How To Upgrade To Linux Mint 20 From Linux Mint 19 [Detailed Guide]

Linux Mint 20 was released on June 27, 2020, codenamed Ulyana. If you haven’t upgraded your system to Linux Mint yet, here is the guide on how to upgrade Linux Mint 19.x to Linux Mint 20.

Linux Mint will be supported until 2025.

Take a look at the new features in Linux Mint 20 to learn more about what you get when you upgrade your system to Linux Mint 20.

Requirement

To upgrade to Linux Mint 20 your system needs to have the 64-bit version of Linux Mint 19.x.

Linux Mint 19.x 32-bit version is not supported for upgrade. So, you consider installing the fresh installation of Linux Mint 20.

Pre-Upgrade Tasks

Internet Connection

The System needs to have an active internet connection to download packages.

Backup

Before upgrading Linux Mint 19 to Linux Mint 20, take a backup of important files to an external drive or online cloud storage and system backup with the help of Timeshift.

Prepare Linux Mint for Upgrade

Linux Mint 19.3

First, we need to install the latest updates for the current version of Linux Mint, i.e., Linux Mint 19.3 using the following command.

sudo apt update

sudo apt upgrade -y

Reboot the system.

sudo reboot

Linux Mint 19.0/19.1/19.2

First, we need to install the latest updates for the current version of Linux Mint, i.e., Linux Mint 19.0/19.1/19.2 using the following command.

sudo apt update

sudo apt upgrade -y

Reboot the system.

sudo reboot

Then, upgrade the Linux Mint to 19.3.

sudo mint-release-upgrade

Shortly, you will get an upgrade window informing you that a new version of Linux Mint is available. Click Next.

Upgrade Linux Mint
Upgrade Linux Mint

Read release notes and click Next.

Release Notes
Release Notes

Click Next on New features window.

New features
New features

Click Apply to install updates.

Apply Updates
Apply Updates

After completion of the update. Reboot the system.

sudo reboot

Take System Snapshot

You must take a system snapshot with the help of Timeshift. This snapshot will help you restore your system in case the upgrade goes wrong.

Open the Timeshift (Menu » Administration » Timeshift) and chose RSYNC as a backup mode.

Snapshot Type
Snapshot Type

Choose the external drive (recommended) for storing a system snapshot. In my case, I am using a USB stick for storing snapshots. You need to format the USB stick with ext4 or Linux file system. Click Finish.

sudo mkfs.ext4 /dev/sdb1
Snapshot Location
Snapshot Location

Click Create to create a new snapshot and wait for the snapshot creation to complete.

Snapshot In Progress
Snapshot In Progress

Once the snapshot is completed, proceed to upgrade to Linux Mint 20.

Snapshots
Snapshots

Upgrade To Linux Mint 20

Install Mint upgrade package for upgrading the Linux Mint system.

sudo apt install -y mintupgrade

Check Upgrade

Check the upgrade. This command temporarily points your system to Linux Mint 20 repositories and assesses the impact of an upgrade.

mintupgrade check

Type y to begin the upgrade check. This check doesn’t affect your system.

Upgrade Check
Upgrade Check

Press Enter to continue.

If the upgrade is possible, the output would show which packages would be upgraded, installed, removed, and not upgraded.

Upgrade Check Complete
Upgrade Check Complete

Download Upgrades

Download the necessary packages for upgrading the system using the following command.

mintupgrade download

Type y to download packages.

Download Upgrades
Download Upgrades

Wait for the packages to get downloaded.

Upgrades Download Complete
Upgrades Download Complete

Apply Upgrades

Install the upgrades to upgrade the system to Linux Mint 20. This is irreversible and the only way to get back your old system is restoring the system from the snapshot taken earlier.

mintupgrade upgrade

Type y to continue.

Apply Upgrades
Apply Upgrades

Type y to confirm and begin the upgrade process.

Confirm Upgrade
Confirm Upgrade

Wait for the upgrade to complete.

Upgrade Complete
Upgrade Complete

Reboot the system upon completion of the upgrade.

sudo reboot

Once your system is rebooted, you will get the Linux Mint 20 login screen. Log in with your existing credentials.

You will get the Linux Mint welcome screen upon successful login.

Linux Mint 20 Welcome Window
Linux Mint 20 Welcome Window

Conclusion

That’s All. Your system has been successfully upgraded to Linux Mint 20. Do check out articles of Linux Mint 20 to get the most out of your OS upgrade.

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