A fresh Ubuntu 26.04 LTS desktop looks finished, but its GStreamer apps can’t decode H.264 video yet. The firewall is installed and switched off, and nothing is taking snapshots of your system. These things to do after installing Ubuntu 26.04 close those gaps in half an hour, and each step ends with a check.
You will pull the post-install updates and decide between Snap and Flatpak, using real numbers from one app installed both ways. Then you add media codecs and Microsoft fonts, find graphics drivers, turn on UFW, set up Timeshift and adjust GNOME 50. The lab machine was built from the Ubuntu cloud image plus the full ubuntu-desktop package, which matches the desktop debs of an ISO install with the Extended selection, minus a few installer-seeded snaps and plus the cloud image’s SSH server and agents. I went through every step on that Ubuntu 26.04.1 LTS desktop in October 2026, and every error below came from that run.
Check your release and session first
Confirm what you are running before you change anything, because two of the later steps depend on it. If you came here from the 24.04 to 26.04 upgrade rather than a clean install, these commands also prove the upgrade finished:
lsb_release -a
uname -r
gnome-shell --version
sudo --version | head -1On the lab desktop it reported the 26.04.1 point release, a 7.0 kernel, GNOME Shell 50.1, and sudo-rs in place of the classic sudo:
Distributor ID: Ubuntu
Description: Ubuntu 26.04.1 LTS
Release: 26.04
Codename: resolute
7.0.0-38-generic
GNOME Shell 50.1
sudo-rs 0.2.13-0ubuntu1.2That last line matters more than it looks. Ubuntu 26.04 swapped in the Rust rewrite of sudo, and it ignores sudo -E and warns sudo: preserving the entire environment is not supported, '-E' is ignored. If an old how-to tells you to run a GUI tool with sudo -E, that’s why it misbehaves. The Ubuntu 26.04 feature rundown covers the other changes that came with it.
You can see the same release in Settings > System > About, which is where most people look first. It also shows the RAM and disk size, handy when you decide where Timeshift snapshots should live later:
The desktop session runs on Wayland (loginctl show-session reported Type=wayland), and the login screen offers no Xorg session to fall back to. You don’t need to do anything about that, but it explains why X11-only tools like xdotool and scrot from older guides can’t see or control your windows.
Install the Ubuntu 26.04 post-install updates
Updates come first because every package you install later is resolved against the refreshed index, and because a new kernel needs a reboot before drivers build against it. Run the full upgrade and refresh your snaps in one go:
sudo apt update && sudo apt full-upgrade -y
sudo snap refreshDon’t worry if apt reports packages it won’t touch yet. On the lab machine four were listed as upgradable, and three of them were held back on purpose:
...
Not upgrading yet due to phasing:
python3-software-properties software-properties-common ubuntu-virt
Not upgrading:
qemu-guest-agent
Summary:
Upgrading: 0, Installing: 0, Removing: 0, Not Upgrading: 4Phased updates go out to a slice of machines first, so a bad build reaches a few users instead of everyone. They arrive on their own within days, and forcing them with apt install skips that safety net, so leave them alone. The same run also printed a nudge that one installed package, restic, has an extra security fix waiting in Ubuntu Pro’s esm-apps, which comes up again further down.
Automatic security updates are already on. You can confirm it by reading one file.
cat /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/20auto-upgradesBoth values read "1", which means the package lists refresh daily and unattended-upgrades installs security fixes without asking:
APT::Periodic::Update-Package-Lists "1";
APT::Periodic::Unattended-Upgrade "1";Firmware is the one update apt doesn’t cover. Run fwupdmgr get-updates on a laptop, because BIOS, SSD and dock firmware often ship through LVFS, then apply what it lists with fwupdmgr update or the Firmware Updater app. The lab VM answered No updatable devices, which is what you’ll see on a virtual machine or on hardware whose vendor doesn’t publish there. Reboot once now if the upgrade pulled a new kernel.
Decide between Snap and Flatpak
You don’t have to pick a side, but you should know what you already have. Ubuntu ships Firefox and the App Center as snaps (plus Thunderbird on an Extended install), and the App Center only installs snaps and debs. Flatpak is not installed at all, so the snap list is the place to start on a fresh desktop.
snap listEverything outside the bases and runtimes is an app you use daily, so snapd stays no matter what you decide about Flatpak. An ISO install also seeds a few snaps the lab build didn’t get, such as Firmware Updater (firmware-updater), Security Center (desktop-security-center) and snapd-desktop-integration, so expect a slightly longer list on your machine.
