Are there some settings in Ubuntu you aren’t sure how to change? Is something still not exactly the way you want it?  If so, you should give Ubuntu Tweak a try.

Ubuntu Tweak allows you to change hidden system and desktop settings.  Ubuntu Tweak is ONLY available for the GNOME Desktop Environment (not Kubuntu, or Xubuntu, etc).  However, the author states that Ubuntu Tweak will run on other distributions. If you have any experience with this please post in the comments!

To download Ubuntu Tweak, visit their download page.  There you can either download the source files, the .deb package (easiest method) or download the package via the command line.  The download page provides more information on the different ways to download Ubuntu Tweak.

Once you download Ubuntu Tweak, you can run the application by clicking Applications->System Tools->Ubuntu Tweak or by typing ‘ubuntu-tweak‘ in the terminal.

When the program starts you should see the following Welcome screen:

The main screen gives you a little information about Ubuntu Tweak.  As you can see, along the left side are several subpages.

The first one we will look at is the ‘Computer’ page.  If you click on ‘Computer’ you should see System and User information like this:

This is very useful for troubleshooting if you need to know which kernel version you have.  This page also displays some information about your computer such as the processor type and amount of memory.

The next subpage is ‘Applications.’ When I tested this I was unable to get software to install or uninstall.  However, this page does give you a nice little description of each application.  So, if you see an application you want to try but can’t get it to install, take a look at my previous post on How to Install/Uninstall Software in Ubuntu. If you had luck installing or uninstalling software from this page, please post in the comments.

Next is the ‘Startup’ page.  Here you can edit settings such as whether or not to show the logout prompt, whether or not to show a splash screen, and what applications run on startup.  Here is a look at the settings for the startup applications:

Each program that has a checkmark next to it will run on startup.  You can stop it from running by unchecking the mark.  You could also remove it by clicking on the application name and then clicking the remove button.

However, if you wish to add an application, click the add button and then enter the name and terminal command.  This is useful for such programs as window managers.  These same settings can be accessed by clicking System->Preferences->Sessions.

The next setting is one that I usually have to lookup since it either requires a terminal command or using the Configuration Editor.  However, Ubuntu Tweak makes adding icons to your desktop a breeze.

To do so, click the ‘Desktop’ tab on the left and you will see the following screen:

Next is the ‘Personal’ tab.  This allows you to change such settings as where your default folders are located, document templates, scripts, and keyboard shortcuts.

Here is a picture of the default user folder settings:

If you change these settings to where your data is stored it will save you time when importing music, pictures, video etc.  So now, when you go to save a document it will go to where your documents are, instead of simply to your home folder.

Lastly, the ‘System’ tab has some very cool settings for both GNOME and Nautilus.  However, the settings I would like to talk about are the Power Manager settings.

Some of these settings are hidden by default in Ubuntu. The only way I know to edit these settings is by using Ubuntu Tweak.  Here you can enable hibernation, suspend (aka standby), and CPU scaling:

The CPU frequency control is a great setting especially for laptops since you probably don’t want your system running at full speed when on battery power.  If you want to prolong your battery life in Ubuntu try reading these posts on battery saving: CPU Scaling and Save Battery Life with PowerTOP

Of course these are not the only settings you can change. I went over the settings I felt were most important.

If you have a setting I didn’t cover, please post in the comments!

Almost all new processors have the ability to scale down their frequencies.  With laptops this allows you to save a ton of battery life.  Read my previous post on how to save battery life in Linux.

With desktops (and laptops), scaling the CPU frequency will not only save you money on your power bill but will also let your computer run cooler.  Why would you want your computer running at full speed all of the time when you don’t need it?  Instead, here is how to scale your CPU frequency for on demand performance.

Step 1:
Right click on one of the panels (top or bottom of screen) and then choose ‘Add to panel.’

Step 2:
When the Add to Panel window appears, scroll down and select ‘CPU Frequency Scaling Monitor.’ Then, click ‘Add’ to add it to the panel.

Step 3:
At this point you should see an icon appear on the panel similar to this one:

Now, open the terminal and enter the following command:

sudo dpkg-reconfigure gnome-applets

Step 4:
Now, you will see the following screen:

Press enter to continue configuring the CPU frequency monitor.

Step 5:
After pressing enter you should see this screen:

Press enter to select ‘YES’

Step 6:
This completes the configuration of the CPU frequency monitor.

Now you should be able to left-click on the CPU scaling monitor and see the following options:

At the top of the options you can choose a specific CPU frequency.  The processor will stay at this frequency as long as the setting stays the same.

The following CPU frequency governors control how your CPU frequency is scaled:
Conservative: Sets the CPU depending on the current usage by gracefully increasing and decreasing the CPU speed rather than jumping to max speed the moment there is any load on the CPU.
Ondemand: Sets the CPU based on the current usage.  It automatically scales the CPU frequency up and down as the current usage changes. This is recommend for both desktops and laptops
Performance: Sets the CPU to the highest speed.
Powersave: Sets the CPU to the lowest speed. This is recommended for maximum battery life on laptops.

If for some reason this still does not allow you to scale your CPU and you know it has the capability to scale its frequency, read the Ubuntu Guide for an advanced method.