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EnglishHow to Customize Ulauncher with Color Themes
Updated
Ulauncher ships with four built-in color themes and supports custom themes you build yourself, so you can change its look without touching the launcher's core behavior. To start, open Ulauncher's preferences and pick one of the built-in themes; to go further, follow the theme documentation on ulauncher.io to create a custom color theme. This applies to the standard Linux release installed from the official download page.
Start with the four built-in themes
The quickest customization path is the set of themes bundled with Ulauncher. The project's site states that Ulauncher "ships with four built-in themes," which means you can switch the launcher's appearance immediately after install — no extra files or downloads required.
The general flow for any launcher theme change:
- Open Ulauncher's preferences (the settings entry point for the launcher).
- Find the appearance or theme section.
- Select one of the built-in themes.
- Reopen the launcher to confirm the new colors apply.
Expected result: the launcher window and result list render in the selected theme's colors.
Common snag: if the theme list looks empty or unchanged, confirm you are running the stable release from the official download page rather than an older package from a third-party repository.
Build a custom color theme
For anything beyond the four presets, Ulauncher supports custom color themes. The site directs users to "read the theme docs to build your own," so the documentation is the authoritative reference for the theme file format and where themes are placed.
A practical approach:
- Read the theme docs first to learn the required file structure and color keys.
- Copy an existing built-in theme as a starting point, then adjust the color values.
- Place the custom theme where the docs specify so Ulauncher can detect it.
- Select it in preferences the same way you would a built-in theme.
Expected result: your theme appears alongside the built-ins and applies when selected.
Common snag: a theme that does not show up usually means a file naming or location mismatch with the docs — recheck the documented path and filename conventions before editing colors further.
What to customize first
Color themes change appearance only. If your goal is faster workflows rather than looks, the site points to personalized shortcuts and extensions for quick access to scripts, searches, or community add-ons. Themes and shortcuts are independent: you can change colors without affecting how fuzzy search or shortcuts behave.
Choosing between built-in and custom themes
| Dimension | Built-in themes | Custom color themes |
|---|---|---|
| Setup effort | Select in preferences | Build a theme file per docs |
| Number available | Four | Unlimited, as you create them |
| Best for | Quick appearance change | Matching a specific desktop palette |
| Reference needed | None | Theme documentation on ulauncher.io |
Pick a built-in theme if you want a fast change with zero configuration. Build a custom theme if you need the launcher to match a particular color scheme across your desktop.
Verify and troubleshoot
After applying any theme, reopen the launcher and type a query to see results rendered in the new colors. If nothing changes, confirm which release you installed — the download page separates a stable release from a dev release, and behavior can differ between them. For theme-specific issues, the site links an issue tracker where you can check whether others have reported the same problem.