protonscr

App menu indicator - monochromatic icon?

steamopen Feature Requestreviewed
ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux#423 · opened 2012-12-27 by m4tx · updated 2026-06-20 · 37 comments · github
Mm4tx 2012-12-27 github

Steam currently uses libappindicator. It's really good thing, but I think... Steam could use it in a better way :) Most of app indicators uses truly monochromatic icon - only white (grey, to be exact) and transparent colors are used. Steam uses its regular icon here. I think that it doesn't look good, especially on Ubuntu (which is the main target of the Steam for Linux), so please, fix it :)
Regards

Ssreich 2012-12-27 github

I bet this would have a higher chance of being accepted if you or someone else submitted a monochromatic modification of the original icon and released ownership to valve..

Mm4tx 2012-12-27 github

I know :) I tried to do something like that, but the result wasn't good. I'll try tomorrow again.

Ttiagovarela 2013-01-02 github

So I gave it a shot and the results are here - https://github.com/tiagovarela/steam-mono-dark

Ubuntu top panel screenshot
(I wasn't able to actually change the Steam icon, so I changed the icon of another application :)

If Valve wants to use it of couse they can! It's their logo after all :)

Ggdrewb-valve maintainer 2013-02-01 github

Consolidating with #1159. Unity app indicator icons appear to use 22 pixel width/height, although it's unclear why window managers aren't scaling the icons.

Vvorot93 2013-02-09 github

I'd rather have white "hip" without background. That'd make it suitable for KDE.

MMailaender 2013-02-10 github

I like the one suggested in #1250.

Ttiagovarela 2013-02-10 github

Just the "hip" is nice. I'm also using the one in #1250 now.

Ddylanmtaylor 2013-02-12 github

I feel that the icon from #1250 is excellent, and I am personally using it right now. It's very similar to the icon used in the Steam for Android application.

To install the icon from issue #1250, run these commands in a terminal:
wget https://dl.dropbox.com/s/vzve0qrugp2mf5c/steam48.png
sudo cp steam48.png /usr/share/icons/hicolor/48x48/apps/steam_tray.png
sudo gtk-update-icon-cache -f '/usr/share/icons/hicolor'

SSpirit55555 2013-03-06 github

Fixed for me in the latest beta update.

MMrSchism 2013-03-06 github

Honestly, I'm not fond of the new icon; the lack of a box makes it seem like the left-most part of the icon is just chopped off. The border at least gave it something to attach to. I like the one @tiagovarela presented more... or an alternative (I'll whip it up) that combines the two where it's a clear background with a rounded-square frame around the logo, thus letting the right side connect to something.

Like I said, the biggest issue is that the one being used literally looks like it was just cut off with a hard, straight edge.

MMailaender 2013-03-06 github

This update broke the icon in KDE again #2102.

MMrSchism 2013-03-06 github

Yeah.... I noticed that.

Ttiagovarela 2013-03-06 github

I noticed that some icons on Ubuntu are wider than others. The keyboard layout icon is an example of that:
Keyboard wide icon

If one is willing to give Steam some extra "top bar real estate", the full logo (with the complete "hip") also looks cool (mockup ahead):
Full hip mockup

MMrSchism 2013-03-07 github

I tried a mockup and while it works, your first one looks considerably better.

Jjohndrinkwater 2013-03-13 github

Can this be closed? It seems the request was fulfilled.

MMailaender 2013-03-13 github

Yes, a monochromatic icon has been added in 1.0.0.36.

MMrSchism 2013-03-14 github

@tiagovarela Do you still have the first icon you showed off?

Ttiagovarela 2013-03-14 github
MMrSchism 2013-03-15 github

Thanks. I'll probably use it as a replacement for mine.

Nnmirthes 2013-03-15 github

Sorry to re-open, but this is still broken. Selecting Ubuntu's Radiance theme, readily accessible in the gui after install, results in the current tray icon (steam_tray_mono.png) becoming barely visible. This breaks the coherence of the gui and makes it less than obvious that a new icon with features specific to an application has appeared on the panel (or dock, or some ui element). Has anyone looked at the icon theme spec at http://standards.freedesktop.org/icon-theme-spec/icon-theme-spec-latest.html ? Keeping this spec in mind would allow displaying different icons based on what the Steam client is doing, and the display of different icons based on the user-selected icon theme.

