20 essential things to do after installing Debian (beginner-friendly guide)

So, you’ve just installed Debian Linux — congratulations! 🎉

Debian Linux is one of the most stable, secure, and respected Linux distributions in the world. But after installation, Debian starts off pretty minimal, and you’ll likely want to tweak, secure, and optimize it for daily use.

In this guide, we’ll cover the 20 essential things to do after installing Debian, step by step. This beginner-friendly tutorial will make your Debian experience smoother, faster, and more enjoyable — while also adding some customization flair.

1. Update your system first.

After a fresh installation, update your system to the latest packages.

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

This ensures you’re running with the latest security patches and bug fixes.

2. Enable “contrib” and “non-free” repositories.

Debian’s default repositories only include free software. To install additional drivers and firmware, enable contrib and non-free-firmware.

Open sources list:

sudo nano /etc/apt/sources.list

Add contrib non-free-firmware at the end of each line. Example:

deb http://deb.debian.org/debian/ trixie main contrib non-free-firmware
deb-src http://deb.debian.org/debian/ trixie main contrib non-free-firmware

deb http://security.debian.org/debian-security trixie-security main contrib non-free-firmware
deb-src http://security.debian.org/debian-security trixie-security main contrib non-free-firmware

deb http://deb.debian.org/debian/ trixie-updates main contrib non-free-firmware
deb-src http://deb.debian.org/debian/ trixie-updates main contrib non-free-firmware

Starting with Debian 14 Forky, Debian Sid (Unstable), and upcoming newer versions, the APT repository configuration has been modernized. If you cannot locate the repository entries in /etc/apt/sources.list, now you can find them here:

sudo nano /etc/apt/sources.list.d/debian.sources

Add contrib non-free-firmware under components:

# Modernized from /etc/apt/sources.list
Types: deb deb-src
URIs: http://deb.debian.org/debian/
Suites: forky
Components: main non-free-firmware
Signed-By: /usr/share/keyrings/debian-archive-keyring.gpg

# Modernized from /etc/apt/sources.list
Types: deb deb-src
URIs: http://security.debian.org/debian-security/
Suites: forky-security
Components: main non-free-firmware
Signed-By: /usr/share/keyrings/debian-archive-keyring.gpg

# Modernized from /etc/apt/sources.list
Types: deb deb-src
URIs: http://deb.debian.org/debian/
Suites: forky-updates
Components: main non-free-firmware
Signed-By: /usr/share/keyrings/debian-archive-keyring.gpg

Click here to learn more about repository.

Each repository entry consists of five main sections:

1. Types – Defines the repository type. Common values are:

deb – Contains precompiled binary packages that can be installed directly.
deb-src – Contains source code packages used for building or inspecting software.

2. URIs – Specifies the repository server URL from which packages are downloaded.

For example: http://deb.debian.org/debian/

User may have different URIs which can be local or CDN based.

3. Suites – Indicates the Debian release or branch to use. Common examples include:

bookworm – Debian 12.
trixie – Debian 13.
forky – Debian 14.
sid – unstable development branch.

4. Components – Determines which package categories are available:

main – Official Debian packages that fully comply with Debian’s free software guidelines. By default it is there already.
contrib – Free software packages that depend on software outside the main repository. User who wish to use this must add manually.
non-free-firmware – Firmware packages that do not meet Debian’s free software guidelines but are required for certain hardware to function properly.

5. Signed-By – Specifies the GPG key file used to verify the authenticity and integrity of packages downloaded from the repository. This ensures that packages come from a trusted source and have not been tampered with (only available in modern sources).

Signed-By: /usr/share/keyrings/debian-archive-keyring.gpg

Without a valid signing key, APT will display signature verification warnings or refuse to install packages from the repository

Then update:

sudo apt update

3. Install essential drivers.

Graphics drivers:

Intel/AMD usually work out of the box.
For NVIDIA:

sudo apt install nvidia-driver firmware-misc-nonfree

Wi-Fi drivers:

If Wi-Fi isn’t working:

sudo apt install firmware-linux firmware-iwlwifi

sudo modprobe -r iwlwifi && sudo modprobe iwlwifi

4. Install build tools.

Many programs require compiling. Install build tools with:

sudo apt install build-essential dkms linux-headers-$(uname -r)

5. Set up “sudo”.

If not already configured:

su -

usermod -aG sudo yourusername

Re-login to apply changes.

6. Install a better text editor.

nano works, but you might prefer:

sudo apt install vim

Or graphical editors like gedit, kate, or VS Code.

7. Install a firewall.

Secure your Debian system with UFW (Uncomplicated Firewall):

sudo apt install ufw

sudo ufw enable

sudo ufw status

8. Install GNOME tweaks or KDE tools.

For GNOME:

sudo apt install gnome-tweaks gnome-shell-extensions

For KDE:

sudo apt install kde-config-gtk-style kde-config-gtk-style-preview

9. Enable flatpak and snap support.

For newer apps:

Flatpak:

sudo apt install flatpak gnome-software-plugin-flatpak

flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo

Snap:

sudo apt install snapd

10. Install multimedia codecs.

Debian doesn’t include all media codecs by default.

sudo apt install ffmpeg libavcodec-extra vlc

Now you can play almost any audio/video file.

11. Install useful utilities.

Handy tools to install:

sudo apt install curl wget htop neofetch git unzip zip

htop → monitor system resources.
neofetch → display system info in style.
git → version control.

12. Install a web browser.

Debian includes Firefox ESR. For alternatives:

Google Chrome:

wget https://dl.google.com/linux/direct/google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb

sudo apt install ./google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb

Chromium:

sudo apt install chromium

13. Set up backups.

Install Timeshift for automatic restore points:

sudo apt install timeshift

14. Install an office suite.

If not included, add LibreOffice:

sudo apt install libreoffice libreoffice-l10n-en

15. Improve battery life (for laptops).

For better laptop performance:

sudo apt install tlp tlp-rdw powertop

sudo systemctl enable tlp

16. Optimize the boot time.

Analyze boot time with:

systemd-analyze blame

Disable unnecessary services:

sudo systemctl disable service-name

17. Install GNOME extensions (if using GNOME).

Visit extensions.gnome.org to add:

Dash to Dock.
Clipboard Manager.
System Monitor.

18. Install themes and icons (theming tips).

Make Debian look modern and elegant.

Install popular themes and icons:

sudo apt install arc-theme papirus-icon-theme

Themes: Arc, Adapta, Yaru.
Icons: Papirus, Numix, Tela.

Apply via GNOME Tweaks → Appearance.

For KDE’s System Settings → Appearance.

19. Enable automatic updates.

Keep Debian secure automatically:

sudo apt install unattended-upgrades

sudo dpkg-reconfigure unattended-upgrades

20. Take a snapshot before experimenting.

Always take a Timeshift snapshot before installing/testing new software. It makes rollbacks simple if something breaks.

Final thoughts.

Debian is known for stability, security, and reliability. After completing these 20 steps, you’ll have:

An updated and secure system.
All drivers and codecs installed.
A beautiful, customized desktop environment.
Backup and performance optimizations.

With these tweaks, Debian transforms into a perfect daily driver for work, coding, entertainment, and productivity.