Upgrading to a new release of Fedora

As of Fedora Workstation 23, when the next stable release is available a graphical notification will appear similar to the update notifications. Clicking this, or running the Software application and going to the Updates pane, will display a simple graphical interface for upgrading the system. It will download the upgrade files, then prompt for a reboot to install them, similar to a system update. When the upgrade is complete, the system will automatically reboot into the new release.

This method is used to upgrade Fedora Workstation from the command-line. It is also used to troubleshoot issues with packages preventing the graphical method from upgrading.

For instructions on upgrading with the DNF system upgrade plugin, refer to the DNF System Upgrade Quick Doc.

For instructions on upgrading Fedora Atomic Host installations between Fedora releases, refer to the Atomic Host Upgrade Quick Doc.

Upgrading between Fedora releases without the DNF system upgrade plugin is not tested by the Fedora QA team. Any issues using this method are not considered blockers for a release but in practice works for many users.

If you are using a pre-release of Fedora, and want to know more about upgrading to the final release, refer to the Upgrading from pre-release to final page. This is technically not an 'upgrade' operation, but an update. There are some special considerations involved in making sure you stay on the update track you intend to use, which are documented on that page.

Rawhide and Branched are the development releases of Fedora. They are suitable for users developing or testing Fedora before public release. They are NOT SUITABLE for regular day-to-day use unless you are a fairly experienced user, and certainly not suitable for mission-critical use. You should read through those pages carefully before deciding to run Branched or Rawhide. See the Fedora Life Cycle Quick Doc for more information on how the whole Fedora cycle works from Rawhide, to Branched, to the milestone releases (Alpha and Beta), to a 'final' release.

Upgrading to a Branched release or to Rawhide can be done with the DNF system upgrade plugin. Carefully read this page as there are some special notes to ensure a successful upgrade.

Fedora releases up to Fedora 17 included upgrade functionality in the Fedora installer, anaconda. This can be a better choice than a package manager upgrade for some End Of Life (EOL) upgrades. If you are attempting to upgrade from Fedora 16 or older, it is highly recommended to upgrade to Fedora 16 and perform an installer upgrade from Fedora 16 to Fedora 17 before upgrading any further.

To upgrade using the installer, boot the system from a network install or DVD image for the target release, and run through the initial steps of the install process. After you select storage devices the installer should offer you the option to upgrade the installed system.

Fedora strongly discourages running an end-of-life release on any production system, or any system connected to the public internet. For more information, see the DNF System Upgrade Quick Doc.