Top 10 Best Ubuntu Terminal Themes and Color Schemes (2023)

In Ubuntu and other Debian-based distributions, the terminal shell is also known as the GNOME terminal, which was built under the original Gnome project. The terminal shell is written in the C programming language that can interact with the hardware and the kernel. Most Linux users keep using the default terminal shell with the original screen, scheme, and settings forever like they actually don’t want to make their Ubuntu look fashionable. However, as Ubuntu is a free and open-source OS, it totally allows you to customize the Ubuntu terminal settings with new themes, screens, fonts, styles, and other settings. Updating the terminal doesn’t only make the shell good-looking, but it can also help you to be more productive.

Ubuntu Terminal Themes and Color Schemes

The terminal shell is definitely a handy and powerful tool for every Linux distribution. Executing commands, accessing remote SSH, downloading tools, updating the system repository, and much more cool and necessary stuff can easily be done through the terminal shell. You can use different types of terminal themes to make your work efficiency faster for different types of tasks.

There are terminal themes that allow you to make colored text, set a different background, split the terminal screen, use mouse-click effects, and more. If you want to go incognito, terminal themes also let you hide your system hostname and username. In the entire post, we will see an extensive review of a few most used Ubuntu terminal themes.

1. Gogh: GNOME Type Terminal Theme

With enormous color schemes, the Gogh terminal theme for Ubuntu is one of the most used and recognized terminal themes that we would recommend if you’re craving to give your shell a new look. Installing this terminal theme is easy and straightforward on Ubuntu and Debian-based distributions with a simple APT command.

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They allow users to choose terminal backgrounds from dark, light, and custom selections. The entire theme brings a new vibe and looks to your terminal shell. For getting a detailed overview and to know the installation method, you can visit the official website of Gogh.

2. Dracula: A Darker Theme for Ubuntu Terminal

The Dracula Gnome terminal theme is made for Debian-based OS, especially for Ubuntu. It suits perfectly on Ubuntu, Mint, and Linux Lite. The theme features a dark screen for the shell and a few add-ons for the Zsh shell. It covers both the default Gnome terminal shell and the Zsh shell.

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(Video) Rating 5 Most Popular Terminal Color Schemes

The Dracula theme is available for Vim, Notepad, Terminal shell, Jetbrains, Visual Studio, and many other scripting tools. Please visit the official website of Dracula for getting more overviews and know the installation method of this Ubuntu terminal theme.

3. Powerlevel9k and Powerlevel10k Terminal Theme

The Powerlevel9k and Powerlevel10k both are very handy themes for the default terminal shell of Ubuntu and the ZSH shell. This terminal shell focuses on improving and emphasizing the fonts, colors, outlook, and user interface.

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Installing and getting started with the Powerlevel9k and Powerlevel10k terminal themes is easy and straightforward. Please visit the official website of Powerlevel9k to get the theme. If you’re looking for an updated theme, please get the Powerlevel10k theme; the Powerlevel9k is discontinued from the support team.

4. macOS Terminal Themes: Make The Shell Look Like Apple

The macOS terminal theme is probably the most viewed, searched, and downloaded theme by Ubuntu users. Since Ubuntu supplies a decent look with the Gnome DE, the secret desire to make Ubuntu look like macOS is acceptable.

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The macOS terminal theme for Ubuntu makes the shell look like the Mac shell.
The macOS terminal theme has a few variations of color schemes, like Day, Night, Adventure, etc. You can choose any of your favorite schemes and set them on your terminal shell. Please visit this web page to get more detailed information and the method of installation for Ubuntu.

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(Video) Gorgeous Color Schemes For Terminals And Text Editors

5. Aura Theme: A Simple Aqua Color Theme

The Auran theme for the Ubuntu terminal features the most lucrative color schemes and fonts. This terminal theme is really awesome to open a sidebar for all your ongoing tasks and commands. And in the main section, you can execute the commands.

You can change the font colors from default to any other color. The installation process is very simple, and the theme profile allows you to import themes from your previous settings.

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6. Kitty Themes: Soft And Jazzy Theme

As they named the theme, the Kitty theme is designed for the Kitty terminal shell, which is written in the C programming and python language. The repository for the Kitty terminal theme is available on Git, and it’s easy to install and deploy on Ubuntu.

