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Installing the NVIDIA Driver on Linux Mint

ByRex Bytes

Summary: Install the NVIDIA proprietary driver on Linux Mint by temporarily spoofing Ubuntu identity to bypass NVIDIA’s OS check, then restoring your real system identity after the driver is installed.

KeyValue
OSLinux Mint 22.3 Zena
Ubuntu base24.04 Noble Numbat
GPUNVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090
Driver version595.58.03
CUDA version13.2
Driver packagenvidia-driver-595-open

0. Prerequisites

  • Linux Mint 22.x installed (Noble / Ubuntu 24.04 base)
  • An NVIDIA GPU installed in your system
  • sudo access
  • Internet connection

1. Why This Workaround Is Needed

NVIDIA’s Ubuntu PPA installer validates the host OS by reading /etc/os-release. On stock Ubuntu, that file contains ID=ubuntu. Linux Mint returns ID=linuxmint — so the installer refuses to run.

# What Mint reports
ID=linuxmint
ID_LIKE="ubuntu debian"

# What NVIDIA expects
ID=ubuntuCode language: Shell Session (shell)

NVIDIA’s packaging is validated against Ubuntu because Ubuntu dominates the AI/ML workstation market — their actual target audience. Derivatives like Linux Mint work fine technically; the identity check is a validation gate, not a compatibility wall. Linux Mint 22.x shares the Ubuntu Noble (24.04) base, so the NVIDIA packages built for Ubuntu 24.04 install and run correctly once you get past the check.

The fix is to temporarily swap in Ubuntu-compatible identity files before running the installer, then restore Mint’s real identity afterward.

2. Creating the Ubuntu Identity Files

Create a staging directory and populate it with the Ubuntu identity files. You only need to do this once — keep the directory for future driver updates.

mkdir -p ~/fakeubuntu/etcCode language: Shell Session (shell)

Create ~/fakeubuntu/etc/os-release with this exact content:

NAME=”Ubuntu” VERSION=”24.04 LTS (Noble Numbat)” ID=ubuntu ID_LIKE=debian PRETTY_NAME=”Ubuntu 24.04 LTS” VERSION_ID=”24.04″ HOME_URL=”https://www.ubuntu.com/” SUPPORT_URL=”https://help.ubuntu.com/” BUG_REPORT_URL=”https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/” PRIVACY_POLICY_URL=”https://www.ubuntu.com/legal/terms-and-policies/privacy-policy” VERSION_CODENAME=noble UBUNTU_CODENAME=noble

Create ~/fakeubuntu/etc/lsb-release with this exact content:

DISTRIB_ID=Ubuntu DISTRIB_RELEASE=24.04 DISTRIB_CODENAME=noble DISTRIB_DESCRIPTION=”Ubuntu 24.04 LTS”

3. Installing the Driver

The sequence is: back up Mint identity → swap in Ubuntu identity → install driver → restore Mint identity.

3.1 Back Up and Swap Identity

# Back up your real Mint identity files
sudo cp /etc/os-release /etc/os-release.mint.bak
sudo cp /etc/lsb-release /etc/lsb-release.mint.bak

# Swap in the Ubuntu identity
sudo cp ~/fakeubuntu/etc/os-release /etc/os-release
sudo cp ~/fakeubuntu/etc/lsb-release /etc/lsb-releaseCode language: Shell Session (shell)

3.2 Add the PPA and Install the Driver

# Add the NVIDIA graphics drivers PPA
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:graphics-drivers/ppa
sudo apt update

# Install the driver
sudo apt install nvidia-driver-595-openCode language: Shell Session (shell)

Note: The -open variant uses the open kernel module (nvidia-dkms-595-open). This is required for Blackwell architecture GPUs (RTX 50xx series). The closed proprietary module does not support Blackwell — if you install the non--open package on an RTX 5090, the driver will not load.

3.3 Restore Mint Identity

Restore your real system identity immediately after the install completes. Do not leave the swap in place.

sudo cp /etc/os-release.mint.bak /etc/os-release
sudo cp /etc/lsb-release.mint.bak /etc/lsb-releaseCode language: Shell Session (shell)

Then reboot to load the new driver:

sudo rebootCode language: Shell Session (shell)

4. Verifying the Installation

After rebooting, confirm the driver loaded successfully:

nvidia-smiCode language: Shell Session (shell)

Expected output:

NVIDIA-SMI 595.58.03 Driver Version: 595.58.03 CUDA Version: 13.2 GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Temp: 34°C Power: 18W / 575W Memory: 24MiB / 32768MiB

The full set of installed packages:

PackagePurpose
nvidia-driver-595-openDriver metapackage
nvidia-dkms-595-openOpen kernel module (required for Blackwell)
nvidia-kernel-source-595-openKernel module source
nvidia-firmware-595-595.58.03GPU firmware
libnvidia-compute-595CUDA compute library
libnvidia-gl-595OpenGL / Vulkan library
nvidia-utils-595CLI utilities including nvidia-smi
nvidia-settingsGUI settings panel
nvidia-primeGPU switching utility

5. Cleaning Up

If apt shows packages from a previous driver with rc status (e.g. libnvidia-compute-575), those are removed packages with config files still on disk. They are safe to ignore. To purge them:

sudo apt purge ~nlibnvidia-compute-575 ~nnvidia-kernel-common-575Code language: Shell Session (shell)

The ~n prefix is an apt pattern that matches all packages whose name contains that string.

Keep ~/fakeubuntu/etc/ around — you will need the same swap procedure for future driver version upgrades.

Summary

Linux Mint’s OS identity (ID=linuxmint) causes NVIDIA’s Ubuntu PPA installer to refuse to run. The fix is to stage Ubuntu-compatible identity files, swap them in for the duration of the install, then immediately restore Mint’s real identity. Since Linux Mint 22.x shares the Ubuntu Noble base, the NVIDIA packages install and function correctly — the identity check is a validation gate, not a real incompatibility.

For Blackwell GPUs (RTX 50xx series), install the -open variant of the driver package. The closed proprietary module does not support Blackwell architecture.

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