Name Version Rev Tracking Publisher Notes
bare 1.0 5 latest/stable canonical** base
core24 20260824 2124 latest/stable canonical** base
firefox 158.0.1-1 9113 latest/stable mozilla** -
gnome-46-2404 0+git.b31ceab-sdk0+git.ef6f7e9 177 latest/stable canonical** -
gtk-common-themes 0.1-81-g442e511 1535 latest/stable canonical** -
mesa-2404 25.2.8-snap288 1839 latest/stable canonical** -
snap-store 0+git.5534399d 1468 2/stable canonical** -
snapd 2.77.1 28254 latest/stable canonical** snapd
thunderbird 158.0.1-1 1299 latest/stable canonical** -To see the trade-off with real numbers, VLC went onto the same machine both ways. The snap came from the VideoLAN publisher, the Flatpak from Flathub, and both were timed on the same connection:
| VLC installed as | Version | Install time | What it pulled | Disk used |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Snap (sudo snap install vlc) | 3.0.24-rc1 | 3m 22s | vlc snap plus the kf6-core24 runtime snap | 2.0 GB (265 MB vlc + 1.7 GB kf6-core24) |
| Flatpak (Flathub) | 3.0.23 | 1m 29s | 8 refs: KDE 5.15 runtime, two GL drivers, codecs, locales | 2.6 GB in /var/lib/flatpak |
Both stores charge most of their disk cost for the runtime, not the app: 1.7 GB of the snap total is the KDE runtime snap, and most of the Flatpak’s 2.6 GB is the KDE platform, GL drivers and locales. That cost is shared, so a second KDE app from the same store adds far less. The snap was slower, and the stable channel was serving a release candidate build, which tells you the publisher controls what “stable” means on each store. Removing them also differs: snap remove vlc took 44 seconds and left the 1.7 GB kf6-core24 runtime behind, while sudo flatpak uninstall -y org.videolan.VLC followed by sudo flatpak uninstall -y --unused cleaned /var/lib/flatpak back down to 7 MB.
For a first-timer, the choice comes down to three habits:
- You keep snaps for Firefox, Thunderbird and anything Canonical publishes, because that’s how they’re updated.
- You add Flathub when an app you want is only there, or the Flathub build is the one its developers maintain.
- You install each app from one store only, so you never end up with two VLC icons and two sets of settings.
If you want Flathub, install Flatpak and the GNOME Software plugin together. Flathub’s own Ubuntu setup page now suggests the Bazaar store instead, and either works on top of the same remote. The plugin pulls in GNOME Software itself (8 packages, about 4.5 MB to download), which gives you a store that shows Flathub apps, since the App Center won’t:
sudo apt install -y flatpak gnome-software-plugin-flatpak
sudo flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://dl.flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepoThe sudo on the second line isn’t decoration. Without it, from a terminal where polkit can’t pop up a password prompt (an SSH session, for example), the command fails with error: Flatpak system operation ConfigureRemote not allowed for user and no remote gets added. Check the remote landed system-wide:
flatpak remotesYou should see one line, flathub system. Log out and back in so the menu picks up Flatpak apps, then open Software and search for something:
If Software opens an app page with “Sorry! There are no details for that application.”, its app catalogue hasn’t refreshed yet. Give it a minute or reopen it and the search works, as it did here.
Install media codecs and Microsoft fonts
A fresh install can’t decode H.264 in GStreamer apps like Video Player (Showtime, which replaced Totem in 26.04) and Rhythmbox, because the GStreamer libav and x264 plugins aren’t installed by default. If you ticked the installer’s option to install support for additional media formats, you may already have them. Firefox comes as a snap and doesn’t use these system packages. Check what GStreamer can do before you start, so you have something to compare against.
