Desktop theming / ricing on Linux (macOS look via WhiteSur)

Best, lowest-effort path to a macOS-like desktop on a GTK-based DE (XFCE, GNOME, Cinnamon, MATE, Budgie) is the WhiteSur family by vinceliuice. It ships a GTK theme, an icon set, and a cursor set that mimic Big Sur / Monterey.

When to use

• "Deixa meu Debian/Ubuntu com cara de macOS"
• "Quero trocar o tema do XFCE/GNOME"
• Custom cursors, dock estilo Mac, top bar com relógio centralizado

Detect the environment first

Run these before installing anything:

echo "XDG_CURRENT_DESKTOP=$XDG_CURRENT_DESKTOP"
cat /etc/X11/default-display-manager 2>/dev/null
ls /usr/share/xsessions/
dpkg -l | grep -Ei 'xfce4|gnome-shell|plasma|cinnamon' | awk '{print $2}'

WhiteSur targets GTK DEs. On XFCE it is a near-perfect macOS clone; on KDE use a different approach (not covered here).

Install dependencies

sudo apt-get install -y git curl wget sassc inkscape plank fonts-inter x11-apps

NOTE: on Debian xcursorgen is NOT a separate package — it lives inside x11-apps. Installing xcursorgen by name fails with "no candidate"; just install x11-apps.

Clone the THREE separate repos (critical pitfall)

The cursor theme is a separate repository. The gtk-theme repo does NOT contain cursors, and its install.sh will silently do nothing useful if you point it at the cursor job. Clone each independently:

mkdir -p ~/.themes-src && cd ~/.themes-src
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/vinceliuice/WhiteSur-gtk-theme.git
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/vinceliuice/WhiteSur-icon-theme.git
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/vinceliuice/WhiteSur-cursors.git

Do NOT clone the same URL three times into differently-named dirs — the loop git clone <gtk-url> WhiteSur-cursors produces a cursor dir that is actually the GTK theme (detected by git remote -v showing the gtk URL). If install.sh in the "cursor" dir prints the GTK banner, you cloned the wrong repo — rm -rf and re-clone the real WhiteSur-cursors URL.

Install the themes (flag pitfall)

The installer flags changed over time. Current valid form (verify with ./install.sh --help):

# GTK theme (sudo -> /usr/share/themes)
cd ~/.themes-src/WhiteSur-gtk-theme
sudo ./install.sh --dest /usr/share/themes -c dark -c light -o normal -o solid -t blue
# libadwaita / GTK4 (MUST NOT run with sudo -> installs to ~/.themes)
./install.sh -l -c dark -c light -t blue

• --color all and --size 220 are REJECTED by current versions ("Unrecognized variant/option"). Use -c dark -c light (repeatable).
• --libadwaita / -l writes to ~/.themes and the script explicitly warns "Do not run '--libadwaita' option with sudo!" — run as the normal user.

# Icons (sudo -> /usr/share/icons)
sudo ~/.themes-src/WhiteSur-icon-theme/install.sh --dest /usr/share/icons --theme all
# Cursors (user -> ~/.local/share/icons/WhiteSur-cursors)
~/.themes-src/WhiteSur-cursors/install.sh

Apply on XFCE — the offline-robust way

xfconf-query only works inside a running graphical session (needs xfconfd on the per-session DBus). When scripting from a headless/SSH context, edit the XML files directly — they are read at next login and are idempotent. Location: ~/.config/xfce4/xfconf/xfce-perchannel-xml/*.xml

Key properties to set:

• xsettings.xml: Net/ThemeName=WhiteSur-Dark, Net/IconThemeName=WhiteSur-Dark, Gtk/CursorThemeName=WhiteSur-cursors, Gtk/FontName="SF Pro Text 11" # real SF Pro preferred (see "San Francisco fonts" below); Inter 10 is fallback Xft/Antialias=1, Xft/Hinting=1, Xft/HintStyle="hintslight", Xft/RGBA="rgb", Gtk/DecorationLayout="close,minimize,maximize:menu" (Mac: buttons LEFT).
• xfwm4.xml: general/theme=WhiteSur-Dark, general/button_layout="HMC" (Hide/min, Max, Close all on the LEFT — Mac traffic-light order; | separates left/right groups if any stay on the right), general/use_compositing=true (needed for shadows/transparency).
• xfce4-desktop.xml: set last-image / image-path / image-show on each monitor to the wallpaper path (e.g. the repo's src/assets/gnome-shell/backgrounds/background-default.png copied to ~/Pictures).
• xfce4-panel.xml: top bar = panel with applicationsmenu (set show-button-title=false, button-icon="distributor-logo" for an Apple-like menu), an expanding separator, then clock (mode 2, format "%a %d %b %H:%M") centered between two expanding separators. Remove the bottom launcher panel so it doesn't clash with the Plank dock.

