> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://itsfoss.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Things To Do After Installing elementary OS Freya - URL: https://itsfoss.com/things-todo-elementary-os-freya/ - Published: 2015-02-28T21:26:29.000Z - Updated: 2023-01-11T09:56:10.000Z - Author: Abhishek Prakash - Tags: #Import 2022-12-26 08:27 [![Things to do after installing Elementary OS Freya](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/wordpress/2015/02/Elementary_OS_Freya_Things_To_Do.jpeg)](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/wordpress/2015/02/Elementary%5FOS%5FFreya%5FThings%5FTo%5FDo.jpeg) In a recent article we saw the [new features introduced in elementary OS Freya](https://itsfoss.com/elementary-os-freya-review-features/ "Elementary OS Freya Review Of New Features"). If you have just installed Freya, willing to do so in near future, here are few **things to do after installing elementary OS Freya** that will provide you a better desktop experience. I know that this list varies from user to user, based on his preferences, his experience with desktop Linux, field of interests etc. But at the core of it, the steps listed here are some of the essential things to do after a clean install of elementary OS Freya. Since elementary OS is based on Ubuntu 14.04, these steps are very similar to [things to do after installing Ubuntu 14.04](https://itsfoss.com/things-to-do-after-installing-ubuntu-14-04/ "14 Things To Do After Installing Ubuntu 14.04"). ## Must to do things after installing elementary OS Freya ### Enable Canonical Partners repository The first and foremost thing you should be doing is to add Canonical Partners in the software sources. Basically, this will allow you to install applications developed by Canonical’s (Ubuntu’s parent company) partners. Enabling this repository drastically increases the number of application available for your system and you can install additional software such Skype etc. To enable Canonical Partner repository, go to **Slingshot** (Applications in the top left corner of your desktop) and look for **Software & Updates**: [![Elementary OS Freya Software Updates](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/wordpress/2015/02/Elementary_OS_Software_Sources.jpeg)](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/wordpress/2015/02/Elementary%5FOS%5FSoftware%5FSources.jpeg) In here, go to **Other Software** tab and check the option of **Canonical Partners**. [![Enable Canonical Repository in Elementary OS Freya](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/wordpress/2015/02/Elementary_OS_Canonical_repository.png)](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/wordpress/2015/02/Elementary%5FOS%5FCanonical%5Frepository.png) ### Update your system The second thing which you must do after installing elementary OS Freya is to update and upgrade your system. Without doing this, you might face issue in installing applications via command line. Therefore an update is must. Open a terminal (look for it in Slingshot) and use the following command: ``` sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade ``` This will tale some time, depending upon your internet speed. You’ll have to reboot the system for changes to take in to effect. ### Install Ubuntu Restricted Extra Due to legal constraints in several countries, multimedia codecs are not installed by default in Freya. But these codecs can be easily installed by installing Ubuntu Restricted Extra package. This package contains several media codecs including MP3 and Flash Player. With this installed, you should be able to [play You Tube videos in Midori](https://itsfoss.com/fix-missing-flash-player-error-midori-quick-tip/ "How To Fix Missing Flash Player Error In Midori [Quick Tip]"). If you have Canonical Repository enabled (as mentioned in the steps above), you can install Ubuntu Restricted Extra using the command below: ``` sudo apt-get install ubuntu-restricted-extras ``` Almost at the end of the installation process, you’ll see an EULA screen like the one below. Just press Tab to switch between the option and use Enter key to select the option. [![Ubuntu Restricted Extra ELA agreement](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/wordpress/2015/02/Ubuntu_Restricted_Extra.png)](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/wordpress/2015/02/Ubuntu%5FRestricted%5FExtra.png) ### Install additional drivers If you have NVidia graphics or BCM network adapter, then you can try installing proprietary drivers provided in Software Source. Just go to Software & Updates and check under Additional Drivers tab if there are any drivers available for your system. As you can see in the picture below, there are no additional drivers available for my system. [![Additional drivers in Elementary OS Freya](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/wordpress/2015/02/Addditional_Drivers_Freya.png)](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/wordpress/2015/02/Addditional%5FDrivers%5FFreya.png) ### Tweak your elementary OS Freya If you want to tweak your system as per your preference, you’ll need to [install Elementary Tweaks in Freya](https://itsfoss.com/install-elementary-tweaks-in-elementary-os-freya-luna/ "How To Install Elementary Tweaks In Elementary OS Freya & Luna"). With the help of this tool you can do a number of things to customize elementary OS. For example you can: - [Install new themes in elementary OS Freya](https://itsfoss.com/install-themes-icons-elementary-os-freya/ "How To Install Themes And Icons In Elementary OS Freya") - [Add minimize button in elementary OS Freya](https://itsfoss.com/add-minimize-button-in-elementary-os-luna/ "Add Minimize Button In Elementary OS Luna [Quick Tip]") (if you have not noticed till now, there is no minimize option in windows in elementary OS) - [Enable double click in elementary OS Freya](https://itsfoss.com/enable-double-click-in-elementary-os/ "How To Enable Double Click In Elementary OS Luna") (files in elementary OS opens on single click, you may find it annoying) There are several other customization option which I leave up to you to explore. To install Elementary Tweaks, use the command below: ``` sudo add-apt-repository ppa:mpstark/elementary-tweaks-daily sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install elementary-tweaks ``` ### Install additional web browsers elementary OS Freya comes with Midori as the default web browser. While some like this lightweight browser, I prefer to use [Firefox](https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/?ref=itsfoss.com) or [Chrome](http://www.google.com/chrome/?ref=itsfoss.com) as it has synchronization capability across devices. You can download these browsers by going to their respective websites. ### Install VLC media player Audience is the default video player in Freya but I am more of a VLC fan because it provides a number of features that I can use with it. For example, I can [automatically download subtitles with VLC](https://itsfoss.com/download-subtitles-automatically-vlc-media-player-ubuntu/ "Download Subtitles Automatically With VLC Media Player In Ubuntu") or [synchronize subtitles in VLC](https://itsfoss.com/how-to-synchronize-subtitles-with-movie-quick-tip/ "How To Synchronize Subtitles With Movie [Quick Tip]"). To install VLC, just the command below: ``` sudo apt-get install vlc ``` ### Install office suite Quite surprisingly, elementary OS doesn’t come with an office suite installed by default. The ISO image for Freya is around 900 MB which is more than the capacity of a general CD. Why not just put 100 MB more to it and include an office suite? Any ways, you can install LibreOffice, perhaps the most popular open source office product right now. Use the following command in the terminal to install LibreOffice: ``` sudo apt-get install libreoffice ``` ### Install cloud services One cannot live without a decent cloud service these days, can one? There are various cloud services available for Linux system but I rely and recommend the following for quick and simple usage: - [Dropbox](https://www.dropbox.com/?ref=itsfoss.com) - [Copy](https://itsfoss.com/install-copy-in-ubuntu-14-04/ "How To Install Copy In Ubuntu 14.04 & Linux Mint 17") - [MEGA](https://itsfoss.com/install-mega-cloud-storage-linux/ "Install And Use MEGA Cloud Storage In Linux") You can install these application by downloading the Linux client provided on their respective website. ### Install Skype Skype is still the most popular video chatting application. To **install Skype in elementary OS**, either you can download the installation file from its website or you can install it via command line using the following command: ``` sudo apt-get install skype ``` ### Install torrent clients elementary OS doesn’t have a torrent client installed by default. You can install Transmission bit torrent client using the command below: ``` sudo apt-get install transmission ``` Additionally, you can install Popcorn Time to stream movies from torrents. ### Install image editing application If you need image editing applications, you can install Gimp or Krita. Use the command below to install Gimp: ``` sudo apt-get install gimp ``` To install Krita, use the following command: ``` sudo apt-get install krita ``` ### Install Rar To avoid issues with Rar archive format, install it in Freya using the command below: ``` sudo apt-get install rar ``` ### Install Java in elementary OS Freya Even if you hate Java for one reason or other, chances are that you might require to install Java in Freya. To install Java quickly, you can use this command: ``` sudo apt-get install icedtea-7-plugin openjdk-7-jre ``` ### Reduce overheating and improve battery life Overheating and battery drainage is plaguing the laptops worldwide. To reduce (not eliminate) overheating of the laptop and to get a better battery performance in elementary OS Freya, install TLP using commands below: ``` sudo add-apt-repository ppa:linrunner/tlp sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install tlp tlp-rdw sudo tlp start ``` Read more to know [what to do when laptop is overheating](https://itsfoss.com/reduce-overheating-laptops-linux/). ## What else? This is what I think are the must to do things after installing elementary OS Freya. I hope you find this checklist helpful. What about you? What are your usual to do things which are missing from this list? Do let us know.