Module 8 · Peripherals: printers, scanners, Bluetooth, USB, phones
"If I switch to Linux, can I still plug in my printer? My USB stick? My Bluetooth headphones? My phone?" For almost everything: yes, and you don't need to install a single driver. The Linux kernel ships with thousands of drivers built in, and Ubuntu adds another layer for the popular brands. This module walks through each peripheral category, what just works, and the small handful of things that don't (plus the workaround for each).
By the end of this module, you will:
- Set up a USB or network printer in 10 seconds via Settings → Printers → Add, no driver disc, no install wait
- Scan a multi-page document and save it as a PDF with the built-in Document Scanner (Simple Scan)
- Pair Bluetooth headphones, mice, keyboards and speakers from the GNOME system status menu, and know the toggle-off-and-on fix when audio doesn't come through
- Auto-mount a USB stick or SD card at
/media/your-username/MY-USB/, drag files in and out, and eject safely - Use a built-in or USB webcam and microphone in Zoom, Teams and any browser video call
- Add an external monitor from Settings → Displays (drag rectangles, set scale per monitor, pick the primary)
Just plug it in
Printers, scanners, USB sticks, Bluetooth headphones, external monitors, webcams, almost every accessory you plug into a Windows laptop also works on Linux. The big difference: you almost never need to hunt for a driver. The Linux kernel ships with thousands of drivers built in, and Ubuntu adds another layer on top for the popular brands. Most things just light up the moment you plug them in.
The few things that don't (some very new HP printers, some Apple Magic Trackpads, the latest fingerprint readers) usually have a one-line install fix. If you run into one, the optional Bonus section at the end covers them.
Printers: USB and network, no driver disc
Linux has been good at printers for over a decade now. The driver layer underneath is called CUPS (Common Unix Printing System), and most popular printers, HP, Canon, Brother, Epson, Xerox, work without you installing anything. Settings → Printers on GNOME (or System Settings → Printers on KDE Plasma) sits on top of CUPS and gives you a friendly point-and-click setup. Same engine underneath, slightly different panel name.
If a brand-new HP or unusual printer isn't detected
Open a web browser and type 127.0.0.1:631 into the address bar. That's the CUPS web admin page that ships with every Linux. Click Administration → Add Printer. It has a step-by-step wizard with hundreds of printer makes listed. Pick yours and it walks you through the rest. For new HP printers specifically, install the HP Linux toolkit HPLIP from the App Centre (search “HPLIP”). You also get the HP scanner driver in the same package. On a work-managed laptop? Ask your IT team to push hplip; in most ministries it's already in the standard image.
Civil-servant context: managed print servers
The steps above work for a small office or your home printer. Large ministries (Défense, Intérieur, Justice, Finances) run something more complex, usually one of these patterns:
- Authenticated CUPS / Samba print servers (Kerberos or LDAP), IT pre-installs every printer; you don't add anything yourself.
- Follow-me / pull-print queues (PaperCut, Equitrac, SafeCom, uniFLOW), you press Ctrl+P, walk to any printer, tap your badge, your job comes out there. Job stays held until you authenticate.
- LDAP-bound print quotas, pages-per-user accounting tied to your AD account.
- Restricted-diffusion / classified print policies, specific printers gated to specific document classifications.
If you don't recognise this from your daily workflow, the steps above are enough. If you do, ask your IT team to walk you through the badge-release process and follow-me workflow on day one, the mechanics are the same as on Windows, only the client-side configuration differs.
Scanners: Document Scanner (Simple Scan)
Ubuntu ships an app called Document Scanner (its older name is "Simple Scan", you'll see both). USB or network, flatbed or sheet-feeder, standalone or part of a multi-function printer, most scanners just work the moment you open the app.
If your scanner is not detected
Most modern scanners use a Linux-friendly protocol called SANE, recognised out of the box. HP and Canon all-in-ones sometimes need an extra driver. Install HPLIP from the App Centre. For any other make, look up your model on openprinting.org. Network scanners are sometimes added via Settings → Printers (the scan side then works automatically). On a work-managed laptop? Ask your IT team to push hplip-gui, it's in most ministry standard images already.
Bluetooth: headphones, mice, keyboards, speakers
Click the system status menu in the top-right of your screen (top-bar on GNOME, system tray on KDE Plasma / XFCE) → click Bluetooth → toggle it on if it isn't already. Put your headphones in pairing mode (usually hold the power button until the LED flashes). Linux scans, your device appears in the list, click it to pair. Done. Once paired, the device reconnects automatically every future time.
For finer control, battery level, audio codec preference, multiple paired devices, open Settings → Bluetooth (the small ⚙ cog icon next to the Bluetooth toggle in the status menu takes you there on most desktops). You get a list of every device you've ever paired, with Connect / Disconnect / Forget buttons on each.
The one famous Bluetooth gotcha
Sometimes headphones pair successfully but no sound comes out. This catches almost everyone once. The fix is just to turn Bluetooth off and back on from the system status menu (or restart the laptop). Sound starts working. It is a known small bug that has been around for years and is not a sign anything is broken.
Pro tip: for the best audio quality on Bluetooth headphones, install the LDAC codec packages used by Sony's higher-end headphones. Install the LDAC codec from the App Centre (search “libldac”). Most other earbuds use AAC or aptX, which work out of the box. On a work-managed laptop? LDAC is rarely on ministry standard images, ask IT only if you genuinely need it for a sanctioned device; otherwise stick with AAC/aptX which work without any extra install.
