Xfce Forum

Omnimaxus

Member

Registered: 2024-12-02

Posts: 5

How do I switch back to the default XFCE style (in "Appearance") ... ?

Hi to everyone.  Hoping someone can help.  I am very seriously looking at switching to XFCE, which for me is a bit surprising personally because I like my desktop environment to have a little "oomph" (as in basic animations and whatnot), and XFCE doesn't have animations by default.  The look of XFCE itself is fine; just that basic animations (e.g., fade-in, fade-out) are absent.  That's all.  But I am impressed by XFCE's functionality and customizability (and I do love the "classic" look, so there's that).  ANYWAY, my question is this: In Debian 13 Trixie, XFCE has a default "style" (the same kind you can find in the "Appearance" settings under "style").  The thing is, it does not appear to be listed.  The only actual styles I can see listed are Adwaita, Adwaita Dark, and High Contrast.  That's it.

If I switch to Adwaita, the colors shift slightly, and I don't like how it looks.  It looks "fine," I suppose, but I don't like the subtle shift in color (e.g., a oh-so-darker hue of beige).  The unnamed and unlisted style of XFCE that comes by default is what I like.  What is the name of the actual default XFCE style that comes included in Debian 13 Trixie?  Does anyone know?  I've tried different GTK themes in trying to find what it is, but nothing.  The closest I can come is the High Contrast style included, but I don't like how the window list buttons are outlined (when you click on stuff, like the menu or whatever).  Once I pick Adwaita, how can I switch back to the unlisted and unnamed style in XFCE?  That's it.  I'd appreciate any help anyone is able to provide here.  Thanks; will check back here later.

P.S.: If anyone has any themes or whatever they want to suggest, I'm open.

Last edited by Omnimaxus (2025-08-14 13:44:19)

ToZ

Administrator

From: Canada

Registered: 2011-06-02

Posts: 12,123

Re: How do I switch back to the default XFCE style (in "Appearance") ... ?

What is the name of the actual default XFCE style

Its the built-in GTK3 style (also called Adwaita). However, the "Adwaita" theme you have installed may not be the same as the built-in theme. To use the built in theme:

xfconf-query -c xsettings -p /Net/ThemeName -s ""

See if its different than the Adwaita theme listed in the Appearance dialog.

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Omnimaxus

Member

Registered: 2024-12-02

Posts: 5

Re: How do I switch back to the default XFCE style (in "Appearance") ... ?

What is the name of the actual default XFCE style

Its the built-in GTK3 style (also called Adwaita). However, the "Adwaita" theme you have installed may not be the same as the built-in theme. To use the built in theme:

xfconf-query -c xsettings -p /Net/ThemeName -s ""

See if its different than the Adwaita theme listed in the Appearance dialog.

I will try this later. But why the discrepancy? Interesting ...

Added later 12 h 27 min 13 s:
Update:

I have decided to go with the "High Contrast" theme in Debian XFCE.  I like how it looks, after all.  I like how it works with the colors across different applications.  Makes everything more "uniform" in the OS.  Normally I don't come back to things like this for minor stuff, but I'm making an exception so people can learn from my experience.  Whatever helps, right?  Anyway, there you have it.  Thanks to all, and I hope this post is of help (somehow) to anyone out there who may be curious about XFCE as a newcomer.  Can't believe I didn't give XFCE more of a chance earlier.  I think this just might be "the" Linux desktop environment I settle on, long-term.  Just wish the developers offered built-in options for simple window animations (e.g., fade-in, fade-out).  I think that just might attract more users.  Just my $0.02.  Cheers to everyone.

Last edited by Omnimaxus (2025-08-15 04:50:23)

ToZ

Administrator

From: Canada

Registered: 2011-06-02

Posts: 12,123

Re: How do I switch back to the default XFCE style (in "Appearance") ... ?

I will try this later. But why the discrepancy? Interesting ...

It depends on how the Adwaita theme was created. If it was created based on a point in time, and changes were made after that time, there would be a discrepancy. You can check if this is the case by viewing the contents of the /usr/share/themes/Adwaita/gtk-3.0/gtk.css file. If it says:

/* Adwaita is now part of GTK+ 3, this file is no longer used */

...then you are using the built-in Adwaita theme.

Just wish the developers offered built-in options for simple window animations (e.g., fade-in, fade-out).

Interestingly, with wayland support now available, you could run wayfire as your compositor and get all the animations you can make use of its wide range of animations.

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Omnimaxus

Member

Registered: 2024-12-02

Posts: 5

Re: How do I switch back to the default XFCE style (in "Appearance") ... ?

I will try this later. But why the discrepancy? Interesting ...

It depends on how the Adwaita theme was created. If it was created based on a point in time, and changes were made after that time, there would be a discrepancy. You can check if this is the case by viewing the contents of the /usr/share/themes/Adwaita/gtk-3.0/gtk.css file. If it says:

/* Adwaita is now part of GTK+ 3, this file is no longer used */

...then you are using the built-in Adwaita theme.

Just wish the developers offered built-in options for simple window animations (e.g., fade-in, fade-out).

Interestingly, with wayland support now available, you could run wayfire as your compositor and get all the animations you can make use of its wide range of animations.

Thanks for replying.  Can you point me to a good guide about how to use Wayfire (if that's not too much)?  Meantime, I'll look for guidance online.  Hopefully it's not too complicated of a setup.  Cheers.  EDIT: I looked at that video you linked to in your response.  I just want something like what Picom does for MATE.  Simple fade-in, fade-out animations.  That's as "classic" as you can get with animations in a desktop OS.  I think the XFCE team should consider adding a simple option for a future iteration of XFCE.  Maybe 4.21?  Ha.  Wishful thinking, right ... ?

Still, I'll see about playing with Wayfire.  Just wish there was a ready-made, built-in option by default in XFCE.

EDIT # 2: Disregard my request for a guide.  I asked Duck.ai for an explanation.  I suppose I could do it, but ... nah.  Setting up Debian XFCE with programs, custom files (like for the fstab file, for example), and UI customizations is enough for me, to be honest.  Thanks again, though.  Just want an OS and desktop environment that "works," and XFCE fits the bill for that quite nicely (without the built-in animations, but that's not necessarily a dealbreaker for me - the functionality and customization XFCE offers is more than enough to offset the absence of animations, and besides, I used Windows 95, 98, and 2000 without animations, so whatever, I guess).  But if the XFCE team should happen to incorporate a simple, built-in set of options to enable simple, no-nonsense window animations like with Windows XP or Windows 7, great - the "classic" experience would be still retained that way, and honestly, hardware has evolved to the point where old hardware today (or at least what's considered "old" today compared to 10, 15, or 20 years ago) would be considered sufficient to support "classic" animations.

Last edited by Omnimaxus (2025-08-15 17:02:53)

ToZ

Administrator

From: Canada

Registered: 2011-06-02

Posts: 12,123

Re: How do I switch back to the default XFCE style (in "Appearance") ... ?

Have a look at this thread. If you have 4.20, its potentially a simple thing to do.

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Omnimaxus

Member

Registered: 2024-12-02

Posts: 5

Re: How do I switch back to the default XFCE style (in "Appearance") ... ?

Have a look at this thread. If you have 4.20, its potentially a simple thing to do.

I took a look.  Maybe I'll try it out later after I set up XFCE Debian in full and make a cloned image of my install before doing anything.

Thanks; I appreciate it.

Last edited by Omnimaxus (2025-08-15 17:05:14)