Ubuntu 20.04 LTS is released. Here are 10 quick tips which you should consider as your after install checklist.
The most stable and enterprise-grade operating system Ubuntu 20.04 LTS “Focal Fossa” is here. It will be supported for 5 years until April 2025 with enhancements and security updates. This stable and rock-solid distribution release brings numerous changes which you can check out here.
If you downloaded already and running the latest Ubuntu 20.04, you should check out the below tips as a starting point of your journey in the new installation.
Table of Contents
Top 10 Things to do After Installing Ubuntu 20.04 LTS
1. Check for updates and refresh your system
The first things which you should do make sure your latest Ubuntu installation is updated with the latest packages. So, as soon as you boot up first, Open Software updater and check for updates. Alternatively, run below command from the terminal (CTRL+ALT+T).
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade
2. See What’s new
You have the latest installation of Ubuntu 20.04 LTS. So, its time to check out what’s new in the store. Ubuntu 20.04 LTS brings the latest GNOME 3.36 desktop environment, Linux Kernel 5.4, Faster ZFS support, Built-in fractional scaling among other things. Check out the top 10 exiting features of Ubuntu 20.04 LTS.
3. Look and feel customization
Ubuntu 20.04 brings in-house dark mode. So you do not need to look for any other dark mode themes, for now. You can enjoy three different theme modes – Light, Standard, and Dark.
Dark mode integrates easily with GNOME Desktop environment and with other applications as well.
To apply dark mode, open up the Settings window and go to the Appearance section and choose your favorite theme.
Like always, a new release brings a set of cool wallpapers. Well, this time Ubuntu 20.04 brings a set of “focussed” wallpapers which you can find in Settings -> Background section.
You can also do a quick Dock setting change to minimize the application window on click. It is not enabled by default. This is a very handy trick which you can enjoy (no reboot required). Fire up the terminal (CTRL+ALT+T) and copy-paste below command and hit enter.
gsettings set org.gnome.shell.extensions.dash-to-dock click-action 'minimize'
4. Install GNOME Tweaks
Ubuntu settings do not give you all options to tweak your GNOME desktop environment such as font scaling change, font change, etc. To do that you need the Gnome Tweak Tool. You can install the utility right away and enjoy neat customization changes in your desktop.
5. Laptop Tweaks
If you are a laptop user, you might want to display the battery percentage in the GNOME top bar. To do that, you need the GNOME Tweak tool (Tip# 4). Open up GNOME Tweak tool, click on Top bar and enable the battery percentage.
6. Install Extra Software
Ubuntu 20.04 LTS brings you the latest software available for the GNOME desktop environment. Alongside, it also pre-installed some basic applications such as LibreOffice office suite, Thunderbird email client, Mozilla Firefox web browser.
However, some of the most popular and needed applications are not pre-installed and you can consider installing them. For example:
- GIMP (Image manipulation)
- Google Chrome (Web browser)
- Chromium (Browser)
- Kdenlive, Blender (Video editor)
- Leafpad (Notepad alternative)
- Skype (non-free)
- Slack (non-free)
- Discord (non-free)
- GNOME Boxes (Virtualization software)
7. Install a decent file manager
The default file manager of GNOME desktop environment, Nautilus is great – there’s no doubt about it. But there are some more alternative file managers out there which you can try out if you feel that Nautilus is not up to the mark.
- Dolphin – the default file manager for KDE having some distinct features.
- Thunar is another lightweight file manager available for Xubuntu. It is fast, clean, and very easy to use – no extra or too many options. A simple, fast, and robust file manager.
8. Install Timeshift
Everyone should make sure to create a restore point of their system and make schedule backup always. This is a recommended step for all in case something is broken in your system so that you can rollback to an earlier stable state. To do that you need Timeshift. Timeshift is a very handy tool and easy to use application helps you to create a restore point in your Ubuntu system. This application is available in a PPA. To install, simply run below commands in terminal and run.
sudo add-apt-repository -y ppa:teejee2008/ppa
sudo apt update
sudo apt install timeshift
9. Install a Decent Image Editor
Ubuntu 20.04 comes with Shotwell and Image Viewer pre-installed. However, they provide some basic image editing. If you want more than that, you can try Shutter or GIMP. They both provide some decent amount of image editing features and make your desktop complete.
To install GIMP – simply run below from terminal or install via Ubuntu Software.
sudo apt install gimp
10. Install VLC Media Player
The default Video Player of GNOME desktop environment can not play certain media due to restriction of video formats and it also looks a bit bland. Everyone should go ahead and install VLC media player and forget the rest. Also, to play the old DVD files you can install some additional packages as well.
sudo apt install vlc libdvd-pkg
Bonus Tip: Neat Keyboard shortcuts
Learn to be more productive in your new Ubuntu 20.04 LTS with these shortcuts.
Super key – The key having a Windows logo on your keyboard.
- Super: Window Spread
- Super + A: Open Apps grid
- Super + 1 to 9: Launch pinned apps
- Super + left or right arrow: Snap Windows
- Super + H: Hide focussed app
- Super + D: Hide all windows
- Shift + PrtSc: Take partial screenshot
- Shift+CTRL+ALT+R: Record the desktop for 30sec in .webm file
What is your list of items you do after installing Ubuntu, let me know in the comment section below.
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