Best Conky Themes for Linux in 2021

Conky is a useful piece of software to display information on your Linux desktop. You can use it to display your CPU and memory usage, or to display the current weather information. It is also very customizable to fit into your desktop and wallpaper. If you are looking to spice up your config with something a little more stylish, we’ve scoured the Internet to find some of the coolest, best-looking Conky themes.

Note: the instructions to install each one of these Conky themes are located on the page you downloaded them from.

1. Conky Colors

Conky Colors is an oldie but a goodie. This setup is really hard to describe other than the fact that it just looks incredibly awesome. The theme is about ten years old, but the styling remains incredibly refreshing. If you want your Conky setup to be refreshing, consider giving this one a go.

2. Google Now

I’ll be honest – I’m fairly biased. I absolutely love the style that Google has been using in their applications as of late. That’s why I think this Google Now theme is so great. It’s the closest I’ll ever get to having an actual Google Now application on my Linux desktop. If you’re also interested in turning Conky into Google Now, look no further than this theme!

3. Helix

Helix certainly isn’t the only minimalist theme on this list, but I think it does belong. Why? What if all you want out of your Conky is to tell you the day and the time in a stylish, simplistic way? If so, Helix may be the theme you’ve been looking for.

4. Cloud

Have you ever wanted to have the date, time and everything in between told to you in the form of a Cloud? Look no further. Seriously, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Conky theme quite like this one. It’s unique, and frankly, incredibly good-looking. If you’ve gone through all the themes in this list and still find yourself looking for something different, give Cloud a try.

5. Conky Metro Clock

Here’s a little secret: Microsoft’s Metro UI design language didn’t work because it was tacked to the Windows desktop. You can’t combine minimalism with a ton of icons and dozens of colored boxes. For everyone who disagrees, we present Conky Metro Clock as proof.

It’s one of the most minimal Conky setups, bringing Microsoft’s Metro UI aesthetics on the Linux desktop in the form of a simple clock. There are no fancy widgets, no list of available resources, and no elements to take up space on your desktop. Only the date and time in plain, elegant text. To push minimalism to 11, combine it with something like OpenBox for a fully clutter-free desktop.

6. Conky Revisited 2

Conky Revisited 2 offers a set of widgets that allow you to check free space, CPU usage, RAM consumption, and charging status at a glance. It comes by default with four different configurations, offering a vertical and a horizontal widget alignment, each with either circular or square widgets. Thus, you probably won’t have to dive into its configuration to have it look beautiful on your desktop.

If you do, though, you can tweak its colors. For example, by inverting the widget colors for a negative effect or by tweaking their alignment to your liking.

7. Sidecard Conky

If you like the aesthetics of Android’s widgets, maybe you’d appreciate the looks of Sidecard Conky. It’s a simple Conky theme with four widgets, showing the time, free space, CPU speed/utilization, and temperature. All four appear as “sidecards” – hence the theme’s name – that look as if they’re emerging from your desktop.

Conky is a simple tool, but it’s an awesome one. If instead, you are looking for a nice Linux desktop, here are some customized Linux desktops to inspire you.