In this article, we will explore how to configure Ubuntu 24.04 after installation. Currently, this is the latest Long Term Support (LTS) distribution version. This release brings us a new App Center, a utility for updating proprietary firmware, GNOME 46 with all its improvements, such as an updated file manager, enhanced settings application, improved quick settings menu, and more.
Ubuntu 24.04.1 was used to write this article, which received a few minor improvements, but the version of GNOME and core applications remained the same as at release. As always, we will look at configuring the desktop environment, installing additional extensions and applications. Where possible, I will try to write not only about settings in the graphical interface but also terminal commands.
Table of Contents
Ubuntu 24.04 Post Install Guide
Step 1. System Update
First of all, you should update all packages in the system to their latest versions. Let's start by updating packages from deb repositories. To do this, execute the following commands in the terminal:
sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade -y
Ubuntu also uses the universal Snap package format. To update those packages, you need to run the following command:
sudo snap refresh
Step 2. Setting Up Additional Repositories
By default, if you didn't enable the Install third-party software for graphics and WiFi hardware option during Ubuntu installation, the system will only have one repository with free software supported by the Canonical team. This repository is called main. However, there are several other repositories supported by the community (universe) and containing proprietary software (restricted and multiverse). To enable them, open the main menu and type Software & Updates:
Launch the program and go to the Ubuntu Software tab. Here you need to check the boxes next to the corresponding repositories - universe, restricted, and multiverse:
To apply the changes, you will need to enter your user password. Also, when you try to close the program, it will offer to update the package lists in the repositories. Here you need to click the Reload button:
To do the same in the terminal, execute:
sudo add-apt-repository universe
sudo add-apt-repository multiverse
sudo add-apt-repository restricted
Step 3. Desktop Configuration
To change the desktop background, right-click on any empty space on the desktop and select Change Background:
Here in the Background section, you can select an image, for example, with rocks:
The same image can be set using the following terminal command:
gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.background picture-uri 'file:///usr/share/backgrounds/Monument_valley_by_orbitelambda.jpg'
In this window, you can also change the system's accent color using the Color option, as well as enable dark mode in the Style section:
Dark mode can also be enabled using the following command:
gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface color-scheme prefer-dark
Next, go to the Multitasking tab. Here you can enable the Hot corner option, which will open the main menu when you move your mouse cursor to the top-left corner. You can also enable Active Screen Edges here, so when you drag a window to the edge of the screen, the system will automatically suggest resizing it to half of the screen size:
The same can be done using the commands:
gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface enable-hot-corners true
gsettings set org.gnome.mutter edge-tiling true
Additionally, on the Ubuntu Desktop tab, you can disable the display of the home folder shortcut on the desktop. To do this, turn off the Show Personal Folder toggle:
gsettings set org.gnome.shell.extensions.ding show-home false
Step 4. Terminal Configuration
By default, Ubuntu uses Gnome Terminal, which relies on GTK3 and lacks some features already present in modern terminals developed with GTK4. Previously, I recommended GNOME Console (KGX). However, it doesn't support theme and color customization, and in Ubuntu 23.10, the developers decided to make its background purple, which I personally don't like. As an alternative, you can install BlackBox:
sudo apt install blackbox-terminal
This terminal emulator has numerous settings, several themes including a purple one, a tab overview window, and font customization options. Thanks to GTK4, it integrates well with the GNOME interface, highlights the window title in red when editing files with superuser privileges, and in purple for remote connections:
To use this terminal emulator as default, run the update-alternatives script and select /usr/bin/blackbox-terminal:
sudo update-alternatives --config x-terminal-emulator
Step 5. Configuring Nautilus
In Windows, you can create empty files in folders or on the desktop using the context menu. You can do the same in Nautilus, but for this, you need to add file templates that you want to create to the Templates directory in your home folder. For example, let's add an empty txt file:
touch ~/Templates/new_file.txt
After that, a new New Document item will appear in the context menu:
After clicking, a list of available templates will open. Simply click on a template to create a new file:
Step 6. Disabling Sleep Mode
If you leave your computer for more than 15 minutes, it will enter sleep mode to save energy. To disable this, open the Settings utility, go to the Power section, and turn off the Automatic Suspend option.
This can also be done using gsettings:
gsettings set org.gnome.settings-daemon.plugins.power sleep-inactive-ac-timeout 0
Now you have changed the settings only for the current user. However, when you turn on the computer and don't log in within 15 minutes, it will still go into sleep mode. This happens because the login screen runs under the GDM user account. To fix this as well, you need to execute the same command under this user's name:
sudo -u gdm dbus-run-session gsettings set org.gnome.settings-daemon.plugins.power sleep-inactive-ac-timeout 0
Step 7. Disabling Screen Lock
By default, the user session will be locked after 5 minutes of inactivity. To disable this, open the Settings utility, go to Privacy & Security, and select Screen Lock:
Next, you need to disable the Automatic Screen Lock option:
Or execute the command:
gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.screensaver lock-enabled false
Step 8. Automatic Trash Cleanup
By default, the trash is not emptied, and you'll have to clean it manually when you run out of disk space. However, you can set up automatic cleanup. For example, you can delete files that were moved to trash more than 30 days ago. To do this, in the same Privacy & Security section, select File History & Trash, and in the Trash & Temporary Files section, enable the Automatically Delete Trash Content option:
This can also be enabled using the command:
gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.privacy remove-old-trash-files true
Step 9. Search Configuration
GNOME has a search function on the main screen that allows you to search not only for applications but also files, folders, terminal windows, settings, passwords, symbols, and can even perform simple calculator operations. If you want to make the search faster, you can remove unnecessary applications from the search. To do this, open the Search section and disable unwanted applications in the Search Results list:
For example, I kept only Settings, Calculator, and Terminal. This list will need to be reviewed after installing applications, as GNOME will automatically show search results from all applications that support this feature. Here is the result:
Step 10. Installing Gnome Tweaks
If you want to be able to change additional fine-tuning settings of GNOME, such as themes and shell behavior in the graphical interface, you'll need the gnome-tweaks application. You can install it using the following command:
sudo apt install gnome-tweaks
For this task, you can also use the Refine program; however, first, you need to add Flatpak to your system, and second, the utility is designed to work with vanilla GNOME.