After editing XMLs, also ship a apply-whitesur.sh that re-applies everything via xfconf-query for use when the user is already logged in (so changes take effect live without a full logout). See references/whitesur-xfce-recipe.md.

Dock (Plank)

mkdir -p ~/.local/share/plank/themes
cp -r ~/.themes-src/WhiteSur-gtk-theme/other/plank/theme-Dark ~/.local/share/plank/themes/WhiteSur-Dark
mkdir -p ~/.config/plank/dock1
# write a [PlankDockPreferences] settings file: Position=3 (bottom), HorizonAlignment=center,
# ZoomEnabled=true, ZoomPercent=150, IconSize=48, HideMode=1, Theme=WhiteSur-Dark
# autostart:
cat > ~/.config/autostart/plank.desktop <<'EOF'
[Desktop Entry]
Type=Application
Exec=plank
X-XFCE-Autostart-enabled=true
EOF

Users pin apps by right-clicking a running app's dock icon → "Keep in Dock".

San Francisco fonts (real SF Pro, not just Inter)

Inter is only an SF substitute. For pixel fidelity install the actual SF Pro:

cd /tmp
curl -sL -o sfpro.zip "https://github.com/sahibjotsaggu/San-Francisco-Pro-Fonts/archive/refs/heads/master.zip"
python3 -c "import zipfile; zipfile.ZipFile('sfpro.zip').extractall('sftmp')"
sudo mkdir -p /usr/share/fonts/opentype/sfpro
find sftmp \( -iname '*.otf' -o -iname '*.ttf' \) -exec sudo cp {} /usr/share/fonts/opentype/sfpro/ \;
sudo fc-cache -f /usr/share/fonts/opentype/sfpro

Then set Gtk/FontName="SF Pro Text 11". For the terminal, use an SF-Mono-like mono — fonts-jetbrains-mono (apt) is very close to SF Mono.

Global Menu (the macOS top-bar app menu — sells the look)

Gets the app's menu to rise into the top panel like macOS:

sudo apt-get install -y xfce4-appmenu-plugin appmenu-gtk3-module appmenu-gtk-module-common
xfconf-query -c xfce4-panel -p /plugins/plugin-10 -t string -s appmenu --create
xfconf-query -c xfce4-panel -p /plugins/plugin-10/expand -t bool -s true
mkdir -p ~/.config/gtk-3.0
printf '[Settings]\ngtk-modules=appmenu-gtk-module\n' > ~/.config/gtk-3.0/settings.ini
echo 'export UBUNTU_MENUPROXY=1' >> ~/.profile
xfce4-panel --restart   # required for the plugin to appear

Apple menu icon

Replace distributor-logo with an Apple glyph so the top-left reads as macOS:

• Save a filled #f5f5f7 apple SVG; sudo convert -background none apple.svg -resize 24x24 /usr/share/pixmaps/apple-menu.png (needs imagemagick / convert).
• xfconf-query -c xfce4-panel -p /plugins/plugin-1/button-icon -s /usr/share/pixmaps/apple-menu.png and /plugins/plugin-1/show-button-title -s false.

Window shadows + APPLY (easy to skip)

Compositing alone is not enough — set the shadow params AND restart xfwm4 or they won't paint (a common "why are there no shadows" miss):

xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/use_compositing -s true
xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/show_frame_shadow -s true
xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/show_dock_shadow -s true
xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/shadow_opacity -s 65
xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/shadow_delta_y -s 5
xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/shadow_delta_width -s -10
xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/shadow_delta_height -s -10
xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/button_layout -s "HMC"
xfwm4 --replace &   # MUST restart for shadows + button order to apply

Validate before declaring done

python3 -c "import xml.dom.minidom as m; [m.parse(f'$HOME/.config/xfce4/xfconf/xfce-perchannel-xml/{x}.xml') for x in ('xsettings','xfwm4','xfce4-panel','xfce4-desktop')]; print('XML OK')"
[ -d /usr/share/themes/WhiteSur-Dark ] && echo "gtk ok"
[ -d /usr/share/icons/WhiteSur-Dark ] && echo "icons ok"
[ -d ~/.local/share/icons/WhiteSur-cursors ] && echo "cursor ok"

Honest limits (tell the user)

XFCE/Plank cannot do real blur on the dock or a native Launchpad, so it reaches ~90% of the macOS look, not 100%. No compositor blur like a true macOS.

