I’m brand new to Linux Mint (Cinnamon). The version of LibreOffice that installed with it is 7.3.7.2. What is the upgrade path to 25.2? Do I uninstall the current version and install the new version, or is there a way to cause the current version to update itself? The only OS I’ve ever used is Windows. Also, where could I find this information such that I would not have to trouble this group with such a basic question?
Your question is rather one for Linux Mint.
Under Linux, you generally use the package manager that comes with your distribution. This package manager does all the ancillary things behind the scene. It is recommended to run it periodically to update at least the OS so that security patches are applied to your machine.
7.3.7.2 looks quite old. Which version of Mint have you installed? IMHO, first thing to do is to upgrade Mint (and this will also upgrade LO).
I think I have the latest version of Linux Mint. With the information you’ve provided, I will do more research to figure out why LO has not updated. Thanks for your patience for a super newbie.
(unfortunately) many upgrade channels may obfuscate the picture
→ https://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?t=439909
According to Linux Mint website, latest version is 22.1. Since Mint is based on Debian, its package manager is either apt (command line) or synaptic (graphics interface). Try the latter to see what it reports (but don’t do the upgrade until you’re confident with it).
EDIT: the post you mention is dated early February 2025. This is quite too early for 25.2 (which means year 2025, month February) for the release to be generally available in most distros. This should be fixed by now.
Check for the future what a PPA is. If you have installed the very latest LO version via PPA it will update automatically the latest versions.
For some reason I additionally recommend to have a LO version in parallel.
These advices are for advanced use, so try out step by step.