At some point, there will come a time when you will need to upgrade your installation of Linux Mint to a newer version. You may do so as soon as a new version is released, so that you can benefit from exciting new features, though the primary reason for upgrading is due to the support of your currently installed version coming to an end. Each normal version of Linux Mint is supported for up to 9 months. After the support for your installed version ends, installing a newer (and supported) version is ideal. Your current version will not suddenly stop working, but you will stop getting security updates, so it is definitely important to stay as current as possible.

As mentioned earlier in this book, Linux Mint does not feature an upgrade utility to move from one version of the distribution to another. This means that the only way to move to a new release of Mint is to do a fresh install. Many may see this as a substantial downside, but it's important to consider...