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I want to migrate from Linux Mint to Ubuntu. Does the installer offer me to keep the documents? Or do I need to manually back up? Thanks

nico_so
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  • You can re-install Ubuntu Desktop without losing any files, plus having the manually installed packages auto-reinstalled. The system I'm using now was initially a Linux Mint install (it was a second hand box, and I test it out using an OS I don't usually intend on keeping, and was having a look at Linux Mint using it intended to clean install before I kept it once I trusted my new second-hand hardware), but I liked some of the Linux Mint things, so I cleaned it manually of what I didn't want to survive re-install, then just installed Ubuntu & it's been Ubuntu ever since. Just don't format – guiverc Sep 06 '22 at 07:12
  • You gave no specifics; but it works with any Ubuntu Desktop and flavor ISO using the ubiquity or calamares installer. Select your existing partition(s) & don't format. The cleaning I did was to erase package details & sources on my own system, so the Ubuntu system would not try and re-install those pieces (I wanted a clean Ubuntu system without any of the runtime adjustments etc that Linux Mint uses; Ubuntu is runtime adjustment free), but that's optional. All my user files survived. FYI: Of course you should backup!! as it's easy to make a mistake. – guiverc Sep 06 '22 at 07:16
  • I've written answers to this question before (twice if I recall correctly & many more times via comment like ^) but I can't find them.. https://askubuntu.com/questions/1058550/change-linux-mint-to-ubuntu & others, but I can't find the ones I'd like to post duplicate to. – guiverc Sep 06 '22 at 07:27
  • only Ubiquity and other minority of the installers can do this. – Rishon_JR Sep 06 '22 at 08:27

1 Answers1

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Whether you move from Mint to Ubuntu, or whether you stay on Mint, you need your manual backup anyway. That is, if your own data have any value to you.

Migrating to a different operating system means wiping the existing system partition and reinstalling. If the user data is also on that partition, it will also be erased, so will need to be copied back once the installation is over.

Does the installer offer me to keep the documents?

Obviously no, there is no specific option to keep documents. The installer offers a few options, and depending on your current setup and on the option you take, user documents may or may not be preserved. For example, there is an option to install Ubuntu next to the existing operating system. Then, the the documents, but also the Mint operating system, will be preserved. This is, however, not exactly what you want.

Rishon_JR
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vanadium
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  • "Migrating to a different operating system means wiping the existing system partition and reinstalling. " Hmmmmm ... how about: create dual boot then transfer files and then remove mint :-) and yes: backups we all make. Regardless of what we do with our systems. – Rinzwind Sep 06 '22 at 08:52
  • @Rinzwind there are more complex options indeed. "Backups we all make": I am not convinced. It is one of the first things we need to teach: have a backup of your personal data and then you are fine whatever. Here I see a user that asks "whether he needs a manual backup"... – vanadium Sep 06 '22 at 09:16
  • I make backups of backups of backups and it has been burned into my soul. Nobody ever will here me say: I don't have a backup :P – Rinzwind Sep 17 '22 at 09:30
  • @Rinzwind, I know, I also do ;) Still, also I learned it the hard way, fortunately still in the time where floppies were only 320 K :-) – vanadium Sep 17 '22 at 09:46