Please follow this URL to get detailed information about the Kitty terminal theme. The kitty package also allows you to install the theme through the Conda application manager. The kitty theme supplies a lot of color schemes and scripts for making the theme more gorgeous.

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7. Hyper Snazzy: An Awesome Terminal Theme

The Hyper-snazzy terminal theme is one of the best themes for the Ubuntu terminal. It can be installed through the NPM and the conventional method. The global version of the Hyper terminal theme is available for the Zsh terminal shell too.

It allows you to highlight syntax, choose color patterns for the theme, and switch from font to font. Please go through this web URL to get more about the Hyper terminal theme and the installation process.

(Video) Best Color Schemes for Linux

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8. Nord Xfce Terminal: Go Nerd With Ubuntu Terminal

The Nord Xfce terminal theme is a lightweight and handy theme for Ubuntu. For installing the Nord terminal theme, you can either place the theme directory into the default directory, or you can run an installation script for executing the terminal theme on your Ubuntu machine.

In the terminal preferences, you can browse the ‘Colors’ section to select the text color, background color, cursor color, tab activity color from the Nord Xfce terminal theme package. For getting over the installation process, please go through this web URL.

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9. Urban: A Colorful Terminal Theme For Ubuntu

With the color variety of red, yellow, pink, blue, black, and green, the Urban terminal theme offers you a lot of dimensions to personalize the terminal of your Ubuntu machine. The dark and light theme options also function perfectly on Ubuntu. The Urban Terminal theme is actually helpful for programmers and system admins for marking the syntaxes and maintaining the indentation.

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The theme developers recommend users keep the theme directory inside the ~/Library/Developer/Xcode/UserData/FontAndColorThemes directory. For getting the installation guide, please follow this web-URL.

10. Spaceship ZSH: Theme for Oh My ZSH

The Spaceship ZSH terminal theme for Ubuntu is a bit classic with the Zsh shell. It offers a default black background for the terminal shell. The built-in features allow the user to get notifications for Git.

(Video) Choosing a Terminal Colour Scheme - The Gateway to Obsessive Colour Tweaking Syndrome (OCT)

This handy and lightweight terminal theme perfectly suits both Gnome Ubuntu and Zsh. Furthermore, the Spaceship terminal theme is available for both Linux and Mac. To get the installation guide, please follow this web URL.

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Extra Tip: Customize Default Terminal Shell

Writing about Ubuntu terminal themes also reminds us about customizing the default GNOME terminal theme. You can resize the screen, select theme variants from the in-built themes, select the new tab position, choose text alignments, set an alert sound for the terminal, and many more.

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In addition, editing the default terminal theme is always a better option to give the terminal a new look if you don’t need any extra third-party features on your terminal shell.

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Final Words

Customizing the terminal theme is not always fancy stuff to do; it might help both power Linux and newbie users to get more fun out of the terminal. In the entire post, we have gone through a brief overview of a few terminal themes for Ubuntu. If you’re looking for a whole different terminal shell, you can give the Oh my ZSH a shot.

Please share it with your friends and the Linux community if you find this post useful and informative. You can also write down your opinions regarding this post in the comment section.

(Video) My Custom Ubuntu Linux Terminal with Themes and Plug-ins 💻

FAQs

Which terminal color is best for eyes? ›

Computer vision syndrome expert Dr. James Sheedy: "The best color combination for your eyes is black text on a white background, though other dark-on-light combinations also work well."

How do you make a terminal colorful in Ubuntu? ›

Changing the terminal color scheme

Go to Edit >> Preferences. Open the “Colors” tab. At first, uncheck the “Use colors from system theme”. Now, you can enjoy the built-in color schemes.

How do you make a Linux terminal look cool? ›

Change the Color Scheme and Transparency

The Colors tab in the menu will help you change the text color and the terminal background color. If you want to make it more stylish, you can adjust the transparency on the terminal. The color palette in the options menu lets you play with unique coloring too.

Which theme is better for eyes? ›

Dark mode purportedly reduces glare and blue light on your digital screens, making it a better option for your eyes as compared to light mode.

