Can I install Fedora Workstation alongside Windows (dual-boot)?

Yes. Choose Custom partitioning in Anaconda, reuse the existing EFI System Partition without formatting it, and allocate free space or a shrunk Windows partition for Fedora. GRUB will detect Windows and add it to the boot menu automatically.

Does Fedora Workstation support NVIDIA GPUs out of the box?

The open-source Nouveau driver loads by default but has limited performance. Install akmod-nvidia from RPM Fusion after enabling third-party repositories for the full proprietary driver.

What filesystem does Fedora use by default?

Anaconda's automatic partitioning creates a Btrfs root with subvolumes for / and /home. This enables snapshot-based rollbacks. You can switch to ext4 or XFS under custom partitioning.

How often does Fedora release new versions, and how long are they supported?

Fedora releases a new version roughly every six months and supports each release for about 13 months (two release cycles). Plan to upgrade to the next version before your current one reaches end of life.

Is Fedora Workstation suitable for beginners coming from Windows or macOS?

Yes, though the learning curve is real. GNOME on Wayland is polished and usable out of the box, but you will need to spend some time in the terminal for driver installation and system updates.

How to Install Fedora Workstation

Fedora Workstation is one of the best ways to run a modern, up-to-date Linux desktop. It ships bleeding-edge packages, uses GNOME on Wayland by default, and feeds directly into Red Hat Enterprise Linux, so it tends to stay technically current. This guide covers everything from creating a bootable USB to logging in for the first time.

What You Need Before You Start

Grab the latest Fedora Workstation ISO from fedoraproject.org. As of 2024 that is Fedora 40. You also need a USB drive of at least 8 GB — its contents will be erased. Your target machine should have a 64-bit x86 CPU, at least 20 GB of disk space, and 2 GB of RAM (4 GB recommended for comfortable use).

Step 1: Create a Bootable USB with Fedora Media Writer

Fedora Media Writer is the official, cross-platform tool for writing Fedora images. It also verifies the download checksum automatically, which saves a manual verification step.

On Windows or macOS

Download Fedora Media Writer from the same Fedora download page and run the installer. Open it, choose Official Editions → Fedora Workstation, select your USB drive, and click Write. It downloads and flashes in one step.

On an existing Linux system

# Fedora
sudo dnf install mediawriter

# Ubuntu/Debian (Flatpak version is easiest)
flatpak install flathub org.fedoraproject.MediaWriter

Launch it from your application menu, then follow the same steps as above. Alternatively, write the ISO directly with dd if you prefer the command line — just double-check the device path with lsblk first so you do not overwrite the wrong drive.

lsblk   # identify your USB, e.g. /dev/sdb

sudo dd if=Fedora-Workstation-Live-x86_64-40-*.iso \
     of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress oflag=sync

Replace /dev/sdX with your actual USB device. Never use a partition like /dev/sdb1 — use the whole-disk node.

Step 2: Boot from the USB

Plug the USB into the target machine and power it on. You need to enter the boot menu (commonly F12, F10, Esc, or Del depending on your firmware) and select the USB device. On UEFI systems the entry will be prefixed with "UEFI:". If you see only a legacy option, check that Secure Boot is not blocking the drive — Fedora supports Secure Boot, so it should load fine with it enabled.

You will land on the GRUB menu. Select Start Fedora-Workstation-Live and wait for the live desktop to appear.

Step 3: Launch the Anaconda Installer

The live desktop shows a welcome dialog with two buttons: Try Fedora and Install to Hard Drive. Click Install to Hard Drive. This starts Anaconda, Fedora's graphical installer.

Language and keyboard

Choose your language and keyboard layout on the first screen, then click Continue. You can add extra keyboard layouts later from GNOME Settings.

Step 4: Configure the Installation Summary

Anaconda presents an Installation Summary hub. Items with a warning triangle must be completed before you can proceed. Typically only Installation Destination requires attention; timezone and network are usually detected automatically.

Set timezone

Click Time & Date. Click your region on the map or use the dropdowns. Enable Network Time if your machine has internet access.

Installation Destination — disk setup

This is the most consequential screen. Click Installation Destination. Select the disk you want to install to by clicking it (a checkmark appears).

Automatic partitioning — leave "Storage Configuration" set to Automatic and click Done. Anaconda creates an EFI system partition, a /boot partition, and a Btrfs root subvolume. This is fine for most desktops.
Custom partitioning — choose Custom if you want LVM, separate /home, or dual-boot. Click Done to open the manual partitioning screen.

Custom partitioning for dual-boot

If Windows is already on the disk, Anaconda will detect it. Under Custom partitioning, shrink or reclaim free space and create at minimum:

An EFI System Partition (if one does not already exist) — 512 MB, mounted at /boot/efi, FAT32. Reuse the existing ESP if Windows is present; do not format it.
/boot — 1 GB, ext4.
/ (root) — remainder, Btrfs or ext4.

Click Done, review the summary of changes, and click Accept Changes.

Step 5: Begin Installation

Back on the Installation Summary hub, click Begin Installation. Anaconda formats the partitions and copies the system. On a modern machine with a USB 3 drive this takes three to six minutes.

When the progress bar completes you will see a Finish Installation button. Click it, then use the top-right system menu to restart the machine. Remove the USB drive when prompted or when the screen goes blank.

Step 6: First Boot and Initial Setup

Fedora boots into GNOME Initial Setup, a short wizard that runs once. It asks you to:

Confirm your language and keyboard.
Connect to Wi-Fi if you are not on ethernet.
Enable or skip third-party repositories (RPM Fusion free and non-free). Enabling these is recommended — they add codecs, NVIDIA drivers, and other software that Fedora cannot ship by default.
Create your user account: full name, username, and password. This first account is automatically added to the wheel group, giving it sudo access.

Step 7: Update the System

Open a terminal (Super key → type "Terminal") and run a full system update immediately. Fedora moves fast and the ISO is rarely the latest snapshot.

sudo dnf upgrade --refresh

If a kernel update is included, reboot after the upgrade completes.

sudo reboot

Verification

Confirm the installed version and that you are running Wayland:

cat /etc/fedora-release
echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE

You should see output similar to Fedora release 40 (Forty) and wayland. Check that the firewall service is active — it is enabled by default on Fedora:

sudo firewall-cmd --state

Expected output: running.

Troubleshooting

Machine boots back into the USB after install

Enter your UEFI firmware settings and check the boot order. The Fedora entry (shown as "fedora" or the disk label) should be first. On some firmware you must manually add a boot entry pointing to \EFI\fedora\shim.efi on the ESP.

Black screen after GRUB

This almost always means a GPU driver issue, most commonly with NVIDIA hardware. At the GRUB menu, press e, find the line starting with linux, and append nomodeset before booting. Once you are logged in, install the NVIDIA driver from RPM Fusion:

sudo dnf install akmod-nvidia

Then reboot and remove the nomodeset workaround from /etc/default/grub and regenerate the config:

sudo grub2-mkconfig -o /boot/grub2/grub.cfg

Anaconda reports no disks found

Some NVMe controllers require a specific storage driver mode. In your UEFI settings look for SATA/NVMe mode and switch it from RAID or Intel RST to AHCI. Save and retry the installer.

Wi-Fi adapter not detected

Broadcom and some Realtek adapters need out-of-tree drivers available in RPM Fusion. After connecting via ethernet, enable RPM Fusion and install the relevant driver package (e.g., broadcom-wl or kmod-wl). Run sudo dnf install broadcom-wl kmod-wl and reboot.