Customise Ubuntu’s Boot Splash Screen With Plymouth

The boot splash screen is the short visual transition between powering on an Ubuntu computer and reaching the login screen. It is managed by Plymouth, a small system component that hides verbose startup messages and displays a theme while the kernel, drivers, and system services load. Ubuntu normally uses a branded logo or spinner, but you can change its appearance without replacing the desktop environment.

Plymouth themes can be as simple as a static image or as elaborate as an animated sequence with progress indicators. The practical benefit is mostly visual: a carefully chosen splash screen can make a home-built desktop, media centre, or refurbished laptop feel more personal. It can also make startup less distracting when technical messages would otherwise flash across the display.

The process is generally safe when you use packaged themes and keep a working recovery path. Ubuntu regenerates its initial RAM filesystem after a theme change, so the new files are available early in the boot process. Before editing anything, record your Ubuntu version and make a backup of configuration files, particularly if the computer is used for work, study, or daily banking in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, or elsewhere.

How Plymouth Fits Into Ubuntu Startup

Plymouth starts very early, before the graphical login manager. It is loaded from the initial RAM filesystem, commonly called initramfs, which contains the drivers and files needed before the main Ubuntu installation is fully available. This is why simply copying a theme into a directory does not always change the next boot: the initramfs must also be rebuilt.

The bootloader, usually GRUB, passes options to the Linux kernel. The quiet option reduces text output, while splash tells Ubuntu to start the graphical Plymouth display. A normal Ubuntu installation already includes both options in its GRUB configuration. If splash is missing, Plymouth may still be installed but you will see startup messages instead of the graphical screen.

Plymouth does not control the login screen, desktop wallpaper, lock screen, or GNOME Shell animations. Those belong to other components. A change made here will appear only during startup and shutdown. For broader visual changes after login, you can combine the boot theme with a GNOME customisation guide, keeping the boot stage and desktop stage visually consistent.

Check the Current Theme and Install Options

Open Terminal with Ctrl+Alt+T and check which Plymouth packages are already installed:

dpkg -l | grep plymouth

On a standard Ubuntu desktop, the output commonly includes plymouth, plymouth-theme-spinner, or plymouth-theme-ubuntu-text. If the graphical theme packages are missing, install the basic theme collection:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install plymouth plymouth-themes

Package names can vary between Ubuntu releases, including versions used on long-term-support systems. You can see themes available through the alternatives system with:

sudo update-alternatives --config default.plymouth

Ubuntu will display a numbered list. The entry may refer to a theme file such as spinner.plymouth or ubuntu-logo.plymouth. Type the number of the theme you want and press Enter. If the list contains only a text theme, your graphics stack or installed packages may not support the expected graphical options.

Another useful command is:

plymouth-set-default-theme --list

If that command is available, it shows theme names that Plymouth recognises. You can select one directly, although the alternatives command is often clearer for beginners:

sudo plymouth-set-default-theme spinner

Do not assume that every theme listed online is compatible with every Ubuntu release. Themes may depend on scripts, fonts, image formats, or Plymouth features that have changed over time. A package from an untrusted personal repository can also affect the early boot environment, where errors are harder to diagnose than a normal desktop application problem.

Apply the Theme and Rebuild Boot Files

After choosing a theme, rebuild the initramfs so the boot environment receives the updated configuration:

sudo update-initramfs -u

On a computer with several installed kernels, use the all-kernels option if necessary:

sudo update-initramfs -u -k all

The process can take a little while, especially on older hard drives or a budget laptop. It is normal to see messages about generating an initramfs image. Warnings should be read rather than ignored, but a successful return to the shell usually indicates that the command completed.

Check GRUB’s default options if the theme still does not appear:

grep '^GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT' /etc/default/grub

A typical result includes:

GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash"

If splash is absent, edit the file with a text editor:

sudo nano /etc/default/grub

Add splash inside the quotation marks, save with Ctrl+O, press Enter, and exit with Ctrl+X. Then regenerate the GRUB configuration and initramfs:

sudo update-grub
sudo update-initramfs -u

Restart Ubuntu to test the result:

sudo reboot

Some systems boot too quickly for the splash animation to be visible for more than a second. A solid-state drive in an Adelaide desktop may reach the login screen almost immediately, while an older machine in a regional Queensland home may show it for longer. Both behaviours are normal and do not indicate that the theme failed.

Create a Simple Custom Plymouth Theme

A custom theme can use a logo, colour palette, or animation that matches your computer. The safest approach is to create a separate theme directory rather than modifying files supplied by Ubuntu. This makes it easier to remove the customisation during a package upgrade.

