smartest idea, but the
overall look and feel are nice. The buttons look like they came
from Windows XP, while the borders and scroll bars are very thick
and retro looking.

Download^[29]

How To Customize the LXDE Desktop
Environment

LXDE desktop environment was intended for the low-end hardware.
So to keep the default LXDE look lightweight and simple, they
sacrificed a little bit from the looks section. This is why you can
use some third party LXDE themes to customize the LXDE look and
make it more beautiful. Customizing the LXDE desktop environment is
simple as water. By following a checklist provided below, you can
make your desktop unique and elegant.

Customizing the OpenBox

LXDE desktop environment uses the OpenBox window manager by
default. The window manager theme creates the base of the overall
look and feel of your desktop. Apart from the default window
manager theme, you can download and apply some other third party
themes for the OpenBox.

The above list of themes has some cool OpenBox themes^[30] to get started with.
LXAppearance tool will help you with changing the OpenBox theme.
LXDE has got another tool named OpenBox Configuration Manager. From
there, you can change the appearance, mouse cursors, move-resize,
dock settings, etc. of the installed window manager theme.

Changing GTK Themes

LXDE desktop manager uses the GTK+ toolkit. This is why all the
GTK2 and some GTK3 themes are compatible with this desktop
environment. You can change the GTK theme to get customized effects
on the applications. LXAppearance will let you install the GTK
themes for the applications. You can also edit some other
parameters by using that tool.

Editing the Panels

Editing the panels will boost up productivity. Besides, it will
create more depth into your customization. Though most people are
indifferent to edit the panels. You can open the panel editing
window by clicking the mouse’s right button on the panel. You can
move your panel to your desired place and can change the size,
opacity, and background of the panel.

Applying Icon Packs

By downloading and applying third party icon packs, you can
change the look and feel of the LXDE themes. If you can match your
icon packs with the overall theme, you will get an eye-soothing
look. But before downloading an icon pack from the internet,
double-check whether the pack supports all the common applications
or not. LXAppearance tools will let you apply your desired icon
pack.

Final Thoughts

Some people doubt the potential of the LXDE desktop environment.
They think the LXDE themes are outdated, and they don’t look good.
Yes, most of the themes are outdated. But that doesn’t mean they
don’t look good. As you can see on the above list that the themes
are nice. Besides, by customizing the LXDE desktop properly, you
can make your low resource potato PC looks and works like a charm.
If you have any LXDE theme recommendation, then don’t forget to
comment below and let others know. Happy customizing!