macOS Big Sur Sound Theme for Linux

A complete macOS Big Sur sound theme for Linux desktops. Works with KDE Plasma, GNOME, and any desktop environment that follows the freedesktop.org Sound Theme Spec. Drop-in replacement for the default Ocean sound theme — every single sound event is covered, no gaps.

Features

• Complete 1:1 replacement for the default KDE Plasma / GNOME sound theme — all 44 sound events covered
• Authentic macOS Big Sur sounds including startup chime, notifications, errors, warnings, device connect/disconnect, trash, and more
• Works everywhere — KDE Plasma, GNOME, Cinnamon, XFCE, and any freedesktop-compliant desktop
• Ready to use — download from the Releases page and install in seconds
• No fallbacks — every sound is sourced from macOS Big Sur

Sound Mapping

Sound Event	macOS Big Sur Sound
Desktop Login	Startup Chime
Desktop Logout	Poof (dock remove)
Bell / System Bell	Glass / Ping
Button Pressed	Pop
Volume Change	Tink
Dialog Error	Basso
Dialog Warning	Blow
Dialog Information	Bottle
Dialog Question	Purr
Notification / New Message	ReceivedMessage
Message Sent	SentMessage (iMessage whoosh)
Device Added	Volume Mount
Device Removed	Volume Unmount
Trash Empty	Empty Trash (crumpling paper)
Phone Incoming Call	Opening ringtone
Completion Success	Burn Complete
Completion Fail	Burn Failed
Battery Low	Sosumi
Power Plug / Unplug	Begin Record / End Record
Game Over (Win/Lose)	Fanfare / Descent
...and 24 more	Full list in build.sh

Install from Release

1. Download the latest release archive from the Releases page
2. Extract it:

   tar -xzf bigsur-sound-theme.tar.gz

3. Copy to your local sounds directory:

   cp -r bigsur ~/.local/share/sounds/

4. Select the theme:
   • KDE Plasma: System Settings → Sounds → select Big Sur
   • GNOME: install dconf-editor, navigate to org.gnome.desktop.sound and set theme-name to bigsur

Build from Source

Requirements

• git
• ffmpeg

Build

# Clone this repo
git clone https://github.com/AnshumanMahato/bigsur-sound-theme-linux.git
cd bigsur-sound-theme-linux

# Check tools, clone source repos, and build
make all

# Or step by step:
make check   # verify git and ffmpeg are installed
make clone   # clone ocean-sound-theme and BigSurSounds
make build   # convert and assemble the theme

Install / Uninstall

make install    # copies to ~/.local/share/sounds/bigsur
make uninstall  # removes it
make clean      # deletes build output

Validate

make test    # checks structure, file list, and audio format match

Theme Structure

bigsur/
├── index.theme
└── stereo/
    ├── alarm-clock-elapsed.oga
    ├── audio-volume-change.oga
    ├── battery-caution.oga
    ├── battery-full.oga
    ├── battery-low.oga
    ├── bell.oga
    ├── bell-window-system.oga
    ├── button-pressed.oga
    ├── button-pressed-modifier.oga
    ├── completion-fail.oga
    ├── completion-partial.oga
    ├── completion-rotation.oga
    ├── completion-success.oga
    ├── desktop-login.oga
    ├── desktop-logout.oga
    ├── device-added.oga
    ├── device-removed.oga
    ├── dialog-error.oga
    ├── dialog-error-critical.oga
    ├── dialog-error-serious.oga
    ├── dialog-information.oga
    ├── dialog-question.oga
    ├── dialog-warning.oga
    ├── dialog-warning-auth.oga
    ├── game-over-loser.oga
    ├── game-over-winner.oga
    ├── media-insert-request.oga
    ├── message-attention.oga
    ├── message-contact-in.oga
    ├── message-contact-out.oga
    ├── message-highlight.oga
    ├── message-new-instant.oga
    ├── message-sent-instant.oga
    ├── outcome-failure.oga
    ├── outcome-success.oga
    ├── phone-incoming-call.oga
    ├── power-plug.oga
    ├── power-unplug.oga
    ├── service-login.oga
    ├── service-logout.oga
    ├── theme-demo.oga
    └── trash-empty.oga

Credits

• macOS Big Sur sounds from BigSurSounds by Noah Evans
• Theme structure based on Ocean Sound Theme by KDE

License

The sounds in this theme are the property of Apple Inc. This project is provided for personal use only.