gst-inspect-1.0 | grep -iE 'avdec_h264|x264'On the lab desktop only the file-type detector knew the format existed, with no decoder behind it:
typefindfunctions: video/x-h264: h264, x264, 264The ubuntu-restricted-extras metapackage from multiverse fixes it in one step. Through ubuntu-restricted-addons it brings the GStreamer libav and ugly plugin sets, and it adds unrar and the Microsoft core fonts installer, so it touched 132 packages, downloaded 93.8 MB and took about a minute here:
sudo apt install ubuntu-restricted-extrasPart way through, a blue text screen asks you to accept the Microsoft fonts licence. This is the part that trips people up: press Tab to highlight <Ok> and press Enter. The next screen defaults to <No>, so press Tab or an arrow key to move to <Yes> before Enter. The mouse does nothing there. When it finishes, the decoders show up:
gst-inspect-1.0 | grep -E "avdec_h264|x264enc"Both an H.264 decoder and an encoder are now registered, and the libav plugin alone added 431 elements:
libav: avdec_h264: libav H.264 / AVC / MPEG-4 AVC / MPEG-4 part 10 decoder
x264: x264enc: x264 H.264 EncoderGStreamer players such as Video Player and Rhythmbox load these plugins from the system plugin directory, so there is no extra setting to flip in either app.
Error: “user did not accept the mscorefonts-eula license”
If the licence screen never appears (a script, an install run with DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive, or a terminal without a proper tty), apt finishes and looks successful, but the fonts are missing. The log shows two lines that are easy to scroll past:
mscorefonts-eula license could not be presented
try 'dpkg-reconfigure debconf' to select a frontend other than noninteractive
...
user did not accept the mscorefonts-eula licenseThe package is still marked installed, so running the install again does nothing, and fc-list | grep -ci arial returns 0. Record your acceptance in debconf and reinstall the fonts package:
echo ttf-mscorefonts-installer msttcorefonts/accepted-mscorefonts-eula select true | sudo debconf-set-selections
sudo apt install --reinstall -y ttf-mscorefonts-installerThis time the installer prints mscorefonts-eula license has already been accepted, downloads the fonts and ends with All fonts downloaded and installed. It took 35 seconds on the lab machine, and the Arial count went from 0 to 9. Running the debconf-set-selections line before the first install avoids the dialog altogether, which is handy if you script your setup.
Find and install graphics drivers
Most machines need nothing here, because the drivers for common graphics chips are already in the kernel and Mesa. Check which case is yours before you install anything:
- You have Intel or AMD graphics, so you can skip to the firewall step.
- You have an NVIDIA card, which runs on the open-source nouveau driver until you add the proprietary one.
- You run Ubuntu in a VM, where the virtual graphics card needs no extra driver.
If you are in the NVIDIA case, ask Ubuntu what it recommends before you pick anything yourself. The tool reads your PCI IDs and matches them against the driver packages in the archive:
sudo ubuntu-drivers listAn empty result is normal when nothing needs a proprietary driver. The lab VM uses a QXL virtual card, so all three ubuntu-drivers listing commands printed nothing at all. On a machine with an NVIDIA card, let the tool install the matching signed driver and reboot:
sudo ubuntu-drivers install
sudo rebootThe lab had no NVIDIA card, so that install is the documented path from the Ubuntu NVIDIA driver guide, not a run you can see here. What the lab could check is the archive, and it holds a surprise. Several driver numbers are now transitional packages that point somewhere else:
apt-cache search --names-only '^nvidia-driver-[0-9]+$'Only 580 and 595 are full desktop metapackages, and most of the others say “transitional”. A transitional package installs nothing of its own and pulls in whichever branch it now points to.
nvidia-driver-535 - NVIDIA Server Driver metapackage (transitional package)
nvidia-driver-570 - NVIDIA Server Driver metapackage (transitional package)
nvidia-driver-580 - NVIDIA driver metapackage
nvidia-driver-590 - NVIDIA driver metapackage (transitional package)
nvidia-driver-595 - NVIDIA driver metapackage
nvidia-driver-550 - NVIDIA Server Driver metapackage (transitional package)
nvidia-driver-560 - NVIDIA Server Driver metapackage (transitional package)
nvidia-driver-575 - NVIDIA Server Driver metapackage
nvidia-driver-610 - NVIDIA driver metapackage (transitional package)
nvidia-driver-615 - NVIDIA driver metapackage (transitional package)For example, apt-cache policy nvidia-driver-570 resolves to the 580.178.04 build, the same candidate as nvidia-driver-580. So if a forum post tells you to install a specific old number, you may get a newer branch than you asked for. That’s one more reason to let ubuntu-drivers choose instead of typing a package name.
