If you want a safe Upgrade from Fedora 43 To Fedora 44, the best path is to use Fedora’s offline DNF upgrade workflow after fully updating Fedora 43 first. Fedora officially recommends downloading packages on the running system, rebooting into a special upgrade environment, and then rebooting again into the new release.

As a Linux admin, I treat release upgrades as controlled maintenance, not as a casual dnf update run. A Fedora version jump replaces core packages, refreshes signing keys, updates the kernel, and can expose stale third-party repositories, so the right sequence matters.

This guide shows you exactly how to perform How To Upgrade from Fedora 43 To Fedora 44, why each step matters, and how to recover if something goes wrong.

Fedora 44 also brings meaningful platform updates that make the move worthwhile. Fedora Workstation ships GNOME 50, Fedora KDE Plasma Desktop includes Plasma 6.6, and the release adds updates such as Ansible 13, MariaDB 11.8, and OpenSSL certificate file handling improvements. If you manage a workstation, development box, or home lab server, this tutorial will help you configure Fedora 43 To Fedora 44 with less risk and more confidence.

Prerequisites

Before you start the Upgrade from Fedora 43 To Fedora 44 setup, make sure you have the basics covered. Fedora’s official upgrade process assumes a supported starting point and working DNF repositories.

• Operating system: Fedora 43 installed and booting normally.
• Permissions: A user account with sudo privileges, or direct root access if you manage the system that way.
• Internet access: A stable connection, because DNF downloads the full upgrade transaction before reboot.
• Disk space: Enough free space on / and /boot for cached packages, a new kernel, and transaction metadata. Many real-world upgrades download around 2 GiB of packages.
• Backup plan: A current backup of /home, /etc, and any application data you cannot afford to lose. Fedora documents the upgrade path, but no package transaction can protect you from bad storage, sudden power loss, or human error.
• Time window: A maintenance window long enough for package download, one offline install cycle, and post-upgrade checks. Fedora performs the upgrade across two reboots.

Step 1: Review Fedora 44 Changes Before You Upgrade

Reading release information before a version jump is not busywork. Fedora explicitly advises users to review the release notes first so they understand important changes and possible upgrade impact.

Check What Changed in Fedora 44

Fedora 44 includes GNOME 50 on Workstation, Plasma 6.6 on KDE, Ansible 13, MariaDB 11.8, and improvements in OpenSSL certificate file handling. Knowing this ahead of time helps you spot areas that may affect your workflow, such as desktop behavior, automation playbooks, database packaging, or SSL-dependent apps.

Why This Step Matters

A version upgrade is not just a package refresh. Fedora 44 introduces updated defaults and new components, and those changes can affect playbooks, login behavior, remote access, or packages you rely on every day.

If you use a Linux workstation for development or follow a Linux server tutorial style workflow for admin tasks, understanding release changes first makes troubleshooting much faster later.

Step 2: Confirm Your Current Fedora Version and System State

Before you start, verify that the machine is really on Fedora 43 and that the package manager sees a healthy base system. This avoids upgrading the wrong host or fighting hidden package inconsistencies.

Check the Current Fedora Release

Run the following commands:

rpm -E %fedora
cat /etc/fedora-release

The first command should return 43, and the second should show a Fedora 43 release string. These checks confirm both the RPM macro and the OS release identity before you point DNF at Fedora 44 repositories.

Check Available Disk Space

Use:

df -h /
df -h /boot

This shows whether the root filesystem and boot partition have enough free space for the upgrade. DNF downloads packages before installation, and Fedora’s offline method stages the process on disk, so low space can interrupt the transaction before or during reboot.

Why This Step Matters

Always verify the current release and free space first because they catch the most preventable failures. If the system already has a partial package issue or a cramped /boot, the upgrade can stop at the worst possible time, usually after you have committed to rebooting.

Step 3: Back Up Important Data and Save Custom Configurations

A clean upgrade is common, but safe admins plan for the rare bad day. Fedora’s documented process is reliable, yet any major system change still touches thousands of packages and critical boot components.

What to Back Up

At a minimum, back up:

• /home
• /etc
• /usr/local
• Custom application configs
• Database dumps if the system runs services
• SSH keys and automation scripts

These locations usually contain your personal data, service definitions, local binaries, and hand-tuned configs. If the system fails to boot after the upgrade, this backup shortens recovery time dramatically.

Example Backup with rsync

sudo rsync -aAXHv /home /etc /usr/local /mnt/backup-drive/

This command copies data while preserving permissions, ACLs, extended attributes, and hard links where possible. That matters because Linux systems rely heavily on file metadata, and a flat copy without attributes can break services when restored.