USB sticks & SD cards: plug in, auto-mount, eject before unplugging
Plug in a USB stick or pop an SD card into the slot. Linux mounts it automatically at /media/your-username/MY-USB/ and adds a Devices entry to the left sidebar of your file manager (Files on GNOME, Dolphin on KDE Plasma, Thunar on XFCE). The folder IS the USB. Drag files in and out exactly like a folder on your laptop.
Important: click the eject icon (⏏) next to the device in the file-manager sidebar before physically unplugging it. This tells Linux to finish writing any pending data and unmount cleanly, same as Windows's "Safely Remove Hardware". Yanking a USB out without ejecting risks corrupting the files you just copied onto it. (Module 7 covers mount points in detail.)
Webcams & microphones: built-in laptop or USB external
Most laptop webcams and most USB webcams just work, Linux drivers are part of the kernel. Plug in a USB webcam and it appears immediately in Zoom, Teams, Slack, your built-in camera app (Cheese on GNOME, Kamoso on KDE Plasma), Firefox and Chrome video-call sites. Same for USB microphones: Settings → Sound on GNOME (or System Settings → Audio on KDE Plasma) shows them in the Input dropdown.
First-time browser permission: the first time a website wants to use your camera or microphone, Firefox or Chrome asks "Allow this site to use your camera?". Click Allow once and the site is set up forever. Identical to the prompt on Windows.
External monitors: plug in, drag-to-arrange
External monitors work the way Windows users expect: plug in the HDMI / DisplayPort / USB-C cable, the second screen lights up almost instantly. Detail walkthrough lives in Module 4 · GNOME Desktop, File Manager & System Settings → Multi-monitor, for completeness, here's the one-paragraph version: open Settings → Displays, drag the rectangles to match the physical arrangement on your desk, pick a mode (Join Displays / Mirror / Single Display), set the scale per monitor, click Apply.
Bonus: Connecting your phone (Android & iPhone)
Optional, not required for the certificate. If you're on a work-managed laptop, your IT policy may block personal devices on the work machine. This section is for your personal kit at home.
Linux handles phones differently for the two platforms. Android is easy: USB cable + a free app called KDE Connect. iPhone is more limited: file copy works over USB, but iCloud, app management and iTunes-style backups don't.
Android, KDE Connect is the killer feature
Install on your laptop from your distro's app store, GNOME Software (Ubuntu / Fedora), Discover (KDE Plasma / Kubuntu) or Software Manager (Mint). Search "KDE Connect", click Install. Same one-click flow as the Windows or macOS App Store. Install on your Android phone from the Play Store: search "KDE Connect". Both on the same Wi-Fi. Open both apps; they find each other, you tap Pair, done. Now you get:
- Phone notifications on your laptop, a WhatsApp message pops up in your GNOME notification centre
- Send files both directions by drag-and-drop
- Use the phone as a remote for slide decks and media players
- SMS from your laptop (Android only), read & reply to texts on the big keyboard
- Find the phone by ringing it from your laptop when it's lost in the sofa
Android, quick file copy without KDE Connect
USB cable. On the phone, tap the USB notification → choose "File Transfer" (sometimes called MTP). The phone appears in the Files app sidebar like a USB stick. Drag files in and out. Slower than KDE Connect over Wi-Fi but works without installing anything.
iPhone, photos and contacts work; the rest is limited
USB cable. The first time, the iPhone asks "Trust this computer?", tap Trust and enter your phone passcode. The phone then appears in the Files app sidebar; you can copy your Photos folder out. You cannot sync iCloud, install apps, manage backups, or use any iTunes-style feature on Linux, Apple does not ship those tools. Workarounds: icloud.com in a browser for photos, calendar and contacts; Snapdrop.net for ad-hoc file sharing (works in any browser, no app on either side).
Both, pair as a Bluetooth audio device
Settings → Bluetooth → toggle on → click your phone in the list → tap "Pair" on the phone. Once paired you can make phone calls through the laptop's microphone and speakers, useful for hands-free at the desk.
Bonus: The honest answer: what does NOT just work?
Optional, not required for the certificate. Useful if you're buying new hardware for yourself; civil-servant workstations come pre-configured by IT.
Being straight with you. 95% of accessories work the moment you plug them in. The short list of what does not:
- Some brand-new printer models released in the last few months, driver lands a few weeks behind. Workaround: CUPS web admin at
127.0.0.1:631usually has a generic driver that works fine. - Fingerprint readers on Lenovo / HP / Dell business laptops, some work via
fprintd, some don't. Check your specific model on the Arch Wiki before relying on it. - Apple Magic Mouse / Magic Trackpad, pair as Bluetooth, but multi-touch gestures (two-finger scroll on the Magic Trackpad, the swipes) are limited. Bluetooth keyboards from Apple work fine.
- The newest game controllers, Steam Input usually has them by the time the games ship, but a brand-new Xbox or PlayStation controller may need a kernel update.
- Proprietary docking stations from some Dell and Lenovo lines, basic USB-C docks work; some advanced models with custom firmware do not.
For everyday office accessories, printer, scanner, USB stick, Bluetooth headphones, webcam, phone, Linux is roughly as good as Windows in 2026. For specialist hardware, check linux-hardware.org for your specific model before you commit. The site has user-submitted compatibility reports for almost every laptop and accessory.