If you prefer the GUI, the Additional Drivers tab lives in Software & Updates. The full ubuntu-desktop install on the lab machine didn’t include it, and typing the command returned software-properties-gtk: command not found. A 127 kB package brings it back:
sudo apt install -y software-properties-gtk
software-properties-gtk --open-tab=4On a VM or an Intel/AMD laptop the tab reports that no proprietary drivers are in use, which is the answer you want there:
Secure Boot is the other reason to stay with ubuntu-drivers. By default it installs the pre-built, signed driver packages, which load with Secure Boot on. DKMS builds and NVIDIA’s own .run installer produce modules that aren’t signed with Canonical’s key, so with Secure Boot on they either need a MOK key enrolled on the next boot or simply won’t load.
Turn on the UFW firewall
UFW ships with every Ubuntu desktop, but it starts inactive, so nothing filters incoming traffic until you enable it. Check the current state first.
sudo ufw status verboseA fresh install answers with one line, Status: inactive. Before you switch it on, look at what is actually listening, since those are the only things a firewall has to protect.
sudo ss -tulpnThe lab desktop had a short list, with its address shown as 192.168.1.50. The SSH server on port 22 is only there because the lab was built from a cloud image; an ISO desktop install doesn’t include openssh-server.
Netid State Recv-Q Send-Q Local Address:Port Peer Address:PortProcess
udp UNCONN 0 0 127.0.0.54:53 0.0.0.0:* users:(("systemd-resolve",pid=530,fd=18))
udp UNCONN 0 0 127.0.0.53%lo:53 0.0.0.0:* users:(("systemd-resolve",pid=530,fd=16))
udp UNCONN 0 0 192.168.1.50%eth0:68 0.0.0.0:* users:(("systemd-network",pid=1052,fd=33))
udp UNCONN 0 0 127.0.0.1:323 0.0.0.0:* users:(("chronyd",pid=6020,fd=4))
udp UNCONN 0 0 0.0.0.0:5353 0.0.0.0:* users:(("avahi-daemon",pid=5950,fd=12))
udp UNCONN 0 0 [::1]:323 [::]:* users:(("chronyd",pid=6020,fd=5))
udp UNCONN 0 0 [::]:5353 [::]:* users:(("avahi-daemon",pid=5950,fd=13))
tcp LISTEN 0 4096 127.0.0.1:631 0.0.0.0:* users:(("cupsd",pid=6189,fd=7))
tcp LISTEN 0 4096 127.0.0.53%lo:53 0.0.0.0:* users:(("systemd-resolve",pid=530,fd=17))
tcp LISTEN 0 4096 0.0.0.0:22 0.0.0.0:* users:(("sshd",pid=6269,fd=3),("systemd",pid=1,fd=347))
tcp LISTEN 0 4096 127.0.0.54:53 0.0.0.0:* users:(("systemd-resolve",pid=530,fd=19))
tcp LISTEN 0 4096 [::1]:631 [::]:* users:(("cupsd",pid=6189,fd=6))
tcp LISTEN 0 4096 [::]:22 [::]:* users:(("sshd",pid=6269,fd=4),("systemd",pid=1,fd=348))Read the Local Address column to see who can reach each service. Three groups show up on a default desktop:
- You can ignore cupsd on 631, systemd-resolved on 53 and chronyd on 323, because they only listen on localhost.
- You can ignore the DHCP client on UDP 68, which only talks to your router.
- You should notice avahi on UDP 5353, the one service listening on every interface to announce your machine and find printers and shares.
Avahi is harmless at home, but it is the reason the firewall matters most on café and hotel Wi-Fi, where you do not control who else is on the network.
Set the defaults and enable it. If you connect to this machine over SSH, add your allow rule first or you’ll cut off your own session. Use your own network in place of 192.168.1.0/24 (the proto kernel scope link line for your Wi-Fi or Ethernet interface in ip -4 route shows it), and skip that line entirely on a normal desktop:
sudo ufw allow from 192.168.1.0/24 to any port 22 proto tcp
sudo ufw default deny incoming
sudo ufw default allow outgoing
sudo ufw enableUFW answers Firewall is active and enabled on system startup. Run the status command again and you should see the deny-incoming policy in place:
Status: active
Logging: on (low)
Default: deny (incoming), allow (outgoing), disabled (routed)
New profiles: skip
To Action From
-- ------ ----
22/tcp ALLOW IN 192.168.1.0/24Everything you start from the desktop (browsing, updates, Flathub, printing to a network printer) still works, because outgoing traffic and its replies are allowed. If you’d rather click than type, gufw is in the universe repository and gives UFW a small settings window.
