Some Tips and Tricks for Linux Mint after Installation

Linux Mint is one of the top free operating systems widely used in the world and currently receives the highest hits at DistroWatch.

Even though it's an Ubuntu-based system, Linux Mint features only one panel at the bottom which looks closer to the taskbar in the traditional Windows system, and a well-organized start menu complete with a useful Search box. A select version also pre-installs some proprietary software such as necessary media codecs by default so that you play mp3, mp4 or most other media files with a player right away out of the box.

 The Cinnamon Edition of Linux Mint uses Cinnamon, instead of GNOME shell, as a user interface for the GNOME-3 desktop environment. And unlike Ubuntu Unity sporting a vertical launcher on the left side of the screen, Cinnamon maintains a traditional layout with a bottom panel and a Mint menu. If you're using this Edition, you might find these tips and tricks useful for working with the system on a PC.

Pin Programs to the Panel

Frequently used programs can be easily pinned to the panel.

1. Browse to an application from the Menu.
2. Right click an application, then select "Add to panel" (or drag an application and drop it to the panel launcher).
3. Re-order the program icons on the panel launcher as you like by drag-and-drop.

Note: In the same way by right-clicking an application from the Menu, you can also add a program shortcut to the Desktop or the Favorites located at the left column inside Menu. The Favorites support drag-and-drop and re-ordering.

Enable or Disable Applets on the Panel

An applet is a small tool or application which you can access directly from the panel for performing a task. Some applets have been enabled by default but you can disable the applets you don't need to use or enable the ones you like pretty easily:

1. Right click an empty spot on the panel, select "Add applets to the panel".
2. Right-click an applet to add or remove from the panel, then close the Applets window.

Enable Superbar

In recent versions of Windows, frequently used programs can be pinned to the taskbar (hence called Superbar) for launching the programs and their icons are highlighted when the programs are running. Likewise, an applet called "Window List with App Grouping" can be added to the panel to achieve almost the same effect.

1. Download the applet Window List with App Grouping and unzip the file.
2. Copy the unzipped folder to ~/.local/share/cinnamon/applets.
3. Follow the tip above to enable the applet "Window List with App Grouping".
4. Right click the panel and switch on the Panel Edit mode.
5. Drag the applet to the spot you like on the panel, then switch off the Panel Edit mode.

Set a Fully Transparent Panel

When you select a theme from Menu > Cinnamon/System Settings > themes, the theme may come with a non-transparent or semi-transparent panel. But you can adjust the level of transparency for the panel if you like. For example, I've selected a Linux Mint theme and I can make it more transparent with the steps below. (Caution: changing the code incorrectly might result in a non-responsive desktop environment.)

1. Press Alt-F2, type gksu gedit and press Enter.
2. Browse to the folder /usr/share/themes/Linux Mint/cinnamon under "File System" and open this file cinnamon.css
3. Search for a section beginning with #panel
4. After the last line within the section, insert a new line for example background-color: rgba(0,0,0,0.35); (The alpha value ranges from 0 [full transparency] to 1 [full opacity].)
5. Click Save and close the file.
6. Switch to another theme and back to the Linux Mint theme to see the result.

Linux Mint (Cinnamon Edition) provides you with several settings for Themes. You can easily select a theme and get a new look for the panel, windows, icons and more in the system.

1. Go to Menu and click the "System Settings" icon.
2. Click the Themes icon under Appearance.
3. Select a theme from the list for the desktop and match it with the Windows borders, Icons, Controls and Mouse Pointer you like.

Manage Workspaces

Linux Mint creates two workspaces by default, but you can add more and manage your workspaces pretty easily in several ways:

• Go to a workspace: get your mouse cursor to the top-left corner of the screen (aka "hot corner" or "Expo") to show all workspaces, then click a workspace to jump to. (The hot corner can be enabled via System Settings > Preferences > Hot Corners and check "Hover enabled".)
• Open an application in a workspace: mouse over a workspace to see all applications in the workspace (aka "Scale"), then select an application.
• Move an application from a workspace to another: drag an application and drop it to another workspace.
• Add a workspace: press the "+" sign on the right when in Expo mode.
• Edit a workspace title: click it in Expo mode.
• Remove a workspace: mouse over a workspace and click the "x" button when in Expo mode.

These shortcuts are also helpful:

• Ctrl+Alt+Up goes to Expo.
• Ctrl+Alt+Down goes to Scale.
• Ctrl+Alt+Left/Right switches to the left/right adjacent workspace.
• Ctrl+Alt+Shift+Left/Right moves the active window to the left/right adjacent workspace.

Terminate Unresponsive Programs

Xkill is part of the X11 utilities pre-installed in Linux Mint and a tool for terminating misbehaving X clients or unresponsive programs. You can easily add a shortcut key to launch xkill with the steps below.

1. Go to Menu > System Settings > Keyboard.
2. Under the "Shortcuts" tab, click the "Add custom shortcut" button.
3. Enter xkill to both the Name and Command boxes and click the Add button.
4. Click on the unassigned row (unassigned is then changed to New accelerator... or Pick an accelerator).
5. Press a new key combination, e.g. Ctrl+Alt-x.

Install Extra Fonts

Do you prefer Windows TrueType fonts to the default fonts installed by Linux Mint? The mscorefonts package containing most Microsoft fonts can be installed and configured easily in a few steps below:

1. Go to Menu > Terminal.
2. Paste sudo apt-get install ttf-mscorefonts-installer into the Terminal (by pressing Ctrl-Shift-V in the Terminal after copying the highlighted code).
3. When prompted, use the arrow left/right keys to navigate and agree to the EULA license terms for the install.
4. Go to Menu > System Settings > Fonts.
5. Click each of them, pick a font, such as Verdana, and size to configure for window title and so on.