The Fedora Project officially released Fedora Linux 45 on 3 November 2026. Community leaders Aoife Moloney and Jef Spaleta shared the general availability of the new operating system across desktop, server, edge, and cloud builds.
Fedora 45 brings polished desktop upgrades, powerful new installer features, modern security tools, and updated developer stacks.
You can download fresh installation media directly for Workstation, KDE Plasma, Server, Cloud, and CoreOS. Alternatively, you can upgrade your existing installation smoothly to Fedora 45.
Table of Contents
Key Upgrades and New System Features in Fedora 45
Fedora 45 brings major fixes to system tools and desktop security. Let us discuss some of the notable key features in Fedora 45.
1. Powered by Linux Kernel 7.2
The Fedora 45 release ships with latest Linux Kernel 7.2.x series. As of writing this, the Fedora 45 is powered by Linux 7.2.15.
$ uname -mrs
Linux 7.2.15-300.fc45.x86_64 x86_64
2. Native Stratis Storage in the Installer
One of the biggest features in Fedora Linux 45 is built-in support for Stratis storage right inside the Anaconda installer.
Stratis brings advanced enterprise storage tools to your local drives. For example, it gives you thin provisioning, storage pooling, dynamic filesystem sizing, snapshots, and encryption.
You can set up Stratis storage in two easy ways:
- Graphical Installation: When you pick custom partitioning in the installer, you can open the Cockpit storage module directly. From there, you can create Stratis storage pools across physical drives and set up dynamic
/and/homefilesystems. - Automated Kickstart Installs: System administrators can use the new
--type=stratisflag during automated setups alongside dedicatedstratispoolandstratisfscommands.
3. Upgraded Desktop Environments
3.1 GNOME 51 (Fedora Workstation)
Fedora Workstation 45 features GNOME 51 ("A Coruña"), which focuses on visual speed and application polish.
- Smoother Visuals: The Mutter window manager reworks its frame scheduling system. As a result, desktop transitions and window snapping maintain a steady frame rate even under heavy processing loads.
- Unified Graphics Pipeline: GNOME retires legacy proprietary NVIDIA paths in favour of the standard GBM memory path for Wayland sessions.
- Everyday App Enhancements: The Files (Nautilus) app adds a drag-and-drop file counter badge and loads folders without freezing your screen. The Calendar app scrolls faster through dense schedules. In addition, the quick file previewer gets a modern redesign built on GTK 4.
3.2 KDE Plasma 6.8 (Fedora KDE Edition)
Fedora KDE Plasma Desktop Edition 45 ships with KDE Plasma 6.8, marking the 30th anniversary of the KDE project.
- Per-Screen Virtual Desktops: You can now set up independent virtual desktops on each monitor.
- System Tray Quick Toggles: A new system tray switch lets you toggle between light and dark themes instantly.
- Accessibility Enhancements: A new "Dwell Clicker" tool sends mouse clicks automatically when your pointer stops moving.
- Refined Themes: The classic Oxygen theme returns alongside updates to the default Breeze theme.
4. Stronger System Security and Core Architecture
Fedora 45 updates core infrastructure to keep your computer safe and stable:
- Standardized Secret Storage (oo7): Fedora replaces legacy keyrings like GNOME Keyring and KWallet with oo7. Written in Rust,
oo7provides memory-safe credential storage and isolates secrets for Flatpak applications. - Virtual Terminal Modernization (kmscon): The system replaces the old kernel console (
fbcon) with kmscon in userspace. This change brings smoother text rendering and better font handling. - Package Signature Enforcement: Fedora 45 enforces valid RPM package signature checks by default. Therefore, your system blocks unsigned software automatically before installation.
- DNF5 Vendor Protection: DNF5 disables automatic package vendor changes by default (
allow_vendor_change=False). This rule prevents system updates from swapping packages across different software vendors without your permission.
5. Updated Developer Runtimes and Databases
Developers gain access to the latest language compilers, runtimes, and database engines:
- Compilers and Toolchains: The update includes GCC 16.2, glibc 2.44, binutils 2.47, LLVM 23, and RPM 6.1.
- Language Runtimes: The software stack updates to Python 3.15, Go 1.27, Perl 5.44, Lua 5.5, and Ruby on Rails 8.1.
- Databases and Containers: Default database streams switch to MySQL 9.7 and MariaDB 12.3. Container users get Podman 6.0, which drops deprecated backends like
slirp4netnsandcgroups v1. Data science workflows also gain Pandas 3.0.
Fedora Asahi Remix for Apple Silicon Macs
The Fedora Asahi SIG and Asahi Linux project released Fedora Asahi Remix 45 on 2 November 2026.
This edition brings Fedora Linux 45 to Apple Silicon Macs. In addition to supporting Apple M1 and M2 systems, this release adds out-of-the-box support for Apple M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max computers.
Furthermore, all Apple Silicon Macs gain hardware-accelerated H.264 and VP9 video decoding, while M3 systems also support hardware AV1 decoding. You can choose flagship desktop builds featuring KDE Plasma 6.8 or GNOME 51.
How to Upgrade Your System Safely
You can upgrade your existing Fedora system straight from the terminal. Before you start, you must back up your files to stay safe.
First, update your current software and restart your computer:
sudo dnf upgrade --refresh
Second, download the new beta packages:
sudo dnf system-upgrade download --releasever=45
If third-party packages block the update, you can add --allowerasing to clear conflicting files.
Third, reboot your computer into the offline installer:
sudo dnf offline reboot
Please note that older DNF4 setups use sudo dnf system-upgrade reboot instead).
