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🛠️ My Linux Mint Cinnamon Setup — macOS Big Sur Inspired Look

🖼️ Screenshot

Here’s how my desktop looks after all the customizations:

This is my personal reference guide for setting up a macOS Big Sur–like desktop on Linux distributions that use the Cinnamon desktop environment, such as:

• Linux Mint
• Feren OS
• OpenSUSE with Cinnamon
• Debian Cinnamon Flavor
• Fedora Cinnamon Spin
• Arch with Cinnamon
• Manjaro Cinnamon Edition

I wrote this for myself so that I don’t have to go through all the hassle again when setting it up next time.
Everything below is exactly how I like my Cinnamon desktop customized.

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📦 What I Usually Do

• Final Result Preview
• Initial Setup
• Install GTK Theme - WhiteSur Light/Dark
• Install Icons Theme - WhiteSur Light/Dark
• Install Cursors Theme - McMojave
• Configure Panel and Applets
• Install and Configure Plank Dock
• Install and Configure Albert Launcher
• Install and Configure Conky Manager
• Do Some Additional Settings
• Install Nautilus and Set it as Default File Manager
• Make Terminal Transparent
• Setup Firefox Theme
• Arrange Desktop Icons

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⚙️ Initial Setup & Tweaks

The first few changes I always make before installing anything:

1. In System Settings → Windows, I change the button layout from right to left.
2. I update the Alt + Tab behavior to use Coverflow 3D for a more fluid window switcher.
3. In Hot Corner settings, I set the top-left corner to Show Workspaces.

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🧩 Extensions and Panel Customization

I install and configure a few extensions and panel tweaks right away:

• Installed Transparent Panel extension.
• Enabled it and set the transparency type to Semi-transparent.
• Disabled theme transparency within the extension’s settings.

Then, I change my background wallpaper to a macOS Big Sur–style wallpaper.
📦 macOS Big Sur Wallpaper Pack

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🎨 GTK Theme — WhiteSur Light/Dark

I install the WhiteSur GTK theme to get the macOS Big Sur look:

git clone https://github.com/vinceliuice/WhiteSur-gtk-theme.git
cd WhiteSur-gtk-theme
./install.sh

📁 WhiteSur GTK Theme Repository

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🪄 Cursor Theme — McMojave

I install the McMojave cursor theme for a polished macOS cursor feel:

git clone https://github.com/vinceliuice/McMojave-cursors.git
cd McMojave-cursors
sudo cp -r McMojave* /usr/share/icons/

📁 McMojave Cursors Repository

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🧰 Configuring Panel and Applets

Here’s how I usually set up my panel and applets:

• I move the panel to the top.
• I remove all pinned applications from it.
• I install the CinnaMenu applet, apply a custom logo, and rename it to Applications.
• I install a Weather applet and configure it manually:
  • Entered latitude, longitude, city, country, and timezone (Asia/Kathmandu).
  • Used Open-Metro Data as the weather provider (does not require API keys).
• I install:
  • Expo Applet – Workspace manager.
  • Nepali Patro Calendar Desklet – nepalipatro@deeppradhan
  • Scale Applet – Shows all open windows like an application switcher (Scale Applet)
  • User Applet – (no extra configuration needed)
  • Calendar Applet with a custom date format:
    %A, %B %e, %Y %I:%M:%S %p
• I position Weather and Calendar in the center top of the panel.

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📌 Plank Dock Setup

I install and configure Plank Dock for a macOS-style dock:

sudo apt install plank

📁 WhiteSur Plank Theme Pack

💡 Note: This is included in the WhiteSur GTK theme — no need to download separately, just for reference.

• I copy the Plank theme from:
  WhiteSur-Gtk/src/other/plank
  to:
  ~/.local/share/plank/theme
• Then, I select that theme from Plank settings.
• I also add Plank to the Startup Applications list so it launches automatically.

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🔍 Albert Launcher Setup

I install and configure Albert Launcher as a spotlight-style app launcher.

📥 Download Albert
🎨 Albert Theme

💡 Note: I didn’t find a single perfect package, so this might require some trial and error — some builds will work for sure.

• After installation, I copy the theme file to:
  /usr/share/albert/
• Then I select the theme from Albert’s preferences.
• I also make sure Albert is in the Startup Applications list.

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📁 Nautilus as Default File Manager

I prefer Nautilus as my default file manager, so I install it with:

sudo apt install nautilus

Then I set it as the default file manager in system settings.

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🦊 Firefox Theme — WhiteSur

I change the Firefox browser theme following the guide from the GitHub repository:

📁 WhiteSur Firefox Theme Guide

💡 This is also included inside the same WhiteSur GTK theme folder — just search for it or follow the guide above.

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🖥️ Final Desktop Layout

Finally, I arrange the desktop icons and align everything to achieve a clean, macOS-like layout.

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🏁 Final Thoughts

With all these steps, I transform my Cinnamon desktop into something that closely resembles macOS Big Sur — clean, elegant, and modern — while keeping the power and freedom of Linux.