How to change icons in Ubuntu 16.04

Before we see our list of best icon themes for Ubuntu 16.04, let’s first see how to change the icons in Ubuntu.

I have already written in detail about how to change themes in Ubuntu. The steps are same here. There are basically two ways you can install icon themes in Ubuntu:

• Downloading the theme manually and extracting them in ~/.icons (if you don’t have this directory, create it)
• Installing the themes via a PPA (run some commands, we’ll see it later)

Either way, once you have the icon theme installed, you’ll need to use Unity Tweak Tool to change the icon theme. Install Unity Tweak Tool using the command below:

sudo apt install unity-tweak-tool

Once installed, simply run the tool and go to Icons:

Here, you should be able to see the icon themes available for your system. The newly installed icon themes should be visible here.

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Best icon themes for Ubuntu 16.04

Okay! Enough talks. Let’s see the list of best icon themes for Ubuntu 16.04. The countdown begins!!

10. Masalla icon theme

Masalla icon theme is flat themes with vivid colors. It takes the number 10 position in our list.

You can download the .deb file for installing Masalla icon theme in Ubuntu:

Download Masalla icon theme

9. Vivacious Colors icon theme

Colorful, vivid and beautiful. Vivacious Colors takes the number 9 position in our list.

You can install it using the following commands:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ravefinity-project/ppa
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install vivacious-colors

8. Square 2.0 Icon pack

Square and flat. Square 2.0 is another beauty that you can try.

Use the commands below to install it:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:noobslab/icons2
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install square-icons

7. Shadow icon theme

At number seven, we have Shadow icon theme. The current trend of flat icons with a little shadow has beautifully captured in Shadow icon theme.

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:noobslab/icons
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install shadow-icon-theme

6. Xenlism Wildfire icon theme

Minimalist? Honestly, Xenlism is more vivid and colorful than minimal. Don’t you think the same?

Use the commands below to install it:

sudo apt-key adv --keyserver keys.gnupg.net --recv-keys 90127F5B
echo "deb http://downloads.sourceforge.net/project/xenlism-wildfire/repo deb/" | sudo tee -a /etc/apt/sources.list
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install xenlism-wildfire-icon-theme

5. Dalisha icon theme

At number five, we have delicious Dalisha icon theme.

Use the commands below to install it:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:noobslab/icons
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install dalisha-icons

4. Uniform icon theme

4th position is taken by the flat and fabulous icon theme, Uniform. Don’t go by the name Uniform. These icons are hardly uniform.

You can use the commands below to install it:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:noobslab/icons2
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install uniform-icons

3. Moka

Now, we are moving ahead to the top 3 position. At number three, we have Moka. Sam Hewitt‘s theme Moka is a gem. You would agree when you look at the screenshot below:

You can use the commands below to install Moka icon themes in Ubuntu:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:moka/daily
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install moka-icon-theme

2. Numix

The runner-up in our list of best icon themes for Ubuntu is Numix. You can guess the popularity of Numix theme suite from the fact that it is the default theme in several Linux distributions including Antergos and Korora Linux.

You can install Numix icon theme in Ubuntu using the commands below:

sudo apt-add-repository ppa:numix/ppa
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install numix-icon-theme-circle

1. Paper

And the award of best icon theme for Ubuntu goes to Paper icon theme.

Paper theme suite is developed by Sam Hewitt, the developer of Moka theme. It is inspired by Google’s material design. This flat icon theme will remind you of Android.

You can use the commands below to install Paper icon themes in Ubuntu:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:snwh/pulp
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install paper-icon-theme