A step‑by‑step guide shows how to replace Linux Mint 20 LTS’s outdated LibreOffice 6.4 with the latest stable release using the official LibreOffice PPA or manual DEB bundles. It explains why the default repository lags behind and what each command does, so you won’t install broken dependencies by accident. The article also covers how to keep the suite current after installation and includes quick checks to verify the version. Follow these instructions and your Mint system will have a fully‑featured, up‑to‑date office suite without any hassle.

Install/Upgrade LibreOffice on Linux Mint 20 LTS

If you’re sick of the stock LibreOffice that ships with Mint, this guide will show you how to pull in the newest stable release and keep it updated without breaking your system. You’ll walk away with a fully‑functional office suite that matches what you see on other distros.

The default repo is stuck in the past

Mint 20 LTS pulls LibreOffice 6.4 from Ubuntu 20.04’s archives. It works, but it lacks features and bug fixes that landed in 7.x. I’ve watched coworkers lose table formatting after a minor document was opened with the old build – not fun when you need to hand something off to a client.

Grab the official LibreOffice PPA

The easiest way to stay current is to use the LibreOffice team’s own Personal Package Archive (PPA). It adds a new source, pulls in all dependencies, and lets apt upgrade do the rest.

1. Open a terminal and add the PPA:

   sudo add-apt-repository ppa:libreoffice/ppa
   

   Why? Adding this repository tells Mint to look at LibreOffice’s own package pool instead of the frozen Ubuntu snapshot.

2. Refresh your package lists:

   sudo apt update
   

3. Install (or upgrade) LibreOffice:

   sudo apt install libreoffice
   

   Why? If you already have LibreOffice, apt will replace the old packages with the newer ones from the PPA; if not, it pulls in a fresh set.

Installing the DEB bundles directly (for the picky)

Sometimes you want an even newer release than what the PPA offers – say LibreOffice 7.6 right after it drops. The official download page provides tarballs of .deb files that you can install manually.

1. Download the latest “DEB (x86_64)” archive from

   https://www.libreoffice.org/download/download/

   .

2. Extract the archive:

   tar -xf LibreOffice_7.*_Linux_x86-64_deb.tar.gz
   

3. Install all .deb files in one go:

   sudo dpkg -i LibreOffice_7.*_Linux_x86-64_deb/DEBS/*.deb
   

   Why? dpkg places the binaries where the system expects them, and because you’re pulling everything from a single source there’s no dependency mismatch.

4. Fix any missing dependencies:

   sudo apt -f install
   

Keeping the suite up to date

If you used the PPA, regular apt upgrade will fetch new LibreOffice releases automatically. With manual DEB installs you’ll need to repeat the download/extract steps whenever a new version appears.

A quick tip: run libreoffice --version after each upgrade to confirm you’re on the expected build.

That’s it – you’ve swapped out Mint’s stale office suite for a lean, up‑to‑date LibreOffice that won’t surprise you with missing features.