# Flatabulous: A Flat Ubuntu Theme That Time Left Behind > Flatabulous is a flat GTK theme for Ubuntu and Debian-based systems, built on the Ultra-Flat theme. It targets Unity and offers .deb, PPA, and manual installs, but its 2016 last push means you must verify compatibility before adopting it. **anmoljagetia/Flatabulous** — GitHub describes it as This is a Flat theme for Ubuntu and other Gnome based Linux Systems.. The repository metadata lists CSS as its primary language. The metadata lists the MIT license. This article stays within the project description and details documented in the GitHub repository README. - Repository: https://github.com/anmoljagetia/Flatabulous - Website: https://blog.anmoljagetia.me/flatabulous-ubuntu-theme/ - Stars: 3,604 · Forks: 227 - Language: CSS - License: MIT - Published: 2026-08-13 · Updated: 2026-08-18 · Language: en - Canonical page: https://hysenlabs.com/projects/anmoljagetia-flatabulous ## A Flat Theme for Unity, Not for Everything Flatabulous solves a specific problem: making Ubuntu's Unity desktop look flat and modern. It is a GTK theme written in CSS, and it inherits from the Ultra-Flat theme. The author, Anmol Jagetia, states plainly that it was designed for Unity and only tested on Ubuntu. That is the first warning sign. If you use GNOME Shell, Cinnamon, or Xfce, the README says it might not work properly. The theme is for people who want a minimal, flat appearance on an older Ubuntu setup, not for those seeking a cross-desktop solution. The project has not seen a push since July 2016, so its target audience is shrinking with every Ubuntu release. ## How the Theme Is Built and What It Changes The repository is mostly CSS, which is how GTK themes work: they override the default widget styling. The README does not detail the internal architecture, but it mentions specific changes from version 1.1: fixed transparent checkboxes and radio buttons, updated the launcher icon, and added rounded top bars to Unity. Those details tell you the theme touches window controls, buttons, and the Unity launcher. The theme also depends on a companion icon set, ultra-flat-icons, which is available in blue, orange, and mint green. That separation is typical: a theme alone does not replace icons. The visual result, as the screenshots show, is a flat, light look with subtle rounded corners on the top bars. The theme does not include its own terminal colors or wallpaper; the author shares those separately in his dotfiles. ## Three Install Paths, Each with a Catch The README offers three ways to install. The recommended method is a .deb file from the releases page. You download it, double-click to open in Ubuntu Software Center, and install. Then you use ubuntu-tweak to apply the theme. The second method is a PPA from noobslab: run `sudo add-apt-repository ppa:noobslab/themes`, then `sudo apt-get update`, then `sudo apt-get install flatabulous-theme`. The third is manual: download the source, extract it to `~/.themes` or `/usr/share/themes/`, and then select it in a tweak tool. Each path has a dependency. The .deb and manual methods require ubuntu-tweak or unity-tweak-tool. The README says to install unity-tweak-tool with `sudo apt-get install unity-tweak-tool`. For ubuntu-tweak on 16.04 or higher, you must add the getdeb repository first. That is extra friction, and the getdeb archive is not officially maintained. Also, the README tells you to restart your computer after applying the theme, which is unusual for a GTK theme; most apply immediately. ## The Unity Tweak Tool Dependency Is a Real Constraint Flatabulous does not come with its own switcher. You must use an external tool to activate it. The README explicitly requires Unity Tweak Tool for installation, and later mentions Ubuntu Tweak for selection. That means the theme is unusable without one of those tools, and both have their own maintenance issues. Unity Tweak Tool is tied to Unity, which Ubuntu dropped after 17.10. Ubuntu Tweak has not been actively developed for years. If you are on a modern Ubuntu with GNOME, these tools may not exist or may not work. The manual install method does not avoid this: you still need a way to tell GTK to use the theme. This dependency is not a bug, but it is a design choice that limits the theme's lifespan. A theme that requires a dead configuration tool is a theme for a museum, not for a daily driver. ## Known Issues and the Maintenance Reality The README lists several fixes in version 1.1, which implies earlier versions had transparent checkboxes and radio buttons. Those are visual bugs that affect usability, not just aesthetics. The theme also had an issue with tooltips on GTK3 apps, fixed by removing transparency. That tells you the theme has had to adapt to GTK3 changes. The last release, 16.04.1, targets Ubuntu 16.04. There is no release for 17.04 or later. The author explicitly asks for collaborators because he has been busy and uses Ubuntu