Arch Linux

jerome-rdlv

Member

From: Lyon, France

Registered: 2023-09-10

Posts: 1

Openbox, broken layout in GTK apps

I don’t know if it is relevant but I’m not using Gnome. I don’t use a desktop environment, and my window manager is Openbox.

I think I’ve always had this layout problem.
Today I tried again to search for solutions on the web with no success.
Here is a screenshot of the mission center app with about panel opened and on the right a correct layout found on the web :

The about panel is missing shadow and padding. In the title bar, the buttons icons are missing space on the right.
It goes the same for Gnome Calculator, File Roller, Baobab (disk usage analyzer), Loupe.
These apps are installed from the official repositories.

I tried to delete

~/.config/*gtk*

and restarted without success.

Does anybody knows what causes this?

Last edited by jerome-rdlv (2025-07-12 21:09:51)

Morgan_GPL_Worshipper

Member

Registered: 2025-07-30

Posts: 11

Re: Openbox, broken layout in GTK apps

yeah. it's very techinacl why it is caused but im not going to explain this. simillar things happen when you try using QT Apps on GNOME. it's just meant to run on a specific desktop environment. What WM/DE are you using? maybe i can find some solutions

seth

Member

From: Don't DM me only for attention

Registered: 2012-09-03

Posts: 73,714

Re: Openbox, broken layout in GTK apps

The OP is using Openbox, it says so on the  tin … err … subject.

it's very techinacl why it is caused but im not going to explain this. simillar things happen when you try using QT Apps on GNOME. it's just meant to run on a specific desktop environment.

source: believemebro …

The shadows are missing because your (likely) not running a compositor (eg. like picom, gnome/mutter has a built-in one)
The overall design would relate to the gtk theme (adwaita)
Do you export "echo $GTK_THEME" anywhere or are maybe using some ill-written css to avoid the CSD?
https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/GTK#GTK_3_and_GTK_4

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