Is solarized theme good for eyes? ›

Solarized, a color scheme developed by Ethan Schoonover, transforms your Linux terminals and applications with a simple 16-color palette you can apply in a matter of minutes. It offers a mix of low contrast, reduced brightness and readability to reduce eye strain and maximize ease of use.

Which Linux terminal is best? ›

So, let's look at 15 of the best terminal emulators for Linux that you can use for free.
  • Alacritty. Alacritty is a lightweight terminal focused on performance. ...
  • yakuake. yakuake is inspired by a game called Quake from the 70s. ...
  • Terminator. ...
  • Guake. ...
  • Tilda. ...
  • Tilix. ...
  • Terminology. ...
  • xterm.
10 Mar 2022

Which Linux shell is best? ›

There are many open-source shells available for Linux, but in this article, we only include the top five shells recommended by the Linux experts.
  1. Bash (Bourne-Again Shell) ...
  2. Zsh (Z-Shell) ...
  3. Ksh (Korn Shell) ...
  4. Tcsh (Tenex C Shell) ...
  5. Fish (Friendly Interactive Shell)

What is byobu Ubuntu? ›

Byobu is a GPLv3 open source text-based window manager and terminal multiplexer. It was originally designed to provide elegant enhancements to the otherwise functional, plain, practical GNU Screen, for the Ubuntu server distribution.

How do I style Ubuntu terminal? ›

Changing the Terminal Font
  1. Step 1: Open the Terminal. Open the Terminal application either by using the Ctrl+Alt+T shortcut or by accessing it through the application launcher search as follows:
  2. Step 2: Access Terminal preferences. ...
  3. Step 3: Edit the Preferences.
18 Oct 2019

How do I get colorful bash? ›

Colored Bash Terminal - YouTube

What is the color code of Ubuntu terminal? ›

Ubuntu uses a soothing purple color as the background for Terminal. You might wish to use this color as background for other applications. This color in RGB is (48, 10, 36).

How do I completely customize Ubuntu? ›

To customize the Gnome desktop, there is a tool called “Gnome-tweak-tool” that has the power to change the look of your desktop environment completely. To get it, we have to download it using the command-line tool. Once it's done, you will be able to apply changes through the Tweaks interface.

How do I make my Ubuntu terminal look like Kali Linux? ›

On your Ubuntu system go Qterminal preferences: Change the color Scheme to "Kali-Dark" and click apply. Also if you want other settings the same from your terminal just copy the settings over by comparing the Kali Qterminal to the Ubuntu and select/unselect as needed including "Fira Code 10pt".

How do I customize bash? ›

Customize Git Bash Shell config
  1. Locate the Git installation folder on your computer.
  2. Make a backup of the git-prompt.sh file in Git's etc\profile. ...
  3. With administrator rights, edit the properties in the file named PS1.
  4. Save the git-prompt.sh file.
  5. Open a new Git Bash Shell prompt to see the customized properties display.
24 May 2022

Does dark mode improve performance? ›

The most likely to be better for efficiency and productivity would be Light mode. Studies have shown that people with normal or corrected vision have a better performance, however, people with stronger visual disorders will tolerate Dark mode better.

Are dark themes better? ›

Is dark mode better for your eyes? While dark mode has a lot of benefits, it may not be better for your eyes. Using dark mode is helpful in that it's easier on the eyes than a stark, bright white screen. However, using a dark screen requires your pupils to dilate which can make it harder to focus on the screen.

Is dark theme better for programming? ›

With Dark theme IDE, your eyes are less strained, especially for programmers who spend a lot of time coding. The color contrast of dark theme IDE makes it possible for the eyes to easily spot code errors while staring at the screen.

Why is solarized so popular? ›

Probably one of the main reasons is its blue-ish background (for the dark theme). Blue has always been the most popular color, especially on the internet and So, any colorscheme based on a shade of blue will turn some heads. That is also why Cobalt is popular. Also, a lot of people don't like that colors.

What is solarized dark theme? ›

Solarized is a color scheme for code editors and terminal emulators created by Ethan Schoonover. The scheme is available in a Light and a Dark mode. Packages that implement the color scheme have been published for many major applications, with some including the scheme pre-installed.

