How To Upgrade To Fedora 43 From Fedora 42 [Step-by-Step Guide]

If you’re running Fedora 42 and want to move forward to Fedora 43, here’s a clear, tested, command-line guide to help you make that jump with minimal pain. (Always be careful — upgrades can fail, so backups are your best friend.)

⚠️ Disclaimer: This guide assumes you’re using a standard Fedora variant (Workstation, Server, etc.) with dnf. If you’re on Silverblue / Kinoite / rpm-ostree or a heavily customized setup, the steps may differ.

Why upgrade?

Upgrading keeps you on a supported release, gives you access to the latest features, bugfixes, and security updates. The Fedora team recommends using their official upgrade path rather than reinstalling from scratch. (Fedora Documentation)

Before diving in, check Fedora’s release notes for Fedora 43 (or the beta/pre-release status) so you know what to expect. (Fedora Magazine)

Preparations — What you should do before upgrading

Upgrades can go wrong. These steps help reduce risk.

1. Backup your data
   Copy your important files (home directory, configs, databases, etc.) to an external disk or remote storage.
   Consider making a full system snapshot or image if possible.
2. Update your current system fully
   Before you upgrade, ensure Fedora 42 is completely up to date:
   sudo dnf upgrade --refresh
sudo dnf update
   This ensures you have the latest package versions and necessary signing keys. (Fedora Documentation)
3. Disable or review third-party repositories
   Repos or packages that don’t yet support Fedora 43 can block the upgrade. If you have RPM Fusion, Copr repos, or custom repos, either disable them temporarily or check whether Fedora 43 versions exist.
4. Remove unnecessary/unused packages
   Clean up deprecated packages or ones you don’t need, especially those that are not maintained. They may cause dependency conflicts during the upgrade.
5. Check for .rpmnew / .rpmsave files and unresolved configs
   Sometimes old configuration files or leftovers cause issues. You can use tools like rpmconf to help merge or clean up.
6. Read Fedora 43 (or Beta) release notes and known issues
   Know ahead of time if your hardware or certain packages have known upgrade problems.

Upgrade steps: Fedora 42 → Fedora 43

Here’s the recommended CLI method using the DNF system upgrade plugin. This is the officially supported path. (Fedora Documentation)

1. Install (or ensure) the system upgrade plugin

In many current Fedora versions, the plugin is already included. If not, install:

sudo dnf install dnf-plugin-system-upgrade

2. Download Fedora 43 packages

Use the system-upgrade command to fetch all needed packages for Fedora 43:

sudo dnf system-upgrade download --releasever=43

If you get dependency issues or conflicts, retry with --allowerasing:

sudo dnf system-upgrade download --releasever=43 --allowerasing

Be careful: --allowerasing lets DNF remove conflicting packages. Review what it plans to remove before confirming. (Fedora Documentation)

3. Reboot / apply the upgrade

Once the download completes:

• For older Fedora (using DNF4):
  sudo dnf system-upgrade reboot
• For newer Fedora (using DNF5 and “offline” mode):
  sudo dnf5 offline reboot

This will reboot into a special upgrade environment, apply all package changes, then reboot into Fedora 43. (Fedora Documentation)

Note: No countdown or prompt is shown in this environment — your machine reboots immediately into upgrade mode, so close all apps and save work beforehand. (Fedora Documentation)

4. Post-upgrade tasks & cleanup

Once Fedora 43 is installed:

• Check configuration files:
  Some files may have .rpmnew or .rpmsave suffixes. Use rpmconf (or manually review) to merge or adopt new defaults if needed.
  sudo dnf install rpmconf
sudo rpmconf -a
• Reinstall or enable third-party repos
  Enable or reconfigure your RPM Fusion, copr, or custom repos now that Fedora 43 is running (if compatible).
• Review GRUB / bootloader
  On BIOS systems, re-install GRUB if needed:
  sudo grub2-install /dev/sda
sudo grub2-mkconfig -o /boot/grub2/grub.cfg
  (Adjust /dev/sda if your boot disk is different.) (Fedora Documentation)
• Remove retired or obsolete packages
  Fedora sometimes “retires” older packages. Clean them with:
  sudo dnf install remove-retired-packages
sudo remove-retired-packages
  Also, remove duplicates and extras:
  sudo dnf repoquery --duplicates
sudo dnf remove --duplicates
sudo dnf autoremove
• Run dnf distro-sync if needed
  If some packages are mismatched or not aligned with Fedora 43 repositories, run:
  sudo dnf distro-sync
• Reboot one more time
  After cleanup, reboot to ensure everything applies cleanly.

Troubleshooting & tips

• If the upgrade fails or you experience conflicts, carefully read the error messages. They usually name packages that block the upgrade.
• Before using --allowerasing, examine what DNF intends to remove — if it’s essential packages, reconsider.
• If things go badly, you can sometimes roll back via GRUB (if your old kernel is still intact) or via system snapshots (if you set one up beforehand).
• Avoid interrupting the upgrade process (do not power off mid-upgrade).
• After upgrade, double-check critical services (web servers, custom software, drivers) to ensure compatibility under Fedora 43.
• If you’re on a spin (KDE, XFCE, etc.), the upgrade path is the same — the desktop environment doesn’t change how the upgrade works.

Example command sequence (summary)

Here’s a concise version of commands to run (assuming no major conflicts):

sudo dnf upgrade --refresh
sudo dnf install dnf-plugin-system-upgrade
sudo dnf system-upgrade download --releasever=43
sudo dnf system-upgrade reboot

Then after reboot:

sudo rpmconf -a
sudo dnf distro-sync
sudo dnf autoremove

Final words

Upgrading between Fedora releases is usually smooth when you follow the recommended path. The key is preparation — backup, ensure your current system is clean and updated, and know your third-party repos. Once Fedora 43 is installed, give your system a careful check (services, drivers, configs) to catch any quirks early.

Mark Vincent

Tech enthusiast and content creator passionate about making technology simple for everyone. I share practical tips, guides, and reviews on the latest in computers, software, and gadgets. Let’s explore the digital world together!