How to Install GIMP Themes

Change the look and feel of GIMP

By
Sue Chastain
Sue Chastain
Sue Chastain
Writer
  • St. Petersburg College
Sue Chastain is a former Lifewire writer and a graphics software authority with web design and print publishing credentials. She's also skilled in WordPress administration.
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Updated on February 10, 2021

What to Know

  • Download and extract the theme's archive file: Locate file and choose Extract > Extract all. Select a destination, then choose Extract.
  • Copy to installation folder: Right-click extracted folder and choose Copy. In GIMP themes folder, right-click empty space, choose Paste.
  • Switch themes: Go to Edit > Preferences > Theme. Choose the theme you want to use, then select OK.

Themes can be applied to the GIMP image editor to change the look of the program. Some GIMP themes change the color of the interface, while others mimic other programs like ​Adobe Photoshop. In this guide, we show you how to extract theme files, copy the files to the GIMP installation folder, and switch to a different theme.

Extract the Theme Files

GIMP themes contain multiple files, so they're always downloaded in an archive, often a ZIP file. You have to extract the contents from the archive before you can apply the theme to GIMP.

  1. Locate the archive on your computer.

    Theme archive in Windows

  2. Select the file, and press Extract at the top of the window. Then choose Extract All just below.

    Extract All in Windows

  3. Choose where to extract the files, and then press Extract.

Only a few themes are included with GIMP by default, and the official GIMP website does not provide theme downloads. If you cannot find the theme you want with an online search, try looking through Gnome-look.org or GitHub.

GIMP theme download page

Copy the Theme Folder to GIMP's Installation Folder

With the GIMP theme extracted from its archive and ready to be used, it has to be copied to the correct folder within the GIMP installation directory so that the program will recognize it when it's time to select a theme.

  1. Copy the folder that was extracted. For example, if the files were extracted to a folder called gimp-dark, right-click it and select Copy.

    Because of how some themes are packaged, Windows might create one folder titled the name of the theme, and another folder inside of it that goes by the same name (e.g., a gimp-dark folder inside of another folder called gimp-dark). Copy the innermost folder, the one "closest" to the files.

  2. Open the GIMP themes folder. On Windows, the folder is located here: C:\Program Files\GIMP 2\share\gimp\themes\.

    On Mac, you can find it at: /Users/your-username/Library/GIMP/2.10/themes

    Linux users can find it at: ~/.config/GIMP/2.10/themes

    

  3. Right-click the empty space in the folder and choose Paste.

    If Windows prompts you to provide credentials for an administrator's account, click Continue.

Switch to a Different Theme in GIMP

GIMP themes are listed in the Theme section of GIMP's preferences. It's there that you can pick any installed theme to apply to the program.

Close and reopen GIMP if it was open during the previous steps. Having the program remain active during the copy/paste procedure prevents it from showing themes in the settings.

  1. Select Edit in the menu bar.

  2. Pick Preferences from the menu.

    Preferences in GIMP menu

  3. Choose Theme from the left panel, directly under the Interface heading.

    Theme in GIMP Preferences

  4. Select the theme you want to use with GIMP.

    Archive in GIMP

    Themes populate automatically, so you can click through the list to see how each of them makes the program appear.

  5. Press OK.

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