Why This Step Matters

The upgrade path itself is supported, but backups protect you from problems outside DNF’s control, such as failing SSDs, accidental power cuts, or a bad config merge after the reboot. Fedora also notes that upgraded systems may require config review, which is much easier when you have a known-good copy of old files.

Step 4: Fully Update Fedora 43 Before You Download Fedora 44 Packages

This is the most important preparation step. Fedora states clearly that you should run a full refresh update first and not skip it because system updates deliver the signing keys for newer Fedora releases and often fix upgrade-related issues.

Update Package Metadata and Installed Packages

Run:

sudo dnf upgrade --refresh

This command forces DNF to refresh repository metadata and then install all pending updates. The --refresh option matters because it tells DNF not to trust stale local metadata when preparing a major release jump.

Reboot into the Latest Fedora 43 Kernel

After the update completes, reboot:

sudo reboot

Once the machine comes back, run the refresh command again to confirm there are no remaining pending updates:

sudo dnf upgrade --refresh

If DNF reports nothing left to do, the system is ready for the next stage. Fedora recommends rebooting after the update because the current release must be fully current before you begin the version upgrade itself.

Why This Step Matters

This is where many users go wrong. If you skip the pre-upgrade refresh, your system may not have the newer Fedora GPG signing keys, and the package verification stage can fail when DNF tries to download Fedora 44 content.

In plain terms, updating first gives your Fedora 43 system the trust data and bug fixes it needs to verify the Fedora 44 packages safely.

Step 5: Start the Upgrade from Fedora 43 To Fedora 44 Setup

Now you are ready to stage the actual release upgrade. Fedora recommends the dnf system-upgrade workflow for command-line upgrades, and on newer Fedora releases this is embedded into DNF5.

Confirm the Upgrade Command Is Available

Check the help output:

dnf system-upgrade --help

If the command returns help text, your system recognizes the upgrade workflow. Fedora’s docs explain that dnf system-upgrade is embedded into DNF5, while the older plugin exists for DNF4 systems.

Download Fedora 44 Packages

Run:

sudo dnf system-upgrade download --releasever=44

This command tells DNF to resolve all dependencies against Fedora 44 repositories and download the required RPMs while Fedora 43 is still running. Fedora describes this as the recommended command-line method because it downloads all packages first, then installs in a special offline environment during reboot.

You may see a GPG key import prompt during this process. Fedora tells you to verify the key fingerprint against the official Fedora security page before accepting it.

Review the DNF Transaction Summary

During the transaction, DNF will list packages to install, upgrade, replace, or remove. That output is your chance to spot trouble, especially if third-party repositories are involved. Fedora notes that unsatisfied dependencies often come from third-party repositories that have not published updated paths yet.

Why This Step Matters

The --releasever=44 option is what changes the target release. Without it, DNF stays on Fedora 43 repositories and never prepares the new release.

The staged download also improves safety because the running system does not start replacing core libraries mid-session. Instead, Fedora waits until reboot and performs the install in a special systemd target designed for upgrade work.

Step 6: Resolve Third-Party Repository Problems Before Rebooting

Third-party repos are the most common source of failed Fedora upgrades. Fedora’s own docs warn that packages with unsatisfied dependencies often come from external repositories that are not yet updated for the new release.

List All Repositories

Run:

dnf repolist --all

This shows enabled and disabled repositories on your system. Use it to identify Chrome repos, RPM Fusion entries, COPR repos, database vendor repos, or anything custom you added in /etc/yum.repos.d/.

Disable a Problematic Repository

If a repo blocks the upgrade, disable it and try the download again. For example:

sudo dnf config-manager setopt google-chrome.enabled=0
sudo dnf system-upgrade download --releasever=44

This approach is safer than blindly allowing package removals. It removes the blocking repository from the equation while preserving your ability to re-enable it later after it supports Fedora 44.

Use –allowerasing Only If You Understand the Removals

If DNF still refuses to continue because of dependency conflicts, you can try:

sudo dnf system-upgrade download --releasever=44 --allowerasing

Fedora explicitly says to study the output very carefully and make sure none of the packages being removed are essential to your workflow or system function.

Why This Step Matters

A release upgrade should not feel like gambling. Disable stale repos first, read the transaction summary, and only use --allowerasing when you understand every package DNF wants to remove. That habit protects developer tools, drivers, browsers, or server components that may not yet have Fedora 44 builds.

