Icon Themes: Install, Switch, and Uninstall

Overview

Icon themes can be installed two ways on an Ubuntu-based distro — through apt (from a PPA) or by cloning a repository and running its install script — and the two methods put files in different places. That difference is the source of most icon-theme problems: themes nested inside each other, source folders cluttering the home directory, and “uninstalled” themes that still show in Settings. This guide covers installing Papirus, WhiteSur, McMojave-circle, Colloid, and Kora cleanly, and removing them without leftovers.

---

Prerequisites

• Any Ubuntu 24.04-based distro
• git installed (sudo apt install git)

---

The Problem (Windows User Perspective)

On Windows, you install icon packs through Settings or a third-party tool, and removing them is usually clean. On Linux, icon themes can be installed in two different ways (apt vs git clone), and they live in two different locations. If you’re not careful, you end up with:

• Theme source folders cluttering your home directory
• Themes nested inside each other when you clone repos in the wrong directory
• “Uninstalled” themes still showing in Settings because you deleted the source folder instead of the actual installed files

---

Where Themes Are Installed

This is the most important concept to understand:

Install Method	Installed Location	Managed By
apt install (PPA)	/usr/share/icons/	apt — use sudo apt remove to uninstall
git clone + install.sh	~/.local/share/icons/	Manual — delete folders to uninstall
Manual copy	~/.local/share/icons/	Manual — delete folders to uninstall

Key insight: The source folder (where you ran git clone) is NOT the same as the installed theme location. The install.sh script copies files to ~/.local/share/icons/. Deleting the source folder does NOT uninstall the theme.

---

Clean Install Practice

Always use a staging directory so source folders don’t clutter your home:

mkdir -p ~/Downloads/staging
cd ~/Downloads/staging

After installing, delete the source:

rm -rf ~/Downloads/staging/theme-name

---

Installing Themes

Papirus (via apt — Recommended)

The most popular icon theme on Linux. Flat, clean, extensive coverage.

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:papirus/papirus
sudo apt update
sudo apt install papirus-icon-theme papirus-folders -y

The papirus-folders: Unable to find config file warning on first install is harmless — the config is created when you first use papirus-folders.

Set a folder color:

papirus-folders -C blue --theme Papirus

Apply in Settings → Appearance → Icons → Papirus.

WhiteSur (via git clone)

macOS-style icons.

cd ~/Downloads/staging
git clone https://github.com/vinceliuice/WhiteSur-icon-theme.git
cd WhiteSur-icon-theme
./install.sh

Uninstall:

cd ~/Downloads/staging/WhiteSur-icon-theme
./install.sh -r

Clean up source:

rm -rf ~/Downloads/staging/WhiteSur-icon-theme

McMojave-circle (via git clone)

macOS Mojave-style circular icons.

cd ~/Downloads/staging
git clone https://github.com/vinceliuice/McMojave-circle.git
cd McMojave-circle
./install.sh

Uninstall:

cd ~/Downloads/staging/McMojave-circle
./install.sh -r

Colloid (via git clone)

Modern, colorful icon theme.

cd ~/Downloads/staging
git clone https://github.com/vinceliuice/Colloid-icon-theme.git
cd Colloid-icon-theme
./install.sh

Uninstall:

cd ~/Downloads/staging/Colloid-icon-theme
./install.sh -r

Kora (manual copy)

Kora doesn’t have an install script — you copy the folder directly:

cd ~/Downloads/staging
git clone https://github.com/bikass/kora.git
cp -r kora/kora ~/.local/share/icons/

Uninstall:

rm -rf ~/.local/share/icons/kora

---

Proper Uninstallation

For apt-installed themes (like Papirus):

sudo apt remove --purge papirus-icon-theme papirus-folders
sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:papirus/papirus
sudo apt autoremove
sudo apt update

For git-installed themes:

Method 1 — If you still have the source folder:

cd ~/Downloads/staging/theme-name
./install.sh -r

Method 2 — If you already deleted the source folder:

Remove directly from the install location:

# Check what's installed
ls ~/.local/share/icons/

# Remove specific themes
rm -rf ~/.local/share/icons/WhiteSur*
rm -rf ~/.local/share/icons/McMojave*
rm -rf ~/.local/share/icons/Colloid*
rm -rf ~/.local/share/icons/kora

After uninstalling, verify:

ls ~/.local/share/icons/
ls /usr/share/icons/ | grep -i "papirus\|whitesur\|mcmojave\|colloid\|kora"

If themes still appear in Settings → Appearance after removal, log out and log back in to refresh the cache.

---

What Didn’t Work (and Why)

Approach Tried	Why It Failed
Cloning repos inside other theme folders (e.g., McMojave inside WhiteSur)	Creates nested mess — themes installed inside each other
Deleting the source folder (e.g., rm -rf ~/Downloads/WhiteSur-icon-theme) to “uninstall”	Only removes the installer, NOT the installed theme files in ~/.local/share/icons/
Running rm -rf ~/Downloads/source-folder and expecting themes to disappear from Settings	install.sh copies files to a different location — the source is just the installer
Cloning repos directly into ~ (home directory)	Leaves source folders cluttering your home permanently

---

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Cause	Fix
Theme still shows in Settings after “uninstalling”	Deleted source folder, not the installed files	Remove from ~/.local/share/icons/ or /usr/share/icons/
papirus-folders: Unable to find config file	First-time install — config doesn’t exist yet	Harmless — run papirus-folders -C blue --theme Papirus to create it
Themes nested inside each other	Cloned repos into the wrong directory	Delete the nested mess, re-clone into ~/Downloads/staging/
Theme icons don’t change after selecting in Settings	Icon cache needs refresh	Run gtk-update-icon-cache ~/.local/share/icons/ThemeName or log out/in

---

Related Guides

• Filesystem Hierarchy — Understanding ~/.local/share/ vs /usr/share/
• Package Management Basics — apt vs git clone installs
• Common Issues — FAQ including icon cache problems