📖Set up Visual Style

Follow the light, enjoy the dark, choose your color

Changing the visual style in elementary OS allows you to create a more personalized, visually appealing, and conducive desktop environment that aligns with your preferences, enhances your mood, and improves focus and productivity.

Appearance Settings

Choose Light or Dark Style

You have the option to choose between a light or dark theme for your desktop. The light theme offers a brighter and more traditional appearance, while the dark theme provides a sleek and modern look.

To choose a preferred theme:

1. Open the System Settings, and navigate to Desktop --> Appearance.
2. In the Style section, select a light or dark visual style for system components such as Apps Menu, Dock, etc. Your choice may affect the apps appearance as well.
3. Optionally, you can schedule the switching to the dark theme for the night time either in accordance with your time zone from sunset to sunrise, or by specifying the time manually.

Applying the dark or light theme is not guaranteed for all third-party apps. Some apps (even the native ones) may follow their own style as well.

Select Accent Color

You can select an accent color that affects various interface elements, such as buttons, highlights, and toggles by default, allowing you to customize the overall visual aesthetic.

1. Open the System Settings, and navigate to Desktop --> Appearance.

2. In the Accent Color section, select one of the fixed colors, or let the system automatically choose the color based on the dominant tint of your desktop wallpaper.

Apps can always use their own accent color if they have such an option.

Disable Animations

You can disable animations in the window manager and some other interface elements to speed up the system performance, or if you just do not want to be distracted by extra visual effects.

1. Open the System Settings, and navigate to Desktop --> Appearance.

2. At the bottom, turn on the Reduce Motion toggle if you want to disable animations.

Turn the toggle off when you want to re-enable animations.