Thanks to this, you can try the newer release on your computer and see if your hardware is recognized before proceeding to the upgrade. In some cases, this could mean that upgrading to this release is the wrong decision, maybe you're better off skipping that particular release? There's only one way to know: you need to try it. For instance, you may find out that a graphic card or a wireless adapter which currently works fine for you under Linux Mint, isn't recognized by the newer version of Linux Mint you're planning to upgrade to. This means that it handles hardware differently.

Every release comes with a different kernel. You'll also want to make sure that the release you're upgrading to is right for you. The first thing to do is to make a backup of your data. No matter what way you're going to upgrade. If anything happens and you break your operating system, it's not a problem, it can be reinstalled. Your personal data is the most valuable thing in your computer. That you end up with a fully functional system The most important things when it comes to upgrading are: unless you need to, or unless you really want to, there's no reason for you to upgrade. If bug fixes and security updates are important to you, you should regularly upgrade to the latest releases, otherwise there's nothing wrong with keeping things as they are.Īs a general rule.

The development team is also focused on the latest release. In fact, you could skip many releases and stick with the version that works for you.Įach release receives bug fixes and security updates for about 18 months (or 3 years in the case of 'Long Term Support' releases such as Linux Mint 13). It usually comes with new features and improvements but there's nothing wrong with sticking with the release you already have. If things are working fine and you're happy with your current system, then you don't need to upgrade.Ī new version of Linux Mint is released every 6 months. This tutorial explains how to upgrade to a newer release of Linux Mint.

Linux mint version