What Dircolors solarized? ›

Solarized is a 16-color palette with unique RGB values.

Which color is good for eyes? ›

Green, the mixture of blue and yellow, can be seen everywhere and in countless shades. In fact, the human eye sees green better than any color in the spectrum. This, along with many other facts about this earthly color, makes it an essential part of our everyday lives. But why is that?

What Colour temperature is good for eyes? ›

If the color temperature of the light source cannot be adjusted, research suggests that a color temperature of 4000 kelvin provides maximum comfort for our eyes when using computer screens and other devices. That means that if you must pick one color temperature, 4000 is the number to go with.

Is dark mode better on eyes? ›

“In a darkened room, the darker colours of dark mode could be perceived as less jarring and lull people into spending longer using the app,” says Aneesha Singh, professor of human-computer interaction at UCL. Conversely, in a brightly lit environment, a darker screen can actually force your eyes to work harder.

What is the best background color for reading? ›

- Warm background colors such as Peach, Orange or Yel low are beneficial for readability, taking into consider ation both reading performance and mouse tracking measures. Also, cool background colors, in particular Blue Grey, Blue, and Green, decreased the text read ability for both group.

What color can humans not see? ›

Red-green and yellow-blue are the so-called "forbidden colors." Composed of pairs of hues whose light frequencies automatically cancel each other out in the human eye, they're supposed to be impossible to see simultaneously. The limitation results from the way we perceive color in the first place.

Which Colour is good for brain? ›

1) Green: Concentration

Low wavelength colors promote restfulness and calm, and they improve efficiency and focus. So that's why green is an excellent color for improving concentration. Apart from being one of the easiest colors on the eyes, it reminds us of nature.

What Colour is a healthy brain? ›

The brain is a pinkish, grayish color, and that's thanks to the parts that compose it. Most of the brain is made of cells called grey matter that are, in fact, gray.

Are LED lights harmful to eyes? ›

Chronic exposure to LED lights can speed up the ageing of retinal tissue, leading to a decline in visual acuity and an increased risk of eye diseases such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Is white light harmful to eyes? ›

The Australian National University found that overexposure to “cool” or “bright white” fluorescent bulbs for over 45 hours a week put your eyes at risk for many health issues, such as cataracts and pterygia. The reason why these light bulbs are so bad for your eyes is because they emit an amount of UV rays.

Which light colour is best? ›

The light colours very warm white (2200-2700K) and warm white (3000K) are the most suitable for bedrooms. In general, people don't prefer to wake up with too bright lighting. Therefore, warm white lighting can be perceived as too bright by some people.

Does dark mode reduce battery? ›

According to a 2021 study by Purdue University, if you keep your OLED phone's brightness level around 30%-50%, you can expect only around 3% to 9% of power savings. However, if your phone's always at 100% brightness, the dark mode will save you around 39% to 47% of your battery.

Why is dark mode so popular? ›

Reduces eye strain at night and cuts glare

Dark mode users find reading easier in low light with less eye strain. They also claim it helps them fall asleep quickly and stay asleep longer. This could be because screens expose you to more blue light at night, which could disrupt your circadian rhythm.

Is Dark theme good for battery? ›

Surprisingly enough, findings from the study reveal that dark mode is unlikely to impact the battery life of a smartphone significantly. Though it does use less battery than a regular light-coloured theme, the difference is unlikely to be noticeable “with the way that most people use their phones on a daily basis.

What color is easiest read? ›

Light yellow and light blue were found to be the paper colors that were the easiest to read off of. It could easily be read in all lighting conditions, and the effectiveness of the colors weren't diminished if someone wore tinted glasses (like I do).

What color font is easiest to read? ›

Their general findings were: 1) Black and white were consistently rated as the most readable; 2) Color combinations that included black were rated more readable than those that did not; and 3) Darker text on lighter backgrounds were rated higher than lighter text on darker backgrounds.

What is good color contrast? ›

Alternating colors, such as blue and yellow, produce the best combinations since they have good contrast in both hue and value. Black contrasts well with any color of light value and white is a good contrast with colors of dark value. For example, yellow and black are dissimilar in the contrast of both hue and value.

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