KDE Plasma path (for a MORE faithful macOS clone than XFCE)

If the user wants real blur / a true macOS dock, KDE Plasma is the better base than XFCE. Debian 13 (trixie) package-name drift — CRITICAL pitfall:

• latte-dock — REMOVED from Debian (upstream unmaintained). Not installable.
• kvantum-manager — renamed; the binary now ships in qt-style-kvantum (install qt-style-kvantum + qt-style-kvantum-themes; run kvantummanager).
• kwin-decoration-sierra-break — does NOT exist; use the WhiteSur KDE aurorae decoration (ships inside the WhiteSur-kde repo) or stock Breeze.

APT SILENT-ABORT pitfall: apt-get install -y a b c where ANY package name is missing does NOT install the others — it errors and installs NOTHING (not even the valid packages). Always verify names with apt-cache policy <pkg> BEFORE the big install. Symptom: first attempt prints E: Unable to locate package ... and plasma pkg count stays 0 → re-run with only valid names.

Working trixie install set:

sudo apt-get install -y kde-plasma-desktop qt-style-kvantum qt-style-kvantum-themes \
  breeze-gtk-theme sddm

BACKGROUND-INSTALL DEBCONF TRAP (cost this session ~20 min): if the above apt-get runs via terminal(background=true), the sddm.postinst stops and waits for debconf input (the "which display manager?" prompt) that never arrives in a headless background shell. It then HOLDS the dpkg lock forever — dpkg --configure -a and every later apt call block on /var/lib/dpkg/lock-frontend. Symptoms: ps shows perl /usr/share/debconf/frontend .../sddm.postinst alive; fuser /var/lib/dpkg/lock-frontend reports LOCKED; apt-get prints "frontend lock was locked by apt-get pid …". FIX (do NOT reach for pkill -9 -f "apt-get install" — see workflow note below):

1. Kill ONLY the stuck background install job via the tool: process(action='kill') on its session_id (clean, scoped — not a process-wide pkill).
2. sudo DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive dpkg --configure -a → finishes all pending packages (DPKG_EXIT=0, no debconf prompt).
3. Set the DM: sudo ln -sf /lib/systemd/system/sddm.service /etc/systemd/system/display-manager.service and sudo systemctl enable sddm (lightdm stays installed as fallback; user picks Plasma/XFCE at login). If you must run the big apt install in background, pre-set the answer first: echo 'sddm sddm/default-display-manager select /usr/sbin/sddm' | sudo debconf-set-selections before launching, OR just run it foreground (it's ~1.9 GB; a 300 s foreground timeout is fine).

WORKFLOW NOTE (user-corrected): when an apt/dpkg process is stuck, do NOT issue a chained pkill -9 -f "apt-get install" / pkill -9 -f debconf — the user BLOCKED that exact command mid-session ("BLOCKED: User denied this action"). Use the Hermes process(action='kill') tool on the specific background session_id instead. It is the sanctioned way to terminate a tracked background job without a sweeping system-wide kill. Apply WhiteSur KDE (global + Kvantum + aurorae + plasma) via the repo's install.sh (https://github.com/vinceliuice/WhiteSur-kde). FLAG PITFALL: the KDE installer does NOT accept the GTK-style -t / -o flags — ./install.sh -t all -c dark prints ERROR: Unrecognized installation option '-t' and exits 1. The KDE install.sh --help only knows -c|--color [light|alt|dark], -w|--window, -n|--name. Correct form:

cd WhiteSur-kde-master && ./install.sh -c dark      # installs look-and-feel + aurorae + Kvantum

(The GTK theme is a SEPARATE repo — WhiteSur-gtk-theme — run its ./install.sh -t all -c dark there; that one DOES accept -t all. Don't cross-contaminate the two installers.) Since Latte Dock is gone, configure the Plasma Panel as a bottom dock (icons-only, auto-hide, blur on) — reads as macOS dock with real KWin blur. See references/kde-whitesur-trixie.md.

LightDM already in control → selecting Plasma at login is safe; do NOT remove XFCE (user keeps both, picks at login).

WAYLAND: the agent's shell CANNOT drive the user's session. Plasma 6 on trixie defaults to Wayland (kwin_wayland), not X11. The agent's terminal runs OUTSIDE the graphical session, so every attempt to manage Plasma from the agent shell FAILS:

• plasmashell --replace / kwin --replace error with qt.qpa.plugin: Could not load the Qt platform plugin "xcb" or could not connect to display :0.0 — because the agent shell has no $WAYLAND_DISPLAY/correct $DISPLAY and lacks libxcb-cursor0 for the xcb plugin. (DISPLAY on the user's seat was :0, NOT :0.0.)
• plasma-apply-lookandfeel / plasma-apply-icon-theme / lookandfeeltool similarly cannot open the display from the agent shell. CORRECT PATTERN: write the KDE config files directly (kdeglobals, kwinrc, plasmashellrc, appletsrc) — they are read at next login / when the user restarts Plasma. Then either (a) tell the user to logout/login (most reliable on Wayland), or (b) ship a helper script the USER runs inside their Plasma session (Konsole) that calls the plasma-apply-* / kwin --replace commands — those work because they run in the graphical context. Do NOT loop trying to run them from the agent shell; it will never connect. If you must poke a running process, use process(action='kill') on the background session_id, never a sweeping pkill.

