Here’s our recommended list of 10 things after installing Ubuntu 23.04 “Lunar Lobster” (GNOME edition).
Ubuntu 23.04 brings exciting new features such as GNOME 44, the latest Kernel 6.2, the latest outstanding features in Files and more.
I am sure you are excited to try them.
But wait.
Before you head over to enjoy a new installation of Ubuntu, here’s an assorted list of customization tips which you can’t miss.
Table of Contents
10 Things to Do After Installing Ubuntu 23.04
1. Update your system
The first thing you need to do after installing Ubuntu 23.04 is to update your system. Often, the latest ISO may not contain all the updates due to time differences. So, to update your system, open a terminal window and run the following commands.
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade
Once the commands are complete, you can proceed to the next steps.
2. Remove Firefox Snap and install Flatpak or deb
Since the last two years, Firefox has come as a Snap package on Ubuntu desktops. Now, if you are an average user, this may not be a problem or a thing to worry about. But many users may not like the Snap package of Firefox for several reasons. For example, the startup time is slow. Unnecessary Snap update notifications when there is a backend update and so on. Although Ubuntu is working towards for better Firefox Snap experience, you can still have options to replace it.
So, to completely remove Firefox as Snap, you can follow the guide on this page that I have written. It’s a little complex and may take time. And install a deb version of Firefox from PPA or use the Flatpak version.
As I said, this is an optional tip; you may skip it if you want.
3. Install and Enable Flatpak
Ubuntu desktop never ships Flatpak by default. From this release onwards, the flavours also won’t ship because it promotes its own sandboxing technology Snap. It’s a decision that Canonical and all the official Ubuntu flavour maintainers agreed upon.
But Flatpak applications are widely used and the Flathub store is growing in size as we speak. Flatpak helps you to quickly install and use several applications without worrying about dependency and other things.
To enable Flatpak applications in Ubuntu 23.04, follow the below commands.
sudo apt install flatpak
flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo
reboot
Also, if you want to learn more about this process, read this nice guide, we published a while ago.
4. Review privacy settings
I recommend you opt out of any data collection after installing Ubuntu. Everyone knows that it’s difficult to protect your privacy over the internet, no matter how hard you try. These little steps matter.
To configure the privacy, open Settings and select Privacy. Then review the settings listed under privacy.
Also, ensure to disable backend reporting to Ubuntu servers with your usage. Run the following command to do that. Unfortunately, there is no option in the settings to disable it.
sudo ubuntu-report -f send no
5. Explore GNOME 44 Features
Ubuntu 23.04 desktop version features GNOME 44. This release of GNOME 44 is bringing a bunch of long pending updates. For example, in this release, you experience the image preview in the native file picker dialog. Furthermore, the Files gets the long-awaited missing feature, i.e. expanded folder (or tree view) view natively. You can enable it using the settings shown below.
Other key changes in GNOME 44 include Files now supporting file creation while pasting image data, an improved accessibility settings page for better navigation and a much improved GNOME Web browser.
You can learn more about GNOME 44 release on my feature highlights page: GNOME 44 – best features.
6. Remember to check out new installer
Yet another new item to look for is the new Ubuntu installer which debuts in this version. This is important if you plan to install Ubuntu for a fresh set-up. The new Flutter-based installer streamlines the complexity of the older Ubiquity installer. In addition, it also looks nice and more user-friendly while installing the desktop.
Here are some of the screenshots, and a detailed review is present here – if you want to read more about this.
7. Install additional packages
It’s important to ensure you can play all video and audio formats on your Ubuntu desktop. If you skipped the extra package installation during the setup, you could install them via the below commands.
sudo apt install ubuntu-restricted-extras
This should settle any video or audio playback problem in Ubuntu. Especially with GNOME Videos, which can’t play anything by default.
8. Setup basic apps
The base Ubuntu with GNOME comes with a very basic set of applications. Hence, it’s almost necessary for everyone to install applications before you use Ubuntu.
Now, necessary apps are different for everyone due to diverse workflow. Hence, here’s a quick list of generic apps which I think you can go ahead and install since they are preety much common for all.
- GIMP – Advanced photo editor
- VLC – Media play that plays anything without the need for additional codecs
- Leafpad – A lightweight text editor (even lightweight from default gedit)
- Synaptic – A far better package manager
- Gradience – Change the look of GTK4/Adwaita apps and colours!
Command to install them:
sudo apt install -y gimp vlc leafpad synaptic
9. Get some GNOME Extensions
The GNOME 44 desktop in Ubuntu 23.04 is sufficient enough with basic settings. However, if you want to further customize GNOME with blur effects, top bar items and quick settings, then you may try the following guides which I prepared exclusively for separate components of the GNOME desktop.
10. Prepare backup
Last, but not least, make sure you prepare for backup from the beginning. We always feel the necessity for backup when we run into difficult situations. To do that, the ideal app is Timeshift – which is easy to install and use.
Here are the commands you can run from the terminal to install. And after installation, you can open and follow the on-screen instructions to set up a backup.
sudo add-apt-repository -y ppa:teejee2008/ppa
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install timeshift
Bonus Tips
If you want to customize your new Ubuntu installation further, here are some bonus tips for you.
Install nice fonts
Fonts impact everything. It’s one of the small yet impactful settings. However, Ubuntu comes with a default “Ubuntu regular” font, which is also good.
But you can also go ahead and install some nice fonts from Ubuntu’s official repo. Here is some command to install them.
sudo apt install fonts-roboto fonts-cascadia-code fonts-firacode
After installation, you can change the font using the GNOME Tweak tool.
Install TLP
You must take care of your laptop battery if you are a heavy laptop user. While no battery is everlasting, you can still take some steps to ensure it lasts longer. The TLP is one of the best programs available in Linux, which helps to do that automatically. All you need to do is install it using the following command and run.
sudo apt install tlp
As per the recommendation, always keep the battery strength between 50% to 80%. Don’t overcharge or let it discharge below 50%. Don’t keep it plugged into power continuously.
Wrapping Up
So, there you have it. Ten gettings started tips with some bonus for your Ubuntu desktop journey.
I hope this helps and that you get to install & tweak your desktop with further customization. That said, let me know your best after-install tips in Ubuntu in the comment box.
