Congratulations on installing Debian 13 “Trixie”! If you’ve just set up a fresh copy of this powerful Linux distribution and are wondering what to do next, you’ve come to the right place.
This guide will walk you through 10 crucial post-installation steps to help you customize your system, boost performance, and enhance your overall desktop experience.
Most of these steps are applicable to any version of Debian, so you can save this article for future installations.
Ready to get started? Let’s dive in.
1. Add Your User to the Sudoers List
By default, Debian may not configure your regular user account to use the sudo command. If you try to run an administrative command, you’ll likely get an error. To fix this, you need to add your user to the sudoers list.
- Open your terminal and switch to the root user with the command:
su. - Enter the root password you set during installation.
- Next, open the sudoers file. Simply type:
visudo - In the file, scroll down to the line that says
root ALL=(ALL:ALL) ALL. - Right below it, add a new line for your user account. Replace your_username with your actual username
your_username ALL=(ALL:ALL) ALL - Save the changes by pressing
CTRL + O, thenEnter, and exit withCTRL + X. - Now, log out and log back in, or simply open a new terminal window. You should be able to use the
sudocommand.
2. Enable Extra Repositories and Update Your System
The default Debian repositories are great, but the contrib and non-free repositories contain essential packages you might need, such as proprietary drivers for your hardware.
- Before making changes, it’s a good practice to back up your original sources list:
sudo cp /etc/apt/sources.list /etc/apt/sources.list.bak
- Now, open the sources list file for editing:
sudo nano /etc/apt/sources.list
- Comment out the default repository entries by adding a
#at the beginning of each line. - Then, paste the following lines into the file to add the extra repositories:
deb http://deb.debian.org/debian/ trixie main contrib non-free non-free-firmwaredeb-src http://deb.debian.org/debian/ trixie main contrib non-free non-free-firmwaredeb http://deb.debian.org/debian-security/ trixie-security main contrib non-free non-free-firmware deb-srcdeb-src http://deb.debian.org/debian-security/ trixie-security main contrib non-free non-free-firmware debdeb http://deb.debian.org/debian/ trixie-updates main contrib non-free non-free-firmware deb-srcdeb-src http://deb.debian.org/debian/ trixie-updates main contrib non-free non-free-firmware
- Save and close the file with
CTRL + O,Enter, andCTRL + X. - Finally, update your system’s package list:
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade
3. Make a System Backup
Creating a system snapshot right after installation is one of the smartest things you can do. We’ll use Timeshift, a reliable tool that works like a system restore point for Linux.
- Install Timeshift from the command line:
sudo apt install timeshift
- Once installed, open Timeshift from your application menu.
- The setup wizard will guide you through the process. Be sure to include both your root system and your home directory in the snapshot.
- Click Create to take your first system snapshot.
This backup will allow you to quickly restore your system to a working state if something goes wrong in the future, saving you from a full reinstallation.
4. Install Proprietary NVIDIA Drivers
If your PC has an NVIDIA graphics card, installing the proprietary drivers is highly recommended for better performance.
- First, install the NVIDIA detection package:
sudo apt install nvidia-detect
- Run the tool to identify your GPU and get the recommended driver:
nvidia-detect
- Install the required dependencies:
sudo apt install make cmake gcc dkms linux-headers-$(uname -r)
- Finally, install the recommended driver. For example, if the tool suggests
sudo apt install nvidia-driver-full
- Reboot your system to apply the changes.
5. Customize the GNOME Desktop
Debian 13 with the GNOME desktop environment is highly customizable. We’ll install a couple of tools to unlock its full potential.
- Install GNOME Tweaks and Extension Manager:
sudo apt install gnome-tweaks gnome-shell-extension-manager
- Open the Tweaks application. Here you can:
- Change system fonts and font scaling.
- Enable or disable the maximize and minimize buttons on windows.
- Set new windows to open in the center of the screen.
- Open the Extension Manager. This is your gateway to thousands of extensions that can completely change the look and feel of your desktop. Explore and install extensions that fit your style, like those that enhance the dock or add a futuristic feel to your system.
- blur my shell, vitals, user themes , clipboard history, Dash To Dock
6. Adjust Dock and System Settings
To further refine your desktop experience, let’s look at some key system settings.
- Customize the Dock: Open the DashToDock Settings from extension manager and go to the Appearance section. You can move the dock to the bottom or right side of the screen, enable auto-hide, and adjust the size of icons to match your preferences.
- Touchpad Settings: If you’re on a laptop, navigate to Mouse & Touchpad settings. You can adjust pointer speed, enable tap-to-click, and change the scrolling direction for a more comfortable experience.
- Appearance: In the Appearance settings, you can switch between Light and Dark modes and choose accent colors to personalize your system.
- Performance: For an extra performance boost, go to the Power section and switch the power profile to High Performance when you’re running demanding applications.
7. Set Up Flatpak and Install Essential Apps
Flatpak is an excellent way to get up-to-date GUI applications that may not be available in the default Debian repositories. It’s a great alternative to the Snap store.
- Install Flatpak from the terminal:
sudo apt install flatpak
- Add the Flathub repository, which is the main source for Flatpak apps:
flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo
- Reboot your computer to complete the setup.
- Install the GNOME Software plugin to integrate Flatpak with your graphical app store:
sudo apt install gnome-software-plugin-flatpak
- Now you can open the GNOME Software app and install thousands of applications like Google Chrome, VSCode, and more.
You should also install some essential packages and fonts for development and daily use:
sudo apt install git curl wget fastfetch mpv gcc make python3 python3-pip unrar unzip cargo p7zip ntfs-3g htop ffmpeg ttf-mscorefonts-installer fonts-firacode fonts-jetbrains-mono fonts-croscore fonts-crosextra-carlito fonts-crosextra-caladea fonts-noto fonts-noto-cjk -y
8. Customize Firefox Settings
Firefox is the default browser on Debian. To make it more convenient, you can adjust a few settings.
- Open Firefox and go to Settings.
- Under the Startup section, enable the option to “Open previous windows and tabs” so you can pick up where you left off.
- It’s also a good idea to enable the option to play DRM-controlled content under the General settings for better compatibility with streaming services like Netflix and Hulu.
9. Run Windows Applications with Bottles
If you’ve recently switched from Windows and need to run a few of your favorite apps, Bottles is a powerful tool. It simplifies the process of running Windows binaries by providing different “runner environments” optimized for gaming or software.
- While Bottles is a powerful tool, it may not run every Windows app, as it is still in active development.
10. Customize Your Terminal with Starship
The default Debian terminal is functional, but you can make it more informative and visually appealing with a custom shell prompt like Starship.
- First, go to the this website and download a font like FiraCode Nerd Font. Install it by unzipping the file and double-clicking your preferred font variant.
- Next, open your terminal and install Starship with this command:
curl -sS https://starship.rs/install.sh | sh
- Since Debian’s terminal uses the Bash shell by default, you need to configure it. Open your
.bashrcfile for editing:Bashnano ~/.bashrc - Scroll to the bottom of the file and add the following line:
eval "$(starship init bash)"
- Save and close the file. Now, close your terminal and reopen it. You should see the new Starship prompt.
- To apply your new Nerd Font, go to your terminal’s preferences (usually by clicking the menu icon), select Preferences, and change the font to the Nerd Font you installed. You can also adjust the font size from this menu.
By following these steps, your Debian 13 installation should now be more powerful, customized, and ready for you to use for work or play.
