73 lines
4 KiB
Markdown
73 lines
4 KiB
Markdown
To set a global dark theme preference that modern Linux applications (GTK, Qt, Flatpaks, and Electron apps) automatically detect, you need to configure a few specific system flags. [1]
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Since you are running Cinnamon's underlying services alongside i3, applications look for XDG Desktop Portals, gsettings, and GTK/Qt system overrides to determine if the system is in dark mode.
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Here is how to set the global dark theme flags so your apps automatically adjust:
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## 1. Set the Global XDG Desktop Portal Flag (Most Important)
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Modern apps (including Flatpaks, Snap packages, Firefox, Chrome, and Electron apps) check the XDG Desktop Portal to see if the system prefers a dark layout. [2]
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Create or edit your local configuration file:
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nano ~/.config/xdg-desktop-portal/settings.ini
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Add the following lines to globally request dark appearance:
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[org.freedesktop.appearance]
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color-scheme=1
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(Note: 0 means default/no preference, 1 means prefer dark, and 2 means prefer light). [3, 4]
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## 2. Update the GSettings Framework
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Cinnamon and GNOME applications rely heavily on gsettings. Run these commands in your terminal to tell the system you prefer a dark color scheme and a dark GTK theme: [5, 6, 7]
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# Tells modern apps to prefer dark layouts
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gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface color-scheme 'prefer-dark'
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# Sets the standard theme variant to dark
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gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface gtk-theme 'Adwaita-dark'
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## 3. Configure the GTK 3 & 4 Config Files
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Some standalone applications bypass GSettings and check configuration files directly. Ensure your GTK files explicitly mandate the dark variant. [8, 9]
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Open or create the GTK 3 configuration file:
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nano ~/.config/gtk-3.0/settings.ini
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Ensure it contains these exact lines:
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[Settings]
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gtk-theme-name=Adwaita-dark
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gtk-application-prefer-dark-theme=1
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Repeat this process for GTK 4 applications:
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nano ~/.config/gtk-4.0/settings.ini
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Ensure it contains:
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[Settings]
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gtk-theme-name=Adwaita-dark
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gtk-application-prefer-dark-theme=1
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## 4. Force Qt Apps to Mimic GTK
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Qt-based applications (like VLC, KeepassXC, or qBittorrent) ignore GTK configurations by default. To force them to use your global GTK theme settings, add environmental variables to your profile. [10]
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Open your environment configuration:
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sudo nano /etc/environment
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Add these lines at the bottom:
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QT_QPA_PLATFORMTHEME=gtk2
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QT_STYLE_OVERRIDE=adwaita-dark
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## 5. Apply the Changes
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For these global flags to take full effect across all running daemons, save your files and restart your i3 session (press Mod+Shift+R or log out and log back in). [11]
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Once you log back in, your apps will read the active global flags and auto-adjust to their dark variants.
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If any specific application still refuses to flip over, let me know the name of the app or if it is installed as a Flatpak/Snap, and I can give you the target command to fix it!
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[1] [https://www.baeldung.com](https://www.baeldung.com/linux/gtk-applications-dark-theme)
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[2] [https://www.reddit.com](https://www.reddit.com/r/xfce/comments/11pjosp/how_to_make_xfcefirefox_announce_light_dark_mode/)
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[3] [https://discussion.fedoraproject.org](https://discussion.fedoraproject.org/t/gnome-some-applications-launched-as-root-do-not-follow-dark-theme/78329)
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[4] [https://github.com](https://github.com/flatpak/xdg-desktop-portal/issues/629)
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[5] [https://blog.elementary.io](https://blog.elementary.io/dark-style-progress/)
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[6] [https://www.reddit.com](https://www.reddit.com/r/linuxmasterrace/comments/yubcik/does_anyone_know_how_to_change_the_default/)
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[7] [https://github.com](https://github.com/hyprwm/Hyprland/discussions/5867)
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[8] [https://github.com](https://github.com/linuxmint/cinnamon/issues/12994)
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[9] [https://orioninsist.medium.com](https://orioninsist.medium.com/true-system-wide-dark-mode-on-sway-wayland-e88c5226a22d)
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[10] [https://www.reddit.com](https://www.reddit.com/r/Ubuntu/comments/qbam6e/why_isnt_dark_theme_working_on_all_application/)
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[11] [https://forum.manjaro.org](https://forum.manjaro.org/t/changing-theme-appending-colour-palettes-in-config/58845)
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