# Ubuntu Yaru: GNOME Theme Suite and Source Layout > Ubuntu Yaru packages Ubuntu-specific styling for GNOME Shell, GTK, application icons, cursors, window decorations and sounds. It is intended mainly for Ubuntu users, while its mixed licensing and component-specific source trees matter to contributors and distributors. **ubuntu/yaru** — All Ubuntu Yaru GNOME themes - Repository: https://github.com/ubuntu/yaru - Website: https://discourse.ubuntu.com/tag/yaru - Stars: 1,564 · Forks: 222 - Language: SCSS - License: GPL-3.0 - Published: 2026-10-16 · Updated: 2026-10-16 · Language: en - Canonical page: https://hysenlabs.com/projects/ubuntu-yaru ## What Ubuntu Yaru Covers Across the Desktop Ubuntu Yaru addresses the visual consistency problem created by a desktop that combines GNOME Shell, GTK applications, file and window decoration components, icons, pointers and event sounds. A Shell-only theme would leave those other surfaces looking generic. Yaru instead keeps several parts of the Ubuntu appearance in one repository. The README identifies four principal theme groups. The GNOME Shell theme is based on the upstream GNOME Shell theme. Light and dark GTK themes cover gtk2 and gtk3 and are based on upstream Adwaita. The icon and cursor theme derives from Unity8 Suru icons and the Suru icon theme. The sound theme combines assets from WoodenBeaver and Touch-Remix. These are separate concerns with separate sources and licenses, even though users experience them as one desktop theme. The intended primary audience is an Ubuntu desktop user who wants the standard Ubuntu appearance. The repository also targets contributors and packagers because it contains source assets, build configuration and desktop-specific subdirectories rather than only compiled packages. It is not presented as a general-purpose theming framework for unrelated desktop environments. The README does not document support for every GTK or Shell version, nor does it provide a compatibility matrix, so users on another Linux distribution should not assume that copying or building the suite will activate every component. ## How the Theme Suite Is Organized The repository layout shows that Yaru is a collection rather than one monolithic stylesheet. The `gnome-shell/` directory corresponds to the Shell theme, while `gtk/` contains the GTK theme material. Separate `icons/` and `sounds/` trees match the icon, cursor and audio portions of the suite. Other directories, including `metacity/`, `xfwm4/`, `cinnamon-shell/` and `ubuntu-unity/`, indicate additional or historical desktop presentation areas. The existence of those directories does not, by itself, prove that every directory participates in the same Ubuntu release build. At the top level, `meson.build` and `meson_options.txt` provide the visible build system. The `debian/` directory supplies packaging-related files, and `bootstrap.sh` is the only named setup script in the repository entry list. Neither the README nor the listed files document how to invoke that script, which options it needs, or what commands produce installable output. An engineer cannot derive a safe build recipe from the directory names alone. The SCSS primary language also signals that much of the styling is source-form theme material rather than an application or a runtime service. Yaru has no documented daemon, API, database or background process. Its observable result is presentation assets interpreted by the relevant desktop components. That distinction matters when diagnosing adoption: the question is less whether Yaru is running and more whether the target component can load the generated theme assets in the expected locations. ## Installing and Using Yaru on Ubuntu For ordinary Ubuntu use, the documented installation path is already completed by the operating system. The README says, "The Yaru theme suite is installed with Ubuntu 18.10+ by default!" It then states that no further steps are required. In other words, the first real use for the primary audience is the standard Ubuntu desktop appearance delivered with the distribution. The repository does not document theme-selection menu names, GNOME Tweaks steps, logout requirements or command-line switches, so this article cannot provide an unverified activation sequence. For someone who does not have Yaru, the README provides no supported package command or installation endpoint. It says, "Installing from source is not recommended for average usage!" The `bootstrap.sh` entry and the Meson files indicate that source-level work is possible, but their contents are not documented in the README. Running an undocumented bootstrap script or inventing Meson flags would risk producing a partial installation, especially because the suite spans GTK2, GTK3, GNOME Shell, icons, cursors and sounds. A distributor or contributor should first inspect `CONTRIBUTING.md`, as the README directs, then confirm which directory represents the intended target component. Before installation, check `meson_options.txt`, the relevant component directory and the package files under `debian/`. After a verified build, confirm which generated assets the package installs and whether the active desktop session can discover them. These are repository-specific checks, but the README does not state the final commands or expected output. ## Upstream Bases and Ubuntu-Specific Differentiation Yaru does not create every theme resource from nothing. According to the README, its GNOME Shell theme starts from the upstream GNOME Shell theme, and its GTK2 and GTK3 light and dark themes start from Adwaita. Its icon and cursor work comes from Unity8 Suru and Suru, while its sounds combine WoodenBeaver and Touch-Remix. This inheritance makes the project easier to understand as a layered Ubuntu-specific theme suite. The same inheritance is also a limitation. A visual change in an upstream base can create maintenance work for Yaru, while Yaru changes can require reconciliation with later upstream designs. The README does not document its synchronization process, supported upstream revisions, visual regression suite or release cadence. No GitHub releases are listed, so there is no release history in the repository metadata that can be used to judge compatibility across particular