Also, if you upgrade a Raspberry Pi, enable systemd-timesyncd before you download the files. This clock fix prevents package signature checks from failing during the reboot.
If you run Fedora Asahi Remix on a Mac, you must use the command line to upgrade. Graphical apps like GNOME Software cannot process the Asahi upgrade.
For those who use immutable Atomic Desktops like Fedora Silverblue, you can rebase your system using rpm-ostree:
rpm-ostree update
rpm-ostree rebase fedora:fedora/45/x86_64/silverblue
Note: Fedora 45 officially retires two legacy NetworkManager VPN plugins (NetworkManager-vpnc and NetworkManager-fortisslvpn). Be sure to migrate your VPN connections to openconnect or libreswan before upgrading.
Download Fedora 45
You can download the Fedora 45 directly from official Fedora Project portals across several edition-specific download pages:
Main Editions and Variants
- Fedora Workstation 45: fedoraproject.org/workstation/download/
- Fedora KDE Plasma Desktop 45: fedoraproject.org/kde/download/
- Fedora Server 45: fedoraproject.org/server/download/
- Fedora Cloud 45: fedoraproject.org/cloud/download/
- Fedora IoT 45: fedoraproject.org/iot/download/
- Fedora CoreOS 45: fedoraproject.org/coreos/download?stream=stable
- Desktop Spins (Xfce, LXDE, COSMIC, i3, etc.): fedoraproject.org/spins/
- Atomic Desktops: fedoraproject.org/atomic-desktops/
- Fedora Labs: fedoraproject.org/labs/
Alternative Download Options
- BitTorrent Downloads: If HTTP mirrors run slowly or experience synchronization delays, you can download ISOs via torrent at fedoraproject.org/torrents/45/.
- Apple Silicon Macs: You can install Fedora Linux Asahi Remix 45 by following the official Fedora Asahi Remix installation guide.
Verify Fedora ISO
To verify your downloaded Fedora ISO, you need to perform a two-step process: first, confirm the CHECKSUM file is authentic (so it hasn't been tampered with), and second, use that file to check the integrity of the ISO. This ensures the file you downloaded is exactly what the Fedora Project published.
On Linux (or WSL on Windows)
Linux is the most straightforward environment for this, as the required tools are usually pre-installed.
1. Verify the CHECKSUM file's GPG signature
First, download the Fedora GPG keys and the *-CHECKSUM file for your specific ISO into the same directory.
For example, if you want to verify the Fedora 45 ISO, Fedora currently lists these files and the corresponding verification commands on its Fedora Workstation 45 download page.
Then, run these commands:
# Download the Fedora 45 Workstation Checksum
wget https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/releases/45/Workstation/x86_64/iso/Fedora-Workstation-45-1.4-x86_64-CHECKSUM
# Import the Fedora GPG keys
curl -O https://fedoraproject.org/fedora.gpg
# Verify the CHECKSUM file's signature
gpgv --keyring ./fedora.gpg *-CHECKSUM
You should see output stating Good signature from "Fedora ...".
Sample Output (tested against Fedora 45 Workstation Edition ISO):
gpgv: Signature made Saturday 31 October 2026 12:42:37 PM IST
gpgv: using RSA key 4F50A6114CD5C6976A7F1179655A4B02F577861E
gpgv: Good signature from "Fedora (45) <fedora-45-primary@fedoraproject.org>"
2. Verify the ISO's checksum
Once the CHECKSUM file is verified, use it to check the ISO:
sha256sum -c *-CHECKSUM --ignore-missing
If the ISO is valid, you will see a line ending in OK.
Fedora-Workstation-Live-45-1.4.x86_64.iso: OK
sha256sum: WARNING: 17 lines are improperly formatted
Check the following guide for more details:
On Windows
Windows doesn't have sha256sum natively, but you can use PowerShell.
1. Verify the CHECKSUM file (GPG)
You will need a GPG tool like Gpg4win. After installing it, you can use the same commands as in the Linux section within a terminal (like PowerShell or Git Bash) to verify the *-CHECKSUM file's signature.
2. Verify the ISO's checksum (PowerShell)
Open PowerShell and run the following command, replacing the path with the actual location of your ISO file:
Get-FileHash C:\Downloads\Fedora-Workstation-Live-x86_64-41-1.4.iso -Algorithm SHA256 | Format-List
This will output a hash value. You then need to manually compare this output with the corresponding SHA256 hash listed inside the *-CHECKSUM file you downloaded.
On macOS
macOS is Unix-based, so it has similar tools, though the command names differ slightly.
1. Verify the CHECKSUM file (GPG)
You can use a tool like GPG Suite or install gnupg via Homebrew. Use the same gpgv command as shown in the Linux section to verify the *-CHECKSUM file.
2. Verify the ISO's checksum
macOS does not have sha256sum; the equivalent is shasum. To verify the file, run:
shasum -a 256 -c *-CHECKSUM
This should verify the ISO and report OK if it is valid. If you encounter formatting issues, you can also run shasum -a 256 your-downloaded-file.iso and manually compare the output to the hash in the CHECKSUM file.
A Simpler Alternative: Fedora Media Writer
If you use Fedora Media Writer to download your ISO, it handles the verification process automatically for you. It checks the SHA256 and MD5 hashes during the download, saving you from running manual commands.
Important Note: Always verify the CHECKSUM file's signature before using it to check the ISO. Skipping this step means you could be comparing the ISO against a checksum that an attacker has also tampered with, defeating the purpose of the verification.
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