The recommended installation method is detailed in the Fedora Installation Guide.
The Release Notes for Fedora 41 also have some useful information.
PreUpgrade
PreUpgrade is an application you can run on an existing Fedora 8 or above installation. You can continue to use Fedora while PreUpgrade downloads the packages required for the upgrade. Once everything is downloaded and set up, you will be notified that you can reboot at any time to start the Fedora upgrade. To read more, refer to PreUpgrade.
Upgrading using Yum
Upgrading directly from one release to the next using yum is not a officially supported method, but works for many users. To learn more, refer to Upgrading Fedora using yum.
Upgrading from a pre-release (alpha/beta/rawhide snapshot) to the final release
If you are using a pre-release of Fedora, and want to know more about upgrading to the final release, refer to Upgrading from pre-release to final.
Tips
- It's a good idea to have a backup of your system before performing an upgrade. Keeping
/homein a separate logical volume or partition makes backing up user data easier. This is a feature requested for the Fedora Installer. Refer to Bug 150670 for more on this issue.
- Do not use the CD-based installation set to do upgrades. Anaconda currently lacks the ability to correctly resolve certain dependencies issues that may arise for some users, and may result in a broken system that is difficult to return to working order. Upgrading from the DVD installation disc provides more consistent results. More information is available in bug #492629.
- Doing a clean installation and then restoring user data from backups may work better for some users. Future releases may include features to assist in this process. Refer to AnacondaWorkItems for more information.
- You can do an upgrade using the regular installation DVDs. Live media only performs fresh installations, not upgrades. The installation overrides any third party packages which conflict with the default installation set. Applications within the Fedora repository are easily upgradeable. Refer to the Installation Guide for more information.
- Make sure you read the Release Notes carefully before attempting an upgrade.
- You can also do an upgrade using the
yumpackage manager, but this is not officially supported by the Fedora Project. Refer to Upgrading Fedora using yum for details.
Rawhide
Rawhide is an unstable version of Fedora that is updated daily. It is suitable for people who are developing or testing Fedora before broad public release.
- To move from Rawhide to a stable release, refer to Upgrading from pre-release to final.
- To move from a stable release to Rawhide, refer to Releases/Rawhide.