Fedora Asahi Remix 44: A Complete Installation and Upgrade Guide for Apple Silicon Macs

Overview

Fedora Asahi Remix 44 has been officially released, bringing the power of Fedora Linux 44 to Apple Silicon Macs. This release is the result of close collaboration between the Fedora Asahi SIG and the Asahi Linux project. It incorporates all the exciting improvements from Fedora Linux 44, while also retiring custom Mesa and virglrenderer packages—users are now automatically transitioned to upstream versions provided by Fedora repositories.

Fedora Asahi Remix 44: A Complete Installation and Upgrade Guide for Apple Silicon Macs — Source: fedoramagazine.org

The flagship desktop is KDE Plasma 6.6, which includes a new Plasma Setup wizard