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Intermediate Linux Mint Tips: Cleanup, Drive Mounting, Permissions, and Terminal Productivity

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Introduction

In this final part of our Linux Mint series, we’ll dive into intermediate-level tips to help you optimize performance, manage your system effectively, and get the most out of your Linux Mint experience. These tips are especially helpful if you’ve already installed Linux Mint with the Cinnamon desktop environment and completed basic post-install configurations.

We’ll explore practical examples of system maintenance, drive and permissions management, and terminal productivity hacks—perfect for everyday users transitioning from Windows or those who want to feel more at home on Linux.

System Maintenance and Cleanup

1. Keep Your System Clean and Updated

Linux Mint includes a powerful Update Manager that not only keeps your system up-to-date but also highlights recommended and safe updates. However, there are several additional steps you can take to maintain a clean and fast system.

Remove Orphaned Packages

sudo apt autoremove

This command removes packages that were automatically installed to satisfy dependencies for other packages and are no longer needed.

Clean Up Cached Files

sudo apt clean
sudo apt autoclean

clean - removes all package files in the cache.autoclean - only removes outdated packages that can no longer be downloaded.

Kernel Cleanup

Linux Mint may keep several older kernels, which can eat up disk space. Use the Update Manager:

• Open Update Manager → View → Linux Kernels
• Select old kernels you’re not using (except the current one)
• Click Remove

Drive Management

2. Mount External or Secondary Drives Automatically

Linux Mint can automatically mount drives at startup using the Disks utility:

• Search for and open Disks
• Select the desired drive or partition
• Click the gear icon → Edit Mount Options
• Turn off “User Session Defaults”
• Check “Mount at system startup” and choose desired settings

3. Understand the Linux Filesystem Hierarchy

Linux doesn’t assign letters to drives like Windows (C:, D:, etc.). Instead, everything is part of a single directory tree under

• /home: User files
• /etc: Configuration files
• /var: Logs and spool files
• /mnt or /media: Mount points for external or additional drives

User and Permissions Management

4. Manage Users from the GUI or Terminal

From the GUI:

• Open Menu → Users and Groups
• Add, remove, or modify user roles with a simple interface

From the terminal:

sudo adduser newusername
sudo deluser oldusername

5. Master File Permissions and Ownership

Understanding Linux file permissions gives you more control over your files and scripts.

Check permissions

ls -l

Change ownership

sudo chown username:groupname filename

Modify permissions

chmod 755 script.sh

Common values: 644 for readable files, 755 for executables.

Terminal Productivity Tips

6. Use Aliases to Simplify Commands

Save time by creating aliases in your ~/.bashrc file:

alias update='sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade'

Apply immediately with:

source ~/.bashrc

7. Navigate Faster with Pushd/Popd

These commands let you jump between directories easily:

pushd /var/log
popd

8. Search Like a Pro with grep and find

grep "ERROR" /var/log/syslog

Find files recursively:

find ~/Documents -name "*.pdf"

9. Control Clipboard from Terminal

Install xclip to copy/paste from the terminal:

sudo apt install xclip
echo "Hello" | xclip -selection clipboard

Bonus: Customize Cinnamon Panel and Hotcorners

Improve your daily productivity and aesthetics:

• Right-click the panel → Panel Settings: Add new launchers or remove clutter
• Go to System Settings → Hot Corners: Assign actions like “Show desktop” or “Launch app” to screen corners
• Explore Applets and Desklets for weather widgets, system monitors, and more

Conclusion

With these tips, your Linux Mint setup should feel more professional, responsive, and personalized. While this part introduced some intermediate concepts, everything is still safe and manageable for newer users. As your confidence grows, so will your ability to explore even more advanced features of Linux Mint and Linux in general.

We hope this three-part series helped you confidently transition into the Linux world. Welcome aboard—and enjoy your faster, cleaner, and more secure desktop experience!

This is the final post in our 3-part series. If you haven’t yet, check out Part 1 – Switching from Windows and Part 2 – Post-Installation Setup for a full transition journey.