Ubuntu releases. Compared with plain upstream Adwaita, Yaru's documented difference is that its GTK presentation is distributed as Ubuntu light and dark themes rather than only as the upstream GTK theme. Compared with a plain GNOME Shell theme, Yaru also brings Ubuntu-oriented icon, cursor and sound assets into the same project. That broader bundle can simplify visual consistency, but it also increases the number of packaging and licensing checks involved. ## Mixed Licensing Across Visual and Build Assets The repository metadata names GPL-3.0, but the README explicitly warns that Yaru has mixed licensing. It says that Yaru icon assets, including source `.svg` files and rendered `.png` files, use the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Included scripts use the GNU General Public License, version 3. Other aspects must be copied, redistributed or modified under their respective licenses unless otherwise specified. This distinction prevents the repository-level `LICENSE` label from answering every reuse question. The top-level entries include `COPYING`, `COPYING.LGPL-2.1`, `COPYING.LGPL-3.0` and `LICENSE_CCBYSA`, which reinforces that multiple terms may be present. However, the README does not map every directory and file to a license. A packager should inspect the license files and notices attached to each asset set rather than applying GPL-3.0 to every SVG, PNG or sound file. The ShareAlike term on icon assets can affect how modified or redistributed icon collections are handled. This is a licensing boundary to investigate, not legal advice. Any downstream theme that combines Yaru files from several categories should preserve the applicable notices and determine obligations component by component. The repository's invitation to copy or reuse material is therefore narrower than an unconditional statement that every file has one common license. ## Maintenance State and Upgrade Work The repository is not archived, and its last push was on 2026-10-15. The repository record also says there are no GitHub releases. These facts show that the repository is receiving repository changes, but they do not establish a published release cadence, Ubuntu package cadence or stable support window. For Ubuntu users, upgrades should normally arrive through the distribution rather than through a manually built source copy. For contributors, an update may involve reconciling changed upstream GNOME and GTK theme material, rebuilding multiple desktop asset groups, reviewing package contents and checking that the selected component remains compatible. The README provides no migration script or automated compatibility policy, so the upgrade cost cannot be reduced to a version bump. The component count creates the main documented maintenance concern. GTK2, GTK3, GNOME Shell, icons, cursors and sounds do not necessarily share one renderer or one update process. A change that looks small in one stylesheet can still require corresponding generated assets, notices and packaging review. Repository structure supports specialized work, but the README does not document automated tests or a release checklist. ## Where Yaru Is the Wrong Choice Yaru is a poor fit for a user who expects source installation to be the normal Ubuntu workflow. The README explicitly discourages source installation for average usage because Ubuntu 18.10 and later include the suite by default. It is also a weaker choice when an organization needs a single documented license for every asset, since the icons and scripts have different stated terms from the repository's broader GPL identity. A desktop that does not use GNOME Shell or GTK should be evaluated carefully. Yaru's documented foundations cover GNOME Shell and gtk2 and gtk3, while the repository also contains directories for Metacity, Xfwm4, Cinnamon Shell and Ubuntu Unity. Those names show scope, but the README does not say that all are supported uniformly or activated by the same build. They should not be treated as confirmed cross-desktop support without checking the relevant files. Yaru is also not appropriate when a project needs runtime controls, APIs or a theme generator. It is an asset suite, not a documented application with a service interface. Users who need to select themes through a controlled settings workflow, publish independent releases or verify compatibility across multiple desktop stacks will find more decision points in Yaru than the README resolves. ## Conclusion Ubuntu users should normally keep Yaru because Ubuntu 18.10 and later include it, while contributors and theme packagers should inspect the component licenses and build files first. Anyone evaluating Yaru for another desktop should first verify that it covers that desktop's expected theme interfaces, since the README does not document a universal installation or activation process. ## FAQ ### How do I install the Ubuntu Yaru theme suite? Ubuntu 18.10 and later install Yaru by default, and the README says no further steps are required. It does not provide source-installation commands and discourages source installation for average usage. ### Which desktop components does Ubuntu Yaru theme? The documented suite includes a GNOME Shell theme, light and dark gtk2 and gtk3 themes, an icon and cursor theme, and a sound theme. The repository also contains directories for other desktop-related components, but the README does not claim uniform support for all of them. ### Can I redistribute Ubuntu Yaru icons and scripts under the same license? The README states that Yaru icon assets use Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0, while included scripts use GNU General Public License, version 3. Because licensing is mixed, each component and any otherwise applicable notice must be checked separately. ## Sources - [Issues](https://github.com/ubuntu/yaru/issues) - [License: GPL-3.0](https://github.com/ubuntu/yaru/blob/master/LICENSE) - [Project website](https://discourse.ubuntu.com/tag/yaru) - [README](https://github.com/ubuntu/yaru/blob/master/README.md) - [ubuntu/yaru on GitHub](https://github.com/ubuntu/yaru) --- Hysen Labs editorial analysis, written from the project's own repository and release notes. Cite the canonical page: https://hysenlabs.com/projects/ubuntu-yaru