10 things I always do after installing Ubuntu to instantly improve the experience

Ubuntu 25.04 has been available for a few weeks now, and I’ve found it to be another stellar release from Canonical. If you’ve either already installed it or are considering doing so, there are certain steps I believe you should take before you start employing that machine for daily usage.

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That’s not to say you couldn’t immediately dive right in, but if you want to get the best possible experience, right out of the gate, consider this list.

1. Update everything

The very first thing I do with every new installation (of any OS) is to immediately run a full upgrade. With most Linux distributions, soon after you install the OS you’ll be warned that there are updates available. As soon as that happens, apply them. 

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Why? You’ll want all of the security patches, bug fixes, and enhancements applied before you start using the OS. If you’re not immediately greeted by the warning, you can always open a terminal window and issue the command:

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade -y

That will first update apt and then upgrade the software. I do this daily on my system, and so should you.

2. Install additional drivers

You might have hardware that could benefit from additional drivers, such as a proprietary NVIDIA driver. Instead of going through the sometimes bothersome process of hunting down the proper drivers, you can instead open the Software & Updates tool, click on the Additional Drivers tab, and allow the OS to search for additional drivers. 

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If Ubuntu finds an additional driver, it will present it in that window, where you can apply it. Depending on the driver, you might have to follow up with a reboot.

3. Install all the apps you need

Ubuntu ships with a bare minimum of apps. You won’t even find the LibreOffice office suite pre-installed. 

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Instead, Canonical keeps it minimal to cut down on ISO size and install speeds. Because of that, you should immediately open the App Center and start searching for software to install. I will say this: only install the apps you absolutely have to have. You’ll find both .deb and Snap packages available for installation, so you shouldn’t have any problems finding what you need.

4. Install multimedia codecs

Because of licensing issues, Ubuntu doesn’t ship with the necessary codecs to play files like MP3s. To get around this, you’ll want to install the Ubuntu restricted-extras package, which not only installs the codecs required for most audio/visual files, but also the Microsoft TrueType fonts that are so widely used. To run this installation, open a terminal window and issue the command:

sudo apt-get install ubuntu-restricted-extras -y

5. Configure fractional scaling and enable HDR capabilities

If you’re using a larger, modern monitor, you might benefit from configuring fractional scaling and enabling HDR functionality. By doing so you’ll be able to set the exact size of the user interface that you want, as well as improve the brightness of the screen, get deeper contrast, and have a wider color gamut available. 

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In other words, your display will look considerably better. To configure fractional scaling, right-click anywhere on the desktop and select Display Settings. Enable Fractional Scaling and then set the percentage that you’d like. To configure the HDR settings, go to Settings > Displays > and you should see the available options (which only appear if you connect an HDR-capable monitor).

6. Set up a backup

Before you create that first file (or copy it from another location), set up a backup so you’re starting from a clean slate. Ubuntu used to ship with the Déjà Dup backup software, but it seems that is no longer the case. To install that app, open the terminal window and issue the command:

sudo apt-get install deja-dup -y

Once the app is installed, connect an external drive (or USB flash drive), run the app (it’ll be listed as Backups in the App Overview), and set up your backup. Déjà Dup has a user-friendly setup wizard that will walk you through the process.

7. Adjust the privacy settings

Head over to Settings > Privacy & Security and you’ll find several options to take care of, such as screen lock, location, file history & trash, diagnostics, and connectivity. 

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In each of those sections, you’ll find something relating to privacy that you should tweak to meet your needs. You’ll find blank screen delay, automatic screen lock, automatic device location (and the apps permitted to use the service), automatically empty trash, automatically delete temp files, automatic deletion period, send error reports, and connectivity checking. 

Whether you need any of these features is up to you, but if you’re serious about privacy, make sure to go through each setting.

8. Set up wellbeing reminders

Ubuntu 25.04 ships with the new Wellbeing option in the Settings app, where you can not only check in on your screen time, but also set limits and even enable break reminders. If you’re one who often neglects your wellbeing, I would highly recommend you visit this Settings page and give it the attention it (and you) requires. 

You might think this is a silly suggestion, but movement and breaks are very important to your mental and emotional health. Set up those reminders.

9. Clean up with apt

After the initial installation and first major upgrade, you’ll probably want to remove any unnecessary packages and clean up the apt cache. This could possibly clear up a lot of space on your internal drive, and give you the freshest start you can get out of the gate. Neither of these tasks is hard. All you have to do is open a terminal window and run the following two commands:

sudo apt autoremove
sudo apt clean

10. Tweak the theme

Finally, why settle for the basic, built-in theme? Although the Ubuntu desktop might not be as configurable as some environments, there are still plenty of options to play around with. You can select between a dark and a light theme, change the accent color, change the wallpaper, customize the Dock (in Settings > Ubuntu Desktop), enable tiling features, adjust icon size, and more. 

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You could also install several GNOME extensions to further customize the desktop and/or theme.

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