Do I Need to Format My Drives When Switching From Bazzite to Mint or Ubuntu?

You generally only need to format the partition where the new system’s root directory (/) will be installed. Other drives or partitions can usually be left untouched and mounted after installation. Still, make a backup first in case the installer or a partitioning mistake causes data loss.

It depends on how your current disks are partitioned and which installation options you choose. A clean installation normally formats the target system partition, but a separate data partition can be preserved through manual partitioning. Don’t rely on the installer recognizing everything perfectly—verify the partition sizes and labels carefully before proceeding.

For easier future distro changes, keep your personal files on a separate home or data partition and make sure the installer is not set to format it. This works best when the filesystem and partition layout are supported by both distributions. If the existing system and new system use incompatible layouts, or if you reuse the same root partition without cleaning it, leftover files can cause problems.