Start by creating a directory and copying a basic theme as a starting point:

sudo mkdir -p /usr/share/plymouth/themes/mybrand
sudo cp /usr/share/plymouth/themes/spinner/spinner.plymouth \
  /usr/share/plymouth/themes/mybrand/mybrand.plymouth
sudo cp /usr/share/plymouth/themes/spinner/spinner.script \
  /usr/share/plymouth/themes/mybrand/mybrand.script

The exact source directory may differ. List the available themes before copying:

ls /usr/share/plymouth/themes

Edit the new descriptor:

sudo nano /usr/share/plymouth/themes/mybrand/mybrand.plymouth

A descriptor normally identifies the theme name, description, and script. Change the name and script path so they point to your new files:

[Plymouth Theme]
Name=My Brand
Description=Custom Ubuntu boot theme
ModuleName=script

[script]
ImageDir=/usr/share/plymouth/themes/mybrand
ScriptFile=/usr/share/plymouth/themes/mybrand/mybrand.script

The script controls the background, logo, text, and animation. Plymouth scripting has its own syntax, so copying a known working script is preferable to writing one from scratch. If you add an image, use a sensible PNG size and clear file permissions. A very large photograph can slow startup and look poorly scaled on laptops, ultrawide monitors, or a 4K display.

Register the theme with the alternatives system:

sudo update-alternatives --install \
  /usr/share/plymouth/themes/default.plymouth default.plymouth \
  /usr/share/plymouth/themes/mybrand/mybrand.plymouth 100
sudo update-alternatives --config default.plymouth
sudo update-initramfs -u

Choose mybrand when prompted and reboot. Plymouth themes run before the desktop, so they should remain lightweight and avoid relying on network access, mounted user folders, or applications that start later.

Troubleshoot Graphics, Secure Boot, and Recovery

A blank or distorted splash screen is often caused by graphics mode switching rather than by the artwork. Plymouth needs a usable framebuffer or kernel mode-setting driver. Proprietary NVIDIA drivers, unusual docking stations, virtual machines, and some older hardware can make the transition less reliable. If the screen briefly goes black and the login screen eventually appears, the theme may be working while the display driver changes modes.

Check whether the kernel command line contains nomodeset:

cat /proc/cmdline

nomodeset is sometimes used as a temporary workaround for graphics problems, but it commonly prevents a full graphical Plymouth experience. Do not remove it blindly if Ubuntu depends on it to start. Instead, test changes one at a time and keep a recovery option available through the GRUB Advanced Options menu.

If a custom theme causes problems, return to a packaged theme:

sudo update-alternatives --config default.plymouth

Select spinner.plymouth or another Ubuntu-provided option, then run:

sudo update-initramfs -u

If Ubuntu will not boot normally, hold or repeatedly press Esc after firmware completes to display the GRUB menu. Select Advanced options and boot an earlier kernel or recovery entry. From a recovery shell, the root filesystem may be mounted read-only, so remount it before changing files:

mount -o remount,rw /

Secure Boot usually does not prevent a normal Plymouth theme change because the theme is data and scripts inside the signed or locally generated boot environment. However, changes involving unsigned kernel modules or graphics drivers are a separate matter. Keep Secure Boot enabled when possible, particularly on a shared family computer, and avoid downloading a theme installer that asks you to disable security features without a clear reason.

There is also a practical licensing issue. Use artwork you created yourself or that is distributed under a licence allowing modification and redistribution. A company logo may require permission, and Australian copyright law still applies to images used in a local customisation project. Plymouth is offline and does not collect personal data, which can be reassuring for privacy-conscious users considering obligations and expectations under Australia’s Privacy Act.

Make the Result Reliable and Easy to Undo

The most dependable custom boot splash is simple, small, and tested after every change. Use a modest PNG, avoid excessive animation, and keep a copy of the original theme directory. You can back up the relevant configuration with:

sudo cp /etc/default/grub /etc/default/grub.backup
sudo cp -a /usr/share/plymouth/themes/mybrand \
  /usr/share/plymouth/themes/mybrand.backup

Avoid editing files directly under /usr/lib or replacing Ubuntu’s packaged theme files. Updates may overwrite them, and package maintenance becomes harder to understand. A dedicated directory under /usr/share/plymouth/themes is easier to manage, while a locally maintained package is even better for advanced users who expect to deploy the same design across several machines.

Think about the computer’s audience before adding branding. A quiet spinner is suitable for a family PC in Perth, while a workshop computer may benefit from a clear status message when hardware diagnostics are running. Australian consumers should also remember that installing Ubuntu or changing boot files can affect a manufacturer’s support process, even though Australian Consumer Law protections cannot simply be dismissed by a retailer. Keep the recovery USB and original operating system available if the machine is still under warranty.

Plymouth is a presentation layer, not a performance booster. It cannot make an old disk boot faster, repair a broken driver, or conceal every startup error. Its value is consistency: the computer can show a calm, recognisable visual while the underlying system starts. Once the theme has been selected, registered, and included in the initramfs, future kernel updates should continue using it unless a package or configuration change selects another default.

A customised Ubuntu boot screen works best when it remains a small, reversible enhancement. Choose a compatible theme, preserve the original configuration, rebuild the initramfs, and test both normal and recovery startup. The key point to remember is that Plymouth lives inside Ubuntu’s early boot process, so every visual change must be lightweight, correctly registered, and included in the regenerated boot image.