Install a Cool Minecraft GRUB Theme!

Looking for more community-made themes? Check out Gorgeous GRUB – a curated collection of beautiful GRUB themes.

In this guide, we’ll install the Minegrub Theme – a Minecraft-styled GRUB bootloader!

Installation Steps

1. Install Required Dependencies

For Arch-based distros (Arch Linux, EndeavourOS, Manjaro):

sudo pacman -S git python-pillow fastfetch

For Debian-based distros (Ubuntu, Debian, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, ZorinOS):

sudo apt update
sudo apt install git python3-pil neofetch

2. Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/Lxtharia/minegrub-theme.git
cd minegrub-theme

3. Run the Installation Script

sudo ./install_theme.sh

This interactive script will guide you through:

Installing the theme files
Choosing a background image
Setting up the systemd service (for random splash text updates on boot)
Configuring the console background

4. Enable Console Background (Optional but Recommended)

By default, GRUB doesn’t show backgrounds when a theme is active. To fix this, we need to modify a GRUB configuration file.

Create a backup and modify the file:

sudo cp /etc/grub.d/00_header /etc/grub.d/00_header.bak
sudo sed --in-place -E 's/(.*)elif(.*"x\$GRUB_BACKGROUND" != x ] && [ -f "\$GRUB_BACKGROUND" ].*)/\1fi; if\2/' /etc/grub.d/00_header

5. Configure GRUB Theme Settings

Edit the GRUB configuration file:

For most distributions:

sudo nano /etc/default/grub

Tip: You can use micro instead of nano if you prefer familiar text editor shortcuts (Ctrl+S to save, Ctrl+Q to quit).

Install it with sudo pacman -S micro (Arch-based)
Or sudo apt install micro (Debian-based)

Find these lines (they’ll be commented out with #):

#GRUB_THEME="/path/to/gfxtheme"
#GRUB_BACKGROUND="/path/to/wallpaper"

Uncomment and replace them with:

GRUB_THEME="/boot/grub/themes/minegrub/theme.txt"
GRUB_BACKGROUND="/boot/grub/themes/minegrub/dirt.png"

Note: You can choose different backgrounds! Check the backgrounds/ folder in the cloned repository for more options, or use your own custom image.

Important: Make sure there are no typos and that the quotes are properly closed on both lines.

6. Update GRUB Configuration

Apply your changes by regenerating the GRUB config:

For Arch-based distributions:

sudo grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg

For Debian-based distributions:

sudo update-grub

You should see output mentioning that it found your theme.

7. Reboot and Enjoy!

reboot

When your system restarts, you’ll be greeted with a beautiful Minecraft-themed GRUB menu!

Troubleshooting

Theme doesn’t appear after reboot

Verify the theme files exist: sudo ls /boot/grub/themes/minegrub/
Check if GRUB_THEME is set correctly: cat /etc/default/grub | grep GRUB_THEME Make sure it’s not commented out (no # at the start) and the path is correct.
Regenerate GRUB config again: sudo grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg # Arch-based sudo update-grub # Debian-based

GRUB configuration location differs

Note: Some distributions use different paths:

Most Arch-based: /boot/grub/
Some systems: /boot/grub2/

If you have /boot/grub2/ instead of /boot/grub/, adjust all paths in this guide accordingly, and also edit the service file path in minegrub-update.service.

Adjusting for different numbers of boot options

If you have more or fewer than 4 boot entries, the menu might look misaligned. Edit /boot/grub/themes/minegrub/theme.txt and adjust line 71 according to the instructions in the file.

Customization

Change splash text: Edit /boot/grub/themes/minegrub/assets/splashes.txt
Add custom backgrounds: Place images in /boot/grub/themes/minegrub/backgrounds/
Manual theme update: Run sudo python /boot/grub/themes/minegrub/update_theme.py

Enjoy your new Minecraft GRUB theme!