I've been using CachyOS since around December, but I'm getting tired of dealing with occasional breakage and am considering switching to Debian for a more stable experience. I know I'll probably need to reinstall applications, but I'd like to preserve things such as my KDE settings and other personal configuration files. What's the safest and most practical way to transfer my setup between distributions?
4 Answers
Focus on preserving your data rather than trying to migrate every application. Back up important files, note your installed software, and reinstall the programs fresh on Debian. For system-wide settings under /etc, a tool such as etckeeper can help track and restore the changes you intentionally made.
If you can keep a separate /home partition and avoid formatting it during installation, your personal files and many desktop settings should remain available. Still make a complete backup first, since the new system may use different application versions or user IDs.
I separate my data from my configuration: documents, pictures, and videos go to an external drive or NAS, while selected configuration files are stored in a private Git repository. A written list of installed packages and setup steps makes rebuilding the system much faster.
Back up your home directory, reinstall the applications on the new system, and then restore the files you actually need. Most user-specific settings are stored in hidden files and folders, especially in ~/.config, but copying everything blindly can also bring over obsolete or incompatible settings.
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