I explained how to install Ubuntu 23.04 in a previous article and today I want to continue this topic. It looks pretty good after installation, but there are several things you can do to make it even better. For example, you can personalize the GNOME desktop environment, enable or disable some features and install necessary applications.
In this article, I will show how to configure Ubuntu 23.04 after installation. I will provide not only instructions on how to do it in the GUI, but also add CLI commands for each step.
Table of Contents
How to Configure Ubuntu 23.04 After Installation
Step 1. Change Background
The first thing that I show in all my articles about configuring distributions is how to change the desktop background. You can right-click on the desktop and choose the Change Background item in the menu:
Then, just select one of the available backgrounds or add your own image. For example, I selected the first image:
If you want to change the wallpaper in the terminal, you should change the background image for both light and dark themes, as well as for a screensaver. Use the following commands to set the photo with mountains as wallpaper:
gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.background picture-uri 'file:///usr/share/backgrounds/Copper_Mountain_by_Eduardo_Battaglia.jpg'
gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.background picture-uri-dark 'file:///usr/share/backgrounds/Copper_Mountain_by_Eduardo_Battaglia.jpg'
gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.screensaver picture-uri 'file:///usr/share/backgrounds/Copper_Mountain_by_Eduardo_Battaglia.jpg'
Step 2. Configure Terminal
By default, the terminal uses the operating system color scheme, and you may want to make it more visually appealing and compatible with your wallpaper. You can open the terminal window using the Ctrl+Alt+T hotkey. After that click on the menu button in the top-right corner and choose Preferences:
Then, find the Unnamed profile and switch to the Colors tab, and disable the Use colors from system theme checkbox:
After this, you can choose one of the built-in themes or set colors manually. For example:
Alternatively, you may want to try out a new terminal emulator from the GNOME team built on GTK4 and libadwaita called Console. It is not installed by default, but you can install it in Ubuntu system using the following command:
sudo apt install gnome-console
If you like it, you can make it the default terminal using the update-alternatives script. Run it and choose the terminal you want:
sudo update-alternatives --config x-terminal-emulator
You should select /usr/bin/kgx here to make Console default terminal emulator.
Step 3. Switch into Dark Mode
Ubuntu has had the support of dark mode since the release of version 19.10. Since then, the feature has been further improved with each subsequent release. Most GNOME apps built on GTK4 including Firefox, have great dark mode support. If you haven't enabled it during installation, you can do it now, by visiting Settings -> Appearance and changing Style to Dark:
Also, you can do it using the terminal:
gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface color-scheme prefer-dark
gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface gtk-theme 'Yaru-dark'
Step 4. Disable Screen Lock
By default, Ubuntu locks the screen after 5 minutes of inactivity. If you have installed Ubuntu OS on your home PC and don't want to type your password repeatedly, you can disable automatic locking. Open Settings -> Privacy -> Screen Lock and turn off Automatic Screen Lock and Lock Screen on Suspend:
Here are the commands you can use to disable the screen lock in the terminal:
gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.screensaver lock-enabled false
gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.screensaver ubuntu-lock-on-suspend false
Step 5. Enable Hot Corner
GNOME Desktop has supported the hot-corner feature for a while but it is disabled in Ubuntu by default. However, it is quite useful because it allows you to open the Activities menu with search and window list by moving the mouse cursor to the top left corner. You can enable this feature by visiting Settings -> Multitasking and turning on Hot Corner:
And the terminal command:
gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface enable-hot-corners true
Step 6. Hide Home Directory
GNOME has had shortcuts to the home directory and external drives on desktop for a while. But GNOME now aims to have nothing on the desktop at all. The ability to place files on the desktop was disabled a while ago and I don't remember the last time I used the home folder shortcut last time since I can access it by running Nautilus. You can disable this shortcut by visiting Settings -> Ubuntu Desktop and disabling Show Personal Folder:
And the terminal command for the same setting:
gsettings set org.gnome.shell.extensions.ding show-home false
Step 7. Minimize by Click
When you click an application shortcut on the Dock panel, the system opens the application. But when you click it again, nothing happens. You can make GNOME minimize the application if you click on its icon and the application is open. There is no GUI way to do this, but you can use the command:
gsettings set org.gnome.shell.extensions.dash-to-dock click-action 'minimize-or-previews'
After this, the application will be minimized if it is open. However, if multiple instances of the application are running, you will see a preview:
Step 8. Center New Windows
By default, all new windows open in the top-left corner. If you want to configure GNOME to open them in the center of the screen type the following command and press Enter:
gsettings set org.gnome.mutter center-new-windows true
Step 9. Disable Reports
Even if you disabled collecting and sending debugging data to Canonical during the first boot, Ubuntu might prompt you to send a report to Canonical when any system program crashes. You can disable this if you don't plan to send any bug reports. However, I must note that if you better to notify developers about problems in their distributions. If you still want to disable it, go to Settings -> Privacy -> Diagnostics click on Send error reports to Canonical and choose Never:
Step 10. Configure File Picker
The preview feature for images in the file picker was removed in GTK4. It was a very useful feature, but there's good news too. GNOME 44 brings thumbnail mode for the file picker with other new features. In previous versions, there was only a list with small thumbnails:
Now, you can switch to Thumbnail mode using a toggle button in the top-right corner and get this:
Additionally, you can change the sort order of items in the list. The most convenient option for me is to place recently modified files at the top. The file picker remembers the last settings, so you don't have to make extra configurations, but you can also do it in the CLI:
gsettings set org.gtk.gtk4.Settings.FileChooser sort-column 'modified'
gsettings set org.gtk.gtk4.Settings.FileChooser sort-order 'ascending'
gsettings set org.gtk.gtk4.Settings.FileChooser view-type 'grid'
If you don't see any thumbnails in Nautilus, it may be a bug, and you can try to enable thumbnail generation always using the following command:
gsettings set org.gnome.nautilus.preferences show-image-thumbnails 'always'
Step 11. Schedule Night Light
Ubuntu has the Night Light feature, which makes all colors on your monitor warmer after sunset. It helps prepare for sleep and is more comfortable for the eyes. You can enable this feature in Settings -> Displays -> Night Light:
Simply turn on the switch. Here, you can also change the schedule and color temperature. Additionally, you can enable Night Light using the command line:
gsettings set org.gnome.settings-daemon.plugins.color night-light-enabled true
Step 12. Enable Auto Login
If you are using your PC at home and don't want to enter your password at startup, you can enable auto-login. Ubuntu allows you to do this during installation. However, you can configure it later. First, open Settings -> Users. Here, click on the Unlock button and enter your password to make changes:
Then, turn on the Automatic Login switch:
If you want to enable auto-login in the terminal, open /etc/gdm3/custom.conf and find the daemon section. Here, you should set the value of the AutomaticLoginEnable variable to true and then set the name of your user into the AutomaticLogin variable. For example:
sudo vim /etc/gdm3/custom.conf
[daemon]
AutomaticLoginEnable=True
AutomaticLogin=serhii
Save changes and reboot the system to ensure that everything is working.
Step 13. Enable Additional Repositories
Ubuntu has several different repositories for packages. The first is the main repository, which is enabled by default. But there is also universe repository driven by the community, and then the restricted and multiverse repositories with proprietary drivers and software. If you decided to enable third-party software during the installation process these third-party repositories might be enabled by default. Otherwise, you can enable it in the Software and Updates application in the main menu (blue one):
And then check the repositories which you want to enable:
Also, you can change the repository mirror here.
Step 14. Update the System
You can update your system using the graphical interface. Just run Software Updater from the main menu:
It will update the packages list from repositories and install latest updates if they are available. Alternatively, you can use the command line:
sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade
Step 15. Configure Layouts
If you want to add keyboard layout to your system, open Settings and then Keyboard. There you can use the Input Sources section to add a new layout. For example, let's add the Ukrainian layout. Click the Plus button:
If you don't see the language you need, click on the More button. After this, start typing the language name. If you don't see your language in the list, click on the Other button. Finally, select the necessary language and press the Add button:
After this, the language will appear in the list:
Another thing you may want to do with layouts is use Alt+Shift to switch layouts. Ubuntu uses Super+Space keys for switching to the next layout for a while as well as does Windows. But many people, including myself, still want to use Alt+Shift. There is no way to configure it using the GUI, but you can use the following commands:
gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.wm.keybindings switch-input-source "['<Shift>Alt_L']"
gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.wm.keybindings switch-input-source-backward "['<Alt>Shift_L']"
The bonus of using these commands is that you will see the selected layout on the screen as well as when you are using Super+Space:
Step 16. Fix Screenshot Tool
In previous versions of Ubuntu, GNOME took a screenshot immediately when you pressed the PrintScreen. But in newer versions, it opens a tool that helps you select an area for shooting. This requires more actions than before, and you may want to revert to the old screenshot tool. However, you don't have to. There is a hotkey Shift+PrtScr which can be used to take a screenshot right away.