VVortex-TH 2013-03-29 github

Agreed, there should also be some kind of dark version for the Radiance theme

Bildschirmfoto_20789

MMrSchism 2013-03-30 github

It wouldn't be a bad idea.

PPilot-Pirx 2014-08-27 github

Today I received an update for steam-launcher (1.0.0.48, 1.0.0.49) on Ubuntu 14.04.1.
New icon for launcher and app indicator but still not for Radiance theme...

bildschirmfoto vom 2014-08-27 12 11 24
bildschirmfoto vom 2014-08-27 12 30 37

Ggdrewb-valve maintainer 2014-08-27 github

I don't know that theme-specific icons are planned.

MMrSchism 2014-08-27 github

Shouldn't be hard for someone in the community to create and give to Valve. If we gave you guys the icons, could you guys get them set up for appropriate distribution. Even if they aren't theme-specific, just offering a light and a dark monochromatic icon would help those wanting easy access to monochromatic icons.

PPilot-Pirx 2014-08-27 github

I know there definitely was a dark icon for Radiance when steam for linux (beta) began...
It got lost with "Steam Client Beta Update - Mar 14" (2013).

Ggdrewb-valve maintainer 2014-08-27 github

There has only ever been one icon. It has changed between dark and light. The real change here would be to start providing multiple icons to match various themes, and I don't know if anybody's planning on doing that.

VVortex-TH 2014-08-27 github

I think a light and a dark version would be sufficient. Besides, Radiance is a Ubuntu default theme, so maybe that should be supported..

PPlagman 2014-08-27 github

We ship both a colored and a monochrome version in the new package; I'm not clear on why your Radiance theme doesn't color the monochrome version to black if that is the foreground color of the theme. Do you know offhand how the neighboring icons look on disk? I'm curious to know if they're doing something differently that lets the theme color the icon.

HHellzed 2014-09-03 github

Same here, if I switch to Radiance theme, the icon stays white, and nearly blends with the Unity panel.

Also, with the latest beta and the new round icon, the light icon color feels a little more "grey" than neighbouring icons. You may want to check the exact color of other Ubuntu icons, because it breaks uniformity...

EDIT : I think I found something : Steam tray icon used on Ubuntu is "/usr/share/pixmaps/steam_tray_mono.png", and it's base color is (hex) #DEDEDE.
It should be :

  • for Ambiance theme : "/usr/share/icons/ubuntu-mono-dark/apps/22/steam_tray.svg" with base color (hex) #DFDBD2.
  • for Radiance theme : "/usr/share/icons/ubuntu-mono-light/apps/22/steam_tray.svg" with base color (hex) #3C3C3C.
    Note all icons found there use SVG format.
    At least that's what DropBox does (not in their deb package, but when the file browser plugin is installed).

EDIT : Small correction, it's not actually done by DropBox, it's shipped in the "ubuntu-mono" package. So either you could add the right icons to "steam-launcher", or ask the Ubuntu devs do include steam icons in their monochrome icon pack.

CCoolSilver 2015-05-02 github

Issue also exists with KDE 5 with Breeze theme

BBenguin 2015-07-09 github

Anybody got a solution that works with XFCE's notification area? I tried placing a modified icon in the places suggested above, but that did nothing. I also tried modifying the icon in steams own files, but steam detects the change and updates to get rid of it (even if the file is marked as read-only.)

Nnmdnm 2020-09-13 github

Arch Linux, Xfce, default theme, many years have passed, it is still difficult to see the Steam icon in the tray

Aamstelchen 2021-01-24 github

A workaround for Xfce is probably [#5307](https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues/5307)

Exec=env STEAM_FRAME_FORCE_CLOSE=1 steam

This, at least for me, shows the blue, not monochromatic icon in my tray (Arch Xfce).

DDanielGibson 2025-05-07 github

Issue also exists with KDE 5 with Breeze theme

Ten years later, it still looks like this:
Image

Come on Valve, this can't be rocket science?

Uurbenlegend 2025-05-31 github

Yeah considering that SteamOS uses KDE as its desktop mode, I am surprised that KDE light mode is so unloved. SteamOS does use dark theme by default, so I guess they avoid the issue.

I think even the default blue steam icon would be better than the white against white.

Bbeedell-roke 2026-06-20 github

@DanielGibson, that looks more like what issues/4715#issuecomment-2558416729 describes. I'd say that this issue's original request has been fulfilled: that the application icon not be used in the tray. The current icon is monochromatic, but not re-colourable, which the aforementioned ticket tracks.