How to Install Linux Mint 22.3 "Zena"

Step 1: choose a version and edition

Linux Mint 22.3 "Zena" (January 2026) is the current release. It is based on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS and supported until April 2029. Mint 23, based on Ubuntu 26.04 LTS, is planned for December 2026. There is also LMDE 7 "Gigi", the same desktop on Debian 13 instead of Ubuntu.

Requirements: 64-bit CPU, 20 GB disk minimum (100 GB recommended), and a 1024×768 or larger display. If the machine has a very new GPU or Wi-Fi chip, Mint ships an "Edge" ISO in some releases with a newer kernel; check the download page.

Step 2: download and verify the ISO

From the download page, pick a mirror near you and save the ISO, plus sha256sum.txt and sha256sum.txt.gpg from the same mirror directory.

# 1. integrity: the ISO matches the published checksum
sha256sum -c --ignore-missing sha256sum.txt
# 2. authenticity: the checksum file is signed by Linux Mint
gpg --keyserver hkp://keyserver.ubuntu.com:80 --recv-key "27DE B156 44C6 B3CF 3BD7 D291 300F 846B A25B AE09"
gpg --verify sha256sum.txt.gpg sha256sum.txt

Example output:

linuxmint-22.3-cinnamon-64bit.iso: OK
gpg: Good signature from "Linux Mint ISO Signing Key <[email protected]>"

Check the fingerprint against the one on Linux Mint's official verification instructions in the installation guide before trusting it. On Windows, Get-FileHash .\linuxmint-22.3-cinnamon-64bit.iso in PowerShell gives the SHA-256 to compare with sha256sum.txt.

Step 3: create the bootable USB

• Windows: balenaEtcher, or Rufus (pick DD image mode if it asks). Ventoy works too.
• Existing Mint or Ubuntu: right-click the ISO and choose Make bootable USB stick (USB Image Writer).
• Any Linux, terminal:

  lsblk
  sudo dd if=linuxmint-22.3-cinnamon-64bit.iso of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress oflag=sync

Step 4: boot the live session

1. Plug in the USB and press the boot-menu key at power on: F12, F9, F8, F11 or Esc, depending on the brand.
2. Choose the UEFI entry for the stick. Secure Boot can stay enabled.
3. At the Mint boot menu choose Start Linux Mint. If you get a black screen or a frozen logo, reboot and choose compatibility mode, which adds nomodeset; see kernel parameters.

The live desktop lets you test Wi-Fi, sound, touchpad and display before installing anything.

Step 5: the installer, screen by screen

1. Double-click Install Linux Mint on the desktop.
2. Language and keyboard layout. Use the test box to check special characters.
3. Wireless. Connect now so the installer can fetch updates.
4. Multimedia codecs. Tick Install multimedia codecs. Mint can't ship some codecs in the ISO, and this installs them in the same step. (If you have an NVIDIA GPU and Secure Boot, the installer may ask for a password to enroll a MOK key; remember it for the first reboot.)
5. Installation type:
   • Install Linux Mint alongside Windows Boot Manager: dual boot, with a slider to divide the disk.
   • Erase disk and install Linux Mint: wipes the disk. Under Advanced features you can choose LVM and full-disk encryption.
   • Something else: manual partitioning. You need an EFI System Partition (reuse the existing one), and a / partition (ext4); a swap file is created automatically.
6. Confirm the changes listed in the pop-up. This is the point of no return for the selected partitions.
7. Time zone, user name, computer name and password. Optionally encrypt the home folder; full-disk encryption from the previous step is the stronger choice.
8. Wait for the copy to finish (10–20 minutes), then click Restart Now and remove the USB when asked.

Dual boot with Windows 11

• Before installing: back up, disable Fast Startup in Windows, and save your BitLocker recovery key if BitLocker is on.
• Shrinking C: from Windows Disk Management first is the safest approach; the Mint installer's slider also works, but Windows handles NTFS resizing more reliably.
• After installation, GRUB shows Linux Mint and Windows Boot Manager. If Windows is missing, boot Mint and run:

  sudo update-grub

  Mint enables os-prober, so Windows is normally detected.
• If the PC still boots directly into Windows, pick ubuntu (Mint uses Ubuntu's EFI directory name) in the firmware boot menu and move it first in the boot order.

To remove Linux from a dual boot later, the steps in remove Ubuntu from dual boot apply unchanged to Mint.

After installing: first steps

The Welcome Screen opens on first login and links to every item below.

1. Choose a mirror and update

Open Update Manager; it offers to switch to a local mirror. Accept, then install all updates. From the terminal:

sudo apt update
sudo apt full-upgrade

2. Set up Timeshift

Timeshift takes system snapshots (not your personal files) so you can undo a bad update. Choose RSYNC, pick the disk, and keep the default daily and boot snapshots. Back up your home folder separately; the rsync home backup script is one way.

3. Driver Manager

Open Driver Manager to install the recommended NVIDIA driver, Broadcom Wi-Fi drivers or CPU microcode. Reboot afterwards. On Turing (RTX 20 / GTX 16) and newer, the recommended NVIDIA driver uses the open kernel modules; older Pascal and Maxwell cards need a legacy branch.

4. Software

Software Manager includes both Mint/Ubuntu packages and Flathub Flatpaks. Snap is disabled on Mint by design; prefer the Flatpak or apt version of an app.

5. Firewall

sudo ufw enable
sudo ufw status verbose

Or use the graphical Firewall Configuration tool from the menu.

Moving to Mint 23 later

When Mint 23 is released (planned December 2026), the Mint team publishes an upgrade tool and instructions a few weeks after the release. A fresh install with your home folder restored from backup is the cleanest route; if you put /home on its own partition with "Something else", you can reinstall without touching it. Mint 22.3 stays supported until April 2029, so there is no deadline. See Linux release cycles for how Mint's support follows Ubuntu LTS.

Installation problems

• Black screen or freeze at boot: use compatibility mode, then install the proprietary driver from Driver Manager. If it persists after installing NVIDIA drivers, see NVIDIA black screen fix.
• No "Install alongside Windows" option: the installer cannot see Windows, usually because Fast Startup or hibernation left NTFS locked, BitLocker is on, or the disk is in RAID/RST mode. Fix those in Windows/firmware and retry.
• No Wi-Fi after install: connect by Ethernet or phone USB tethering and open Driver Manager. More in fix Wi-Fi on Linux.
• "grub rescue>" after install: see grub rescue fix.

Mint's own documentation is the Linux Mint Installation Guide.

Frequently asked questions