Set up Timeshift snapshots before you need them
Take a snapshot now, while the system is clean and known good, because a snapshot taken after a broken driver or a bad PPA only preserves the breakage. Timeshift is in the universe repository and installs in seconds:
sudo apt install -y timeshift
sudo timeshift --listThe first run tells you how it intends to work. On an ext4 install that means RSYNC mode, and it picks your system disk as the target when there is no other choice.
First run mode (config file not found)
Selected default snapshot type: RSYNC
Mounted '/dev/vda1' at '/run/timeshift/19755/backup'
Selected default snapshot device: /dev/vda1
Device : /dev/vda1
UUID : db3bb021-e1b1-420e-b04d-32fad79221f9
Path : /run/timeshift/19755/backup
Mode : RSYNC
Status : No snapshots on this device
First snapshot requires: 0 B
No snapshots foundThat default target is the thing to change. A snapshot on the same disk saves you from a bad update, but not from a dead SSD, and it eats a lot of space. Plug in a second drive or partition formatted with a Linux filesystem such as ext4 (NTFS and exFAT won’t do), and choose it in the Timeshift window’s Settings > Location before you create anything. From the command line, add --snapshot-device /dev/sdb1 (your device name) to the create command instead.
Create the first snapshot with a comment you will recognise later. The O tag marks it as on-demand, so the scheduled rotation never deletes it.
sudo timeshift --create --comments "fresh install" --tags OIt finished in 96 seconds on the lab machine, and the rsync progress lines are cut here. The last line is the one to look for, since it confirms the snapshot name and the on-demand tag.
First run mode (config file not found)
Selected default snapshot type: RSYNC
Mounted '/dev/vda1' at '/run/timeshift/20129/backup'
Selected default snapshot device: /dev/vda1
Estimating system size...
Creating new snapshot...(RSYNC)
Saving to device: /dev/vda1, mounted at path: /run/timeshift/20129/backup
Syncing files with rsync...
RSYNC Snapshot saved successfully (96s)
Tagged snapshot '2026-10-27_04-15-08': ondemandThe lab VM only had a 20 GB disk, so its config excluded /var/lib/snapd to make the copy fit, and the snapshot still used 6.7 GB, leaving the disk at 16 GB used. Do not copy that exclusion on a real machine, because restoring a snapshot that skipped /var/lib/snapd would leave your snaps out of step with the rest of the system. Give Timeshift a bigger target instead. Timeshift also added /home/lorna/** and /root/** to the exclude list on its own, since it protects the system and leaves personal files to a real backup tool.
Open Timeshift from the app grid to see the snapshot. It asks for your password because it runs as root:
Notice the warning at the bottom: “Scheduled snapshots are disabled”. Every schedule_* key in /etc/timeshift/timeshift.json starts as "false", and sudo timeshift --check says Scheduled snapshots are disabled - Nothing to do!. Open Settings > Schedule and turn on two levels, because one catches slow drift and the other catches a bad boot.
- You tick Daily, which keeps the last 5 daily snapshots by default.
- You tick Boot, which keeps 5 snapshots taken as the system starts.
- You leave Hourly off unless the snapshots live on a separate fast disk.
Restoring, browsing and the Btrfs mode are covered in the Timeshift backup and restore guide.
Adjust GNOME to suit you
Ubuntu’s GNOME already has a few things other distros make you fix. The minimize and maximize buttons are on (button-layout reads ':minimize,maximize,close'), new windows open centred, and tap-to-click is enabled on touchpads. So you don’t need Tweaks just for window buttons, which is the first thing most older guides send you to do.
These are the defaults worth changing, each with a one-line gsettings command you can paste:
gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface color-scheme 'prefer-dark'
gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface show-battery-percentage true
gsettings set org.gnome.shell.extensions.dash-to-dock click-action 'minimize'
gsettings set org.gnome.settings-daemon.plugins.color night-light-enabled trueThe table shows what each one does and what it was set to before the change. Nothing here needs a logout, so you see each effect the moment you press Enter.