sporadically. That is an honest admission of maintenance status. The project is not archived, but the push history shows no activity for years. If you adopt this theme, you are on your own. No one will fix a bug for a future Ubuntu release. The MIT license means you can fork it, but you must do the work yourself. ## Alternatives: Numix and Flattr Offer a Different Trade-off The README itself points to Numix and Flattr as alternative icon themes, but you can also consider them as full theme families. Numix is a well-known flat theme with an active community and regular updates for new GTK versions. Flattr is another flat theme that has been around for years. The key difference is longevity. Numix and Flattr have maintained releases for newer Ubuntu versions, while Flatabulous stopped at 16.04. If you want a flat look on a modern system, Numix is the safer choice because it tracks GTK changes. Flattr also has a wider desktop support. The trade-off is that Numix and Flattr have their own visual identity, which may be more or less flat than Flatabulous. But the real difference is not aesthetics; it is whether the theme will still work after your next system update. ## What to Verify Before You Install Before you run any command, check your Ubuntu version. The README says to download the .deb file that matches your version from the releases page. That means the 16.04.1 build is for 16.04, and the 15.04.1 build is for 15.04. If you are on a newer release, the theme may not load at all. Also verify that you have the tweak tool installed. The README's command for unity-tweak-tool works only if your repositories include it. On 16.04, it is in the universe repository. On later versions, it may be missing. For the PPA method, you are trusting noobslab, which is a third-party repository. That is a supply chain risk. The manual method gives you full control, but you must ensure the theme files land in the right directory. You can test the theme without restarting by using the tweak tool's live preview, if your version supports it. The README recommends a restart, but that is not a technical requirement for all GTK themes. ## Conclusion Adopt Flatabulous if you run Ubuntu 16.04 or older with Unity, want a flat look without heavy customization, and accept that the project is unmaintained. Do not adopt it if you are on a recent GNOME release, use a non-Unity desktop, or expect bug fixes. Before installing, verify your GTK version and test the theme on a live session or a spare user account, because the README warns that it may not work properly on non-Unity environments. The last release is 16.04.1 from 2016, so treat this as a finished artifact, not a living project. ## FAQ ### How do I install the Flatabulous theme? Three routes: the package file from the releases page opened with the software centre, a third-party personal package archive, or manually downloading the master branch archive into a .themes folder in your home directory. All three then need the Ubuntu tweak tool before the theme can actually be selected. ### Which Ubuntu versions does Flatabulous support? The releases are named for Ubuntu 16.04, 15.04 and 14.04, and the install instructions branch at 16.04. The README says the theme was designed specially for the Unity environment, tested only on Ubuntu, and might not work properly on other versions. ### What does Flatabulous ship besides the Unity theme? Directories for GTK 2, GTK 3, the Unity shell, Metacity and Openbox window manager themes, xfwm4, and an xfce-notify theme, plus an index theme file at the root and a Debian directory for packaging. ### What icon theme does Flatabulous recommend? ultra-flat-icons in blue, with orange and mint green alternatives, each installed as its own package from a third-party personal archive. The README also suggests looking at Numix and Flattr instead. ### What does Flatabulous ask me to do to install its prerequisite? Install a tweak tool: either with apt-get under the older package name, or by fetching the archive's signing key with wget piped through sudo apt-key add, appending that archive's Ubuntu 16.04 repository line to your apt sources, updating, and installing the newer package name. ### Is Flatabulous still maintained? The README opens by asking for additional collaborators and maintainers and says the author has been using Ubuntu only sporadically. The last commit is dated 2018-10-18 and the most recent release is 16.04.1, published 2016-07-25. ## Sources - [Official documentation](https://blog.anmoljagetia.me/flatabulous-ubuntu-theme/) - [Official README](https://github.com/anmoljagetia/Flatabulous#readme) - [Project repository](https://github.com/anmoljagetia/Flatabulous) - [Release notes](https://github.com/anmoljagetia/Flatabulous/releases) --- Hysen Labs editorial analysis, written from the project's own repository and release notes. Cite the canonical page: https://hysenlabs.com/projects/anmoljagetia-flatabulous