Step 11. Installing Extension Manager
Previously, installing GNOME extensions required a special connector package and a browser extension. Now it can be done much more easily using the Extension Manager, where you can configure already installed extensions and install new ones. The application can be installed from official repositories:
sudo apt install gnome-shell-extension-manager
On the Installed tab, you can manage already installed extensions and modify their settings:
To install new extensions, go to the Browse tab and start typing the name of the extension. For example, Logo Menu:
When the extension is found, simply click the Install button and confirm the installation in the dialog box. After that, the extension will appear in the first tab and will be activated.
Step 12. Opening New Windows in the Center
By default, all windows open in the top-left corner. If you want new windows to open in the center, launch Gnome Tweaks, go to the Windows tab, and enable Center New Windows in the Click Actions section:
This can also be done using the command:
gsettings set org.gnome.mutter center-new-windows true
Step 13. Restore Minimize/Maximize Buttons
On the same tab in Gnome Tweaks, you can restore the window minimize and maximize buttons using the corresponding Minimize and Maximize options in the Titlebar Buttons section:
Or execute the command:
gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.wm.preferences button-layout appmenu:minimize,maximize,close
Step 14. Minimize on Click
In Ubuntu Unity, there was previously an option to minimize windows by clicking on the application icon in the Dash panel. To enable this feature now, execute the following command:
gsettings set org.gnome.shell.extensions.dash-to-dock click-action 'minimize'
Step 15. Installing GDebi
Ubuntu 24.04 introduced a new software center, but at the same time, it broke the installation of local deb packages by clicking in the file manager. Now the file manager will display an error indicating it doesn't know which program to use to open the file. Developers plan to add deb support in future versions, but for now, you can use gdebi. To install the program, execute:
sudo apt install gdebi
After that, simply open the package file using gdebi, click the Install Package button, and wait for the installation to complete:
Step 16. Supporting Old AppImage Versions
The issue with AppImage applications in Ubuntu has existed for a while because AppImage uses the outdated fuse2 library, which was replaced with fuse3 in newer Ubuntu versions. It seems that new packages built using the latest version of AppImageKit tools should work without any problems. However, there are still many old packages. To make them work, you need to install libfuse2:
sudo apt install libfuse2t64
Step 17. Installing Flatpak
Since Canonical promotes its Snap universal package format, there is no built-in support for Flatpak packages in the system. Not all applications can be installed from official repositories and Snap. If you need an application from GNOME Circle, there's a high probability that you'll have to use Flatpak. To install it, run the following command:
sudo apt install flatpak
After that, you need to add the Flathub repository for Flatpak packages:
flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo
And to be able to install Flatpak packages through a graphical interface, you'll need GNOME Software:
sudo apt install gnome-software-plugin-flatpak gnome-software
Step 18. Installing Multimedia Codecs
If during Ubuntu installation you didn't check the box for media codecs installation, you should do it now. But before that, make sure you have enabled the multiverse repository in step two. Simply execute the command:
sudo apt install ubuntu-restricted-extras
To install additional fonts, you will need to accept the EULA license:
Step 19. Additional Keyboard Layouts
If you use multiple languages, you'll likely need to add several keyboard layouts. To do this, open Settings, go to the Keyboard tab, and in the Input Sources section, click the + Add Input Source button:
If the required language is not in the list, click the button with three dots (More...). And if it's not there either, click the Other button. Next, in the search field, you can type the language you want to add, for example German, and then simply select the desired layout from the list and click the Add button:
After this, the new language will appear in the list:
If you want to switch keyboard layouts using the Alt+Shift key combination, install the GNOME extension - RX Input Layout Switcher:
Step 20. Installing Additional Applications
There are still several programs to install that may be needed while using the system. How to do it - the choice is yours. Some programs are available in official repositories, some in AppCenter, and others on FlatHub. Here's a list of programs I usually use:
- VLC - one of the best video players
- Gimp - image editor
- Obsidian - Markdown note-taking application
- Parabolic - internet video downloader
- Mission Center - task manager alternative
- Flatseal - permission and access manager for Flatpak packages
- Transmission - torrent client
- KeePassXC - password manager
- Amberol - audio player
You can also install several useful console programs
- ncdu - helps find the largest files in the filesystem and free up disk space
- rg - search through file contents instead of grep
- htop - terminal task manager
- tmux - terminal multiplexer
- unrar - utility for extracting rar archives
- p7zip - utility for extracting p7zip archives
udo apt install ncdu ripgrep htop tmux unrar p7zip
Wrapping Up
In this article, we've explored how to configure Ubuntu 24.04 after install. As you can see, there are quite a few aspects in the system that can be improved, at least adding additional ways to install programs, such as Flatpak, AppImage support, and installation of local deb packages. What settings do you configure? If something is missing, share it in the comments below the article.