Or you can swap the actions for these hotkeys. Open Settings -> Keyboard and click View and Customize Shortcuts at the bottom of the window:
Then, click Screenshots -> Take Screenshots and press Print Screen to use it for taking screenshots:
Also, you can select Take Screenshots Interactively and press Shift+PrtScr to not lose this ability.
Step 17. Add AppImage Support
AppImage is an excellent portable applications format that allows you to run applications just after downloading, without installing anything. However, Ubuntu does not support it by default. You can enable AppImage support by installing the libfuse2 library:
sudo apt install libfuse2
Step 18. Manage Extensions
If you want to use GNOME shell extensions, you should install a browser extension and the extensions manager package. Run the following command to install the GNOME Extension Manager:
sudo apt install gnome-shell-extensions
Then visit extensions.gnome.org and follow their instructions to install the extension for your browser:
After the extension is installed, you can install GNOME extensions directly from the browser. Just pick the desired GNOME extension and use the switch in the top-right corner to enable it. For example Clipboard History:
Confirm the installation, and you will see your clipboard manager on the top panel:
You will also see the extension in the extensions manager:
Here you can also configure or disable all built-in extensions.
Step 19. Install Archive Utilities
By default, Ubuntu can't open non-traditional archive formats, such as rar or 7z. If you want to work with these formats, you should install a few packages using the following command:
sudo apt install rar unrar p7zip-full p7zip-rar
Step 20. Install Media Codecs
Ubuntu, by default, comes with only open-source codecs. However, you can enable the installation of proprietary codecs during the initial setup process. If you realize that you want to open MP3, AVI, or MPEG later, you should install additional codecs using the following command:
sudo apt install ubuntu-restricted-extras
Step 21. Install Drivers
If you are playing video games or using your computer for video rendering, you may need proprietary drivers for your graphics card. Ubuntu provides the easiest way to install third-party drivers without using the terminal. You can open the Additional Drivers application, select the drivers you want to install, and press the Apply button:
Step 22. Install Additional Applications
There are a lot of applications you may want to install. Firstly, if you want to use the Vim text editor, note that Ubuntu has Vi by default, which has a slightly different user experience. Use the following command to install Vim:
sudo apt install vim
Now, you will use Vim even if you type vi in the terminal. Another great application is VLC. It is one o the best media players that support a lot of media formats. You can install it using the command:
sudo apt install vlc
Note, that official repositories contain VLC 3.0. If you want to use the newest version, you should install its snap package from the Snap Store. If you are working with images, install GIMP:
sudo apt install gimp
Step 23. Add Flatpak
The Ubuntu Team decided to drop support Flatpak in this release. Moreover, they removed Flatpak integration from Ubuntu Software. Nonetheless, you can install Flatpak packages manually. At the moment of writing, Flatpak looks more ready for desktops, is better maintained and has fresher versions of applications. You can install the flatpak package using the following command:
sudo apt install flatpak
Then, add the FlatHub repository:
sudo flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo
After this, you can install Flatpak packages using the command line. If you want to install Flatpak applications in GUI, you have to install Gnome Software and Flatpak pulgin:
sudo apt install gnome-software gnome-software-plugin-flatpak
Wrapping Up
In this article, I have provided 23 tips on how to configure Ubuntu 23.04 after installation. As you can see, there are a lot of things to do. These are the general system settings I usually make in my system, so you may not find exactly what you need here. You can share your adjustments for Ubuntu 23.04 in comments section below if you want.
And number 24 should be to setup, and perform, a system backup...
Brill job, I will not use many but the few I do will be a bonus.
Thank you for the time, effort and thought that went into this.
Far too easy to criticise very different matter to do these:- "things to do"