Where to find help
Many users will be glad to help you and guide you through your first steps with Linux if you are nice and patient with them and if you give them the information they require to understand the issues you are facing.
The forums
The best place to find help is on the Linux Mint Forums.
Hint
Search the forums before asking, in case someone else already asked the same question.
The chat room
Another great place to find help is in the IRC chat room.
To reach the chat room from within Linux Mint, launch .
If you are using another operating system, you can use Kiwiirc to connect to the chat room.
Hint
Many people are connected to the chat room but only look at it now and then. Be patient after asking a question. Don’t repeat it and stay connected until you get an answer. It can sometimes take a few hours for somebody to see your question and reply to you. Don’t quit after a few minutes. It is frustrating to you, but also to others who later see your question and are unable to reply because you already left.
Hint
If you are using Hexchat, you can minimize it to tray by clicking its status icon. People will often mention your nickname when replying to you. When they do, your Hexchat status icon will blink to catch your attention.
Community resources
The tutorials section is useful to find tutorials about Linux Mint.
The hardware database is useful to find compatible hardware.
Local communities
To find help in your language, use the Local Communities.