---
name: "icewm-theme"
section: "5"
platform: "linux"
package: "icewm"
version: "4.1.0-1"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/icewm-theme"
---

# icewm-theme(5)

### NAME

```
 icewm-theme - icewm theme configuration file
```

### SYNOPSIS

```
 $ICEWM_PRIVCFG/theme
 $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/icewm/theme
 $HOME/.icewm/theme
 /usr/etc/icewm/theme
 /usr/share/icewm/theme
```

### DESCRIPTION

The *theme* file contains the name of the default theme.  On startup **icewm** reads this file to obtain the theme name, unless **icewm** was started with the **--theme** option.  Whenever a different theme is selected from the **icewm** Menu then the theme file is overwritten with the name of the selected theme.

### FORMAT

This theme file contains the keyword `"Theme"`, followed by an equals sign, followed by a double-quoted string with the theme name.  The theme name is the name of the theme directory, followed by a slash, followed by the theme file.

Usually the theme file is just *default.theme*, but a theme may have alternatives.  Alternatives are small tweaks of a theme.  These are specified in their own *.theme* file, which replaces *default.theme*.

If no theme file exists then **icewm** will use the default setting of `"Theme="icedesert/default.theme""`.

### EXAMPLES

Following is a *theme* file.  The comments show that [**icewm**(1)](/icewm/1.md) keeps a history of previous theme settings.

```
    Theme="CrystalBlue/default.theme"
    #Theme="icedesert/default.theme"
    ##Theme="default/default.theme"
```

### FILES

Locations for the *theme* file are as follows:

```
 $ICEWM_PRIVCFG/theme
 $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/icewm/theme
 $HOME/.icewm/theme
 /usr/etc/icewm/theme
 /usr/share/icewm/theme
```

The locations are searched in the order listed; the first file found is read and the remainder ignored.

### SEE ALSO

[**icewm**(1)](/icewm/1.md), [**icewm-preferences**(5)](/icewm-preferences/5.md), [**icewm-prefoverride**(5)](/icewm-prefoverride/5.md).

### AUTHOR

Brian Bidulock \<mailto:bidulock@openss7.org\>.

### LICENSE

**IceWM** is licensed under the GNU Library General Public License. See the *COPYING* file in the distribution.