MacBuntu Transform Ubuntu 16.04 To Mac OS X

You want to convert your Ubuntu 16.04 desktop to Apple’s MacOS X operating system. So don’t worry, I’ve got you covered. Macbuntu Transformation Pack is now available for Ubuntu 16.04, and I’ll show you how to install it quickly. The Macbuntu Transformation Pack includes GTK themes, which means it supports the Unity, Gnome, Cinnamon, Xfce, and MATE desktop environments.

Noobslab’s latest Transformation pack comes with the following –

A PPA dedicated to Macbuntu packs.
Themes are better coded, looks shiny, smooth, fast.
GTK themes support Unity, Mate, Gnome, Xfce, Cinnamon.
Mac theme for LightDM-webkit autoconfiguration
Two themes for Gnome Shell dark and light version, and two for Cinnamon
Icon set compatibility for 16.04
Four Plank dock themes

So let’s dive in!

Get Mac OS X Wallpapers

NoobsLab has made some Mac Wallpapers available for download. Put the wallpapers in your pictures folder. Make any of these your wallpaper.

Download Mac OS X Wallpapers

Install Unity tweak tool

The Unity tweak tool expands Unity’s customization by allowing you to change the themes and icons. Use the terminal to run the following command.

sudo apt-get install unity-tweak-tool

Install and set MacOS theme on Ubuntu

To download and install the MacOS theme, use the following command –

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:noobslab/macbuntu
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install macbuntu-os-icons-lts-v7
sudo apt-get install macbuntu-os-ithemes-lts-v7

After installing, launch the Unity Tweak Tool and select the Mac theme as your current theme, as well as the macbuntu icons.

Install Slingscold Launcher (for Launchpad)

Install slingscold Launcher as a replacement launcher. To install Slingscold, enter the following commands in your terminal –

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:noobslab/macbuntu
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install slingscold

Install Albert Spotlight

Similar to the Mac spotlight, Albert spotlight is an app designed to help the user quickly locate and open an application, files or system preferences on your PC. To install Albert spotlight, enter the following commands in your terminal.

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:noobslab/macbuntu
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install albert

After installation, you can open Albert spotlight from the Dash and first set a hotkey to activate it.

Install Plank Dock and themes

Plank is a lightweight dock app which is a good alternative to the MacOS dock. Install plank via terminal with the following commands.

sudo apt-get install plank

After installing plank dock, run the following to install macbuntu plank themes.

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:noobslab/macbuntu
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install macbuntu-os-plank-theme-lts-v7

To change the default plank theme to your installed macbuntu themes, press “Ctrl” + “Right Click” on Plank to access the context menu and change the theme.

Replace the “Ubuntu Desktop” text with “Mac” on the panel

To do the above, enter the following command via terminal. For a non-English version of Ubuntu, replace the /en/ with your locale. For instance, the French Ubuntu version will require /fr/.

cd && wget -O Mac.po http://drive.noobslab.com/data/Mac/change-name-on-panel/mac.po
cd /usr/share/locale/en/LC_MESSAGES; sudo msgfmt -o unity.mo ~/Mac.po;rm ~/Mac.po;cd

Replace Ubuntu logo with Apple logo in launcher

Enter the following command via terminal to do the above –

wget -O launcher_bfb.png http://drive.noobslab.com/data/Mac/launcher-logo/apple/launcher_bfb.png
sudo mv launcher_bfb.png /usr/share/unity/icons/

Install Monochrome icons for LibreOffice

If you have LibreOffice installed, you can also change the default Humans icons with Monochrome icons.

sudo apt-get install libreoffice-style-sifr

After installation, you have to open LibreOffice and apply the Monochrome icons at -

“Tools” > “Options” > “LibreOffice” > “View” and select “Sifr” under “Icon size and style”.

Add Apple Mac OS Font

Install the mac fonts with the following commands –

wget -O mac-fonts.zip http://drive.noobslab.com/data/Mac/macfonts.zip
sudo unzip mac-fonts.zip -d /usr/share/fonts; rm mac-fonts.zip
sudo fc-cache -f -v

Go ahead and apply the fonts from the Unity-Tweak tool.

So there, you have it, a very beautiful transformation of your Unity interface to a Mac interface.