How to switch Linux distros and retain all of your data
How to switch Linux distros and retain all of your data
https://www.zdnet.com/article/how-to-switch-linux-distros-and-retain-all-of-your-data/
Publish Date: 2026-02-17 12:48:00
Source Domain: www.zdnet.com
Jack Wallen / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET
ZDNET key takeaways
- Hopping to a different distro doesn’t mean you have to lose data.
- There are three possible options for you to try.
- Make sure to test these before you do it.
Are you feeling that eternal pull to jump to a different Linux distribution? It happens. I’ve gone through that experience so many times that I’ve lost count.
Migrating from one distribution to another isn’t all that hard… Unless you want to retain all of the data within your home directory (or any directory, for that matter). If you don’t do something to save that data, you will lose out and have to start all over.
You don’t want that (unless you have nothing of importance in your home directory).
What you can do depends on your setup and needs.
Also: 5 command line backup tools every Linux user should use for desktops and servers
Let me explain.
The best way to switch distributions and keep your data
Linux is so well designed, that you can install the operating system in such a way that your home directory can be easily migrated from one distribution to another.
How you do this is partition the distribution in such a way that your home directory is on a separate partition from the OS.
Sounds difficult, right? It’s really not.
Let me show you the basics of how this is done, demonstrating on the latest release of Ubuntu. Before you even start the installation, you should either make sure there’s a second disk in your machine or connect an external SSD (with a cable fast enough to handle data transmission). To do this, walk through the installation as you normally would, until you reach the Disk Setup section of the installation.
When you’re presented with the two routes of setting up your disk, select “Manual installation.” In the resulting window, you should see your drive listed. If you have a secondary drive, it should be listed as well.
Select the secondary disk and then click +. When prompted, configure the size you want to use for the /home…
