Apply Ant, a flat visual theme for GNOME and other GTK-based desktop environments.
Open source
24 alternativesArc
Arc provides a flat GTK theme with transparent elements for desktop shells and applications.
About Arc
Arc is an open source desktop theme for Linux, hosted as a maintained fork at github.com/jnsh/arc-theme. It provides a flat visual style with transparent elements for GTK 2, GTK 3, and GTK 4, as well as desktop shells, window managers, and applications. The project continues the original work by horst3180, which has been unmaintained since May 2017, with the aim of supporting newer toolkit and desktop versions while keeping the original design.
You can install Arc in four variants: Arc, Arc-Darker, Arc-Dark, and Arc-Lighter. It includes support for GNOME Shell, Cinnamon, Unity, Metacity, Xfwm, and Plank, and is intended for GTK-based environments such as GNOME, Cinnamon, Xfce, Unity, MATE, and Budgie. Installation is available through official package repositories for many Linux distributions, or by compiling from source using the instructions in INSTALL.md.
The repository includes issue tracking, contribution guidelines, and documentation. It suits Linux users who want to change the appearance of a GTK-based desktop.
Key features
- Flat theme with transparent elements for GTK 2, 3, and 4
- Four variants: Arc, Arc-Darker, Arc-Dark, and Arc-Lighter
- Support for GNOME Shell 3.28 and newer and Cinnamon 3.8 and newer
- Includes themes for Metacity, Xfwm, Unity, and Plank
- Install from Linux distribution repositories or compile from source
Best for: Linux users with GTK-based desktops who want to customize their system appearance.
Good for
- Maintained fork updated for newer toolkit and desktop versions
- Covers multiple toolkits, shells, and window managers
- Available through distribution package repositories
- Open source under GPL-3.0 license
Watch out for
- Linux only, for GTK-based desktop environments
- Manual installation requires compiling from source
Arc at a glance
- Website
- github.com/jnsh/arc-theme
- Category
- Software & Utilities › Desktop Customization
- Type
- Open-source project
- Pricing
- Not confirmed. Check the site
- Platforms
- Linux
- Open source
- Yes · Source code
- Language
- English
- Last checked
- Oct 5, 2026 · Online when checked
- Listed
- Oct 5, 2026
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Arc FAQ
What is the Arc theme?
Arc is a flat theme with transparent elements for GTK 2, GTK 3, GTK 4, and several Linux desktop shells and window managers.
Which desktops and components does Arc support?
It supports GNOME Shell, Cinnamon, Unity, Metacity, Xfwm, and Plank, for use with GTK-based environments such as GNOME, Xfce, MATE, and Budgie.
How do I install the Arc theme?
The preferred method is installing from official package repositories for Linux distributions. It can also be compiled from source following INSTALL.md.
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