The first hour with Linux Mint

Linux Mint 22 / published / guide #54 / ≈ 4 min read

If this is your first time installing a Linux distro on your own, you've chosen well. Mint is built specifically to be friendly to people coming from Windows or macOS. Most things "just work" — Wi-Fi, sound, basic graphics — and the rest is a short set of small steps. This guide walks through that short list.

What is Mint? Linux Mint is based on Ubuntu (which is based on Debian). It uses a desktop called Cinnamon by default — laid out like classic Windows, with a taskbar at the bottom and a familiar menu. There are also editions with MATE and Xfce desktops; the steps below apply to all three.

Step 1: a quick orientation

You're looking at Cinnamon. The menu button in the bottom-left is your launcher (like the Start menu). The icons at the bottom-right are your system tray. Right-clicking the desktop or the taskbar gives you settings menus. There's no learning curve to find anything.

If you're going to use a terminal, the app is called Terminal — find it in the menu under Accessories, or just type "terminal" in the menu's search. Open it once now and keep it handy.

Step 2: connect to the internet

Click the network icon in the system tray (bottom-right). Pick your Wi-Fi network, enter the password. If you're wired in, you're likely already online.

Step 3: run all updates

Mint has a dedicated update tool — open the menu, search for Update Manager. The first time you run it, it'll suggest switching to a faster mirror; let it.

Then click Install Updates. A few hundred MB might come down. Let it finish.

If you prefer the terminal:

sudo apt update
sudo apt full-upgrade

(Type your password, then y when asked.)

Step 4: take your first system snapshot

This is the single most important thing you can do on a new install. Timeshift takes "save game" snapshots of your system that you can roll back to if something goes wrong later.

Open Timeshift from the menu. The setup wizard walks you through it:

  • Snapshot type: RSYNC works on any filesystem and is the simpler choice.
  • Location: the disk Mint is installed on.
  • Schedule: Daily is fine. Keep 5 snapshots.
  • User home: leave unchecked. Timeshift is for the system; back up your personal files separately.

Click Create for an immediate baseline snapshot. Now you have a known-good state to return to.

(See the separate Timeshift on Mint guide for restoring and managing snapshots.)

Step 5: drivers

If you have an NVIDIA card, a printer that needs proprietary drivers, or some other quirky hardware, open the Driver Manager from the menu. It scans your hardware and shows you which drivers are available. Click the radio button for the recommended one, click Apply Changes, wait, reboot when prompted.

For most laptops with Intel or AMD graphics, there's nothing to do here.

Step 6: install the apps you already know you'll want

Open the Software Manager from the menu. Search for and install what you use:

  • Firefox (preinstalled in most editions).
  • LibreOffice (preinstalled — your Word/Excel replacement).
  • VLC for video.
  • GIMP for image editing.
  • OBS Studio if you record or stream.
  • Thunderbird for email.

Or from the terminal, the same in one shot:

sudo apt install vlc gimp thunderbird

Step 7: enable Flatpak

Flatpak is preinstalled on Mint. It's an alternative way to install apps — sandboxed, often more up-to-date than the apt versions. The Software Manager already shows Flatpak apps alongside system ones; you'll see a "Flathub" tag on the entries.

If you want to add Flatpak via terminal too:

flatpak install flathub org.mozilla.firefox

Step 8: tweak the appearance

Right-click the desktop → Display settings for monitor layout. Menu (bottom left) → Themes to pick a window style and accent colour. Cinnamon ships with several built-in dark and light themes.

If your screen feels small, try increasing the desktop scale: Menu → System Settings → General → Hi-DPI.

Step 9: turn on automatic security updates (optional but recommended)

The Update Manager has a preference for this — Edit menu → Preferences → Automation tab. Check "Apply updates automatically" and set the cadence to daily or weekly. Mint will then quietly install security updates in the background.

Step 10: get familiar with a few keyboard shortcuts

  • Super (Windows key) — opens the menu.
  • Ctrl+Alt+T — opens a terminal.
  • Ctrl+Alt+L — locks the screen.
  • Super+E — opens the file manager.
  • Super+D — show / hide the desktop.

You can customise all of these under System Settings → Keyboard → Shortcuts.

Where to ask for help

  • Linux Mint forums — forums.linuxmint.com. Genuinely friendly community; first answer is usually within an hour for common questions.
  • Mint subreddit — r/linuxmint.
  • Local commands — every program has a manual: man programname in a terminal.

You're done

System is updated, has a baseline snapshot, drivers are sorted, your apps are installed. The "I just installed Linux" jitters can stop now — this is what a working machine looks like.

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