Step 7: Reboot into the Offline Upgrade Environment

Once DNF has downloaded the full Fedora 44 transaction successfully, trigger the offline install. Fedora says the system reboots into a special environment to install packages and then reboots a second time into the updated release.

Save Your Work Before Rebooting

Close terminals, editors, browsers, containers, and any running services you need to stop gracefully. Fedora warns that the offline reboot happens immediately in some workflows, so do not leave unsaved work open.

Start the Offline Upgrade

Run:

sudo dnf5 offline reboot

Fedora’s current documentation states that on DNF5 systems, this command performs the upgrade offline during the next boot.

If you want to cancel the queued upgrade and remove downloaded files before rebooting, run:

sudo dnf5 offline clean

What Happens During the Reboot

The system boots into a special upgrade target and installs the staged packages outside your normal desktop or shell session. Fedora uses this design because it avoids conflicts with running programs and allows core libraries and system packages to be replaced in a controlled environment.

Why This Step Matters

Offline upgrades reduce the risk of replacing active libraries under live applications. From a sysadmin perspective, that is the right design for a distribution upgrade because it keeps the transaction isolated from browsers, shells, GUI apps, and long-running services.

Step 8: Verify and Configure Fedora 43 To Fedora 44 After Reboot

When the second reboot completes, do not assume everything is perfect. Spend a few minutes validating the new release and cleaning up the system. Fedora documents several post-upgrade tasks that help keep the machine stable.

Verify the Release and Kernel

Run:

rpm -E %fedora
cat /etc/fedora-release
uname -r

The first command should now report 44, and the release file should identify Fedora 44. The kernel version should reflect the newer Fedora 44 package set. Checking these values confirms that you actually booted into the upgraded system.

Clean the Stored Upgrade Transaction

Run:

sudo dnf5 offline clean

This removes downloaded upgrade data that is no longer needed after a successful install. Keeping old staged data serves no real purpose and can waste disk space.

Review Config File Changes

Install and run rpmconf:

sudo dnf install rpmconf
sudo rpmconf -a

Fedora explains that package upgrades may create .rpmnew and .rpmsave files when your old config differs from the new package default. This review matters because services like SSH can behave differently after package upgrades if you leave old configs in place or ignore new defaults.

Remove Retired and Duplicate Packages

Run:

sudo dnf install remove-retired-packages
remove-retired-packages
sudo dnf repoquery --duplicates
sudo dnf remove --duplicates
sudo dnf autoremove

Fedora recommends removing retired packages because they no longer receive updates. Cleaning duplicate packages helps avoid clutter and package confusion that can cause dependency errors in future updates.

Why This Step Matters

A successful reboot does not always mean a clean system. Post-upgrade checks confirm you are on Fedora 44, merge important config changes, and remove leftover packages that could create security or dependency issues later.

Troubleshooting Common Fedora 43 to 44 Upgrade Problems

Even a well-planned Upgrade from Fedora 43 To Fedora 44 can hit friction. These are the most common issues on real systems, along with the safest fixes documented by Fedora.

1. GPG Key Verification or Package Signing Errors

Cause: The system was not fully updated before starting the release upgrade. Fedora says this pre-upgrade update is required to receive signing keys for higher releases.

Fix:

sudo dnf upgrade --refresh
sudo reboot
sudo dnf system-upgrade download --releasever=44

2. Third-Party Repository Dependency Conflicts

Cause: External repositories do not yet provide Fedora 44 packages or metadata. Fedora says this is a common reason the upgrade refuses to continue.

Fix:

dnf repolist --all
sudo dnf config-manager setopt REPOID.enabled=0
sudo dnf system-upgrade download --releasever=44

If needed, use:

sudo dnf system-upgrade download --releasever=44 --allowerasing

Only do that after reading the removal list carefully.

3. Package Dependency Mismatches After the Upgrade

Cause: Some packages may remain out of sync with enabled repositories after reboot. Fedora recommends distro-sync to align installed packages with repo versions.

Fix:

sudo dnf distro-sync

4. RPM Database Warnings or Corruption

Cause: Storage problems or interrupted package operations can leave the RPM database in a bad state. Fedora says rebuilding the database can resolve these warnings.

Fix:

sudo rpm --rebuilddb

5. SELinux Denials After the Upgrade

Cause: File labels may not match the current SELinux policy, especially if SELinux was disabled in the past. Fedora recommends a full relabel if you see policy-related warnings.

Fix:

sudo fixfiles -B onboot
sudo reboot

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