WINDOW BUTTONS "out of scale" on Wayland → use Breeze, not aurorae. The WhiteSur aurorae themes (__aurorae__svg__WhiteSur-dark / WhiteSurLiquid-dark) mal-position the traffic-light buttons in Plasma 6 / Wayland (buttons render huge / outside the titlebar / off-window). This was reproducible across two aurorae variants and did NOT fix with BorderSize=Tiny. WORKING FIX: set the window decoration to stock Breeze with the WhiteSur-dark colorscheme — Breeze is the native KDE decoration, renders perfectly on Wayland, and the WhiteSur colorscheme tints the buttons light/macOS-style. In kwinrc do NOT set library=org.kde.kwin.aurorae; use the Breeze default (leave the aurorae line out or set theme=Breeze). The colorscheme (already in ~/.local/share/color-schemes/WhiteSur-dark.colors) carries the look.

RESET-FIRST RULE (user-corrected this session): when several decoration variants fail and the user says "refaça do 0 / ficou horrível", STOP trying new variants and FIRST restore the stock Breeze default (working state) so the desktop is at least functional, THEN iterate. Concretely: write kwinrc with library=org.kde.kwin.decoration + theme=Breeze + BorderSize=Normal (no aurorae line), ship a reset-clean.sh the user runs in Konsole, and only after they confirm "buttons normal now" discuss re-attempting colored traffic-lights (e.g. compile kwin-decoration-sierra). Do not chain 3–4 failed decoration swaps — each broken state costs the user a restart and erodes trust.

kwin --replace inside a helper script ABORTS on Wayland. When the user runs a Konsole script that ends with kwin --replace & it can abort (kwin_wayland is the compositor; re-exec from a user script is flaky). Safer: have the script NOT restart KWin and instead tell the user to logout/login to apply the new kwinrc. If a live restart is needed, the most reliable is systemctl --user restart plasma-kwin_wayland.service (may drop the session) — prefer logout/login.

DOCK WON'T STAY VISIBLE → panel visibility lives in plasmashellrc, not appletsrc. hideMethod in appletsrc is ignored; the real key is panelVisibility under [PlasmaViews][Panel N] in ~/.config/plasmashellrc: panelVisibility=0=Always Visible, 1=Auto Hide, 2=Windows Can Cover, 3=Windows Go Below. A stuck auto-hide dock is almost always panelVisibility=2. ALSO: stale/orphan Panel entries accumulate in plasmashellrc across sessions (Panel 2,4,29,53,55,80,82,…) and the live dock may be bound to one of those orphan IDs, so editing only the "expected" Panel N does nothing. The robust fix is to rewrite plasmashellrc with ONLY the two real panels (menu Panel N + dock Panel M), both panelVisibility=0, dropping all orphan IDs. Reboot/login to apply. If it STILL hides, the 100%-reliable path is the UI: right-click dock → Configure → Visibility → "Always Visible".

The USER is the final judge of "looks good". An AI vision pass that says "this looks like macOS" is NOT proof — in one session the vision model read the themed desktop as "a real macOS" while the user said it was ugly. Always show the user a screenshot and ask before declaring done; iterate on their specific complaints (they usually point at the terminal font, inconsistent light/dark apps, or weak window shadows — not the theme itself).

MS Office 2019/365 will NOT install via Wine. The Click-to-Run setup.exe (Office Deployment Tool) crashes loading msxml6.dll (page fault) under Wine 10. Use OnlyOffice (native Linux, Word-2019-identical UI, opens/saves .docx) as the Word substitute — see references/macos-office-word.md. Real Office 2010/2013 MSI ISOs DO run on Wine if the user insists on genuine Office.

Reference

• references/whitesur-xfce-recipe.md — full copy-paste recipe incl. the apply script.
• references/macos-office-word.md — install OnlyOffice (Word substitute) + why Office 2019/365 C2R fails on Wine.
• references/kde-whitesur-trixie.md — KDE/WhiteSur on Debian 13: valid pkg names, dock-as-panel, apply steps.