| Setting | Default on 26.04 | Changed to | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| color-scheme | ‘default’ | ‘prefer-dark’ | Dark style; the Yaru theme follows it, so gtk-theme stays ‘Yaru’ |
| show-battery-percentage | false | true | Number next to the battery icon on laptops |
| dash-to-dock click-action | ‘focus-or-appspread’ | ‘minimize’ | Clicking a running app in the dock hides it, like Windows |
| night-light-enabled | false | true | Warmer screen colour after sunset |
Three of them also have a switch in Settings (Appearance, Power and Displays), so use whichever you find easier. The dock click action has no Settings switch and stays a gsettings change. After the dark style kicks in, the whole desktop follows, including Files and the dock:
For the settings GNOME hides (fonts, titlebar actions, startup apps), install GNOME Tweaks, and for extensions install Extension Manager. Both are small debs from the archive, 420 kB together:
sudo apt install -y gnome-tweaks gnome-shell-extension-managerTweaks’ Windows page confirms the button layout you already have, with both toggles on and the buttons on the right:
Extension Manager opens on the Installed tab, and on a fresh desktop it lists seven system extensions, all enabled. Ubuntu Dock, AppIndicators (tray icons), Tiling Assistant and Desktop Icons are part of what makes Ubuntu look like Ubuntu, so leave them on:
Use the Browse tab to add community extensions, and keep it to the few you’ll really use. Each one runs inside GNOME Shell, so a broken extension after a GNOME update can freeze the whole desktop, and the toggle at the top of the Installed tab is how you switch them all off at once.
One more thing for laptops: powerprofilesctl list shows the power modes from power-profiles-daemon, the same ones as the battery menu. The VM only offered balanced and power-saver; real hardware usually adds performance.
Attach Ubuntu Pro if you want Livepatch
Ubuntu Pro is free for personal use on up to five machines, and it’s worth the two minutes on a machine you’ll keep for years. A fresh desktop is not attached to it yet.
pro statusThe services are listed as available, but none of them runs until you attach a token. Livepatch is the one most people notice, because it applies kernel security fixes without a reboot.
...
SERVICE AVAILABLE DESCRIPTION
anbox-cloud yes Scalable Android in the cloud
esm-apps yes Expanded Security Maintenance for Applications
esm-infra yes Expanded Security Maintenance for Infrastructure
landscape yes Management and administration tool for Ubuntu
livepatch yes Canonical Livepatch service
For a list of all Ubuntu Pro services, run 'pro status --all'
This machine is not attached to an Ubuntu Pro subscription.
See https://ubuntu.com/proThe part that matters on a desktop is esm-apps. Ubuntu’s standard security support covers the main repository, while many desktop apps (including Timeshift and gufw) come from universe, and esm-apps is what extends patching to those. You saw esm-apps once already, when apt offered restic an extra security update through it. Get a token from your Ubuntu One account on the Pro page and attach it with sudo pro attach followed by the token.
Fix the other errors from this setup
The codec and Flatpak errors are covered in their own steps above. These four came up elsewhere during the lab run, and each one has a short fix.
gsettings shows Adwaita instead of Yaru
Over SSH or from a script, gsettings get returned 'Adwaita', 'BOTTOM' and 'appmenu:close', which aren’t what the desktop shows. Ubuntu’s overrides are keyed to the desktop name, so a shell without XDG_CURRENT_DESKTOP sees plain GNOME values. Run export XDG_CURRENT_DESKTOP=ubuntu:GNOME first and you get the real ones ('Yaru', 'LEFT', ':minimize,maximize,close'). A terminal opened on the desktop already has it set.
“gkr-pam: couldn’t unlock the login keyring” with automatic login
This was one of only three errors in journalctl -b -p err on the lab desktop, and it comes from turning on automatic login. With no password typed at login, nothing unlocks the keyring, so Chrome, Online Accounts or Wi-Fi may ask for your password again after boot. If that bothers you, switch automatic login back off in Settings > System > Users. The log line itself is safe to ignore.
“status: No such file or directory” from timeshift –list
After the first snapshot, sudo timeshift --list printed /tmp/timeshift-LxTPXxyq/17930746042819895604: line 10: status: No such file or directory once before the normal list. The snapshot list underneath was correct and the device status read OK, so this is noise from a helper script, not a failed snapshot.
“no plugin could handle listing distro upgrades” in GNOME Software
GNOME Software logs this after you install it alongside the App Center. Release upgrades on Ubuntu go through the Software Updater, not GNOME Software, so the message is expected and harmless. The lab’s /etc/update-manager/release-upgrades reads Prompt=lts, which means the Updater skips interim releases such as 26.10 and only offers the next LTS.
If you’re still deciding whether this release is right for you, the 26.04 vs 24.04 comparison lays out what changed. If you haven’t installed yet, start with the Ubuntu 26.04 install walkthrough and come back here. Running a server instead of a desktop needs a different list, which is in the Ubuntu 26.04 server checklist, and for an editor the VS Code install guide is a natural next step.
