Why are the top application indicators (top bar icons) appearing black and white in Ubuntu 20.04?

Solution 1:

Because they are configured to show as symbolic and symbolic Icons are generally in light gray or whatever we see in actual from the gnome-shell theme currently used.

So navigate to the gnome-shell theme you are using and try to locate "symbolic".

For example the left part on top bar:

#panel .panel-button .app-menu-icon {
  margin-left: 4px;
  margin-right: 4px;
  -st-icon-style: symbolic;
}

change the -st-icon-style: regular;

Another example:

.aggregate-menu {
  min-width: 21em;
}

.aggregate-menu .popup-menu-icon {
  padding: 0;
  margin: 0 4px;
  -st-icon-style: regular;
}

In the default installation of Ubuntu 20.04, the shell theme is from the gresource file /usr/share/gnome-shell/theme/Yaru/gnome-shell-theme.gresource which can not be edited easily.

Hence the workaround is to create a custom theme in home directory.

Required: User Themes gnome-shell-extension installed and enabled

Install required directory's and gnome-shll.css file with below command, Change the name "MyCustomTheme" in below command to your wish.

install -D /dev/null ~/.themes/MyCustomTheme/gnome-shell/gnome-shell.css

now open the file gnome-shell.css with below command

gedit ~/.themes/MyCustomTheme/gnome-shell/gnome-shell.css

paste the below content in the opened gnome-shell.css file

#panel .panel-button .app-menu-icon {
  -st-icon-style: regular;
}

save the file & close.

Now open gnome-tweaks and choose this newly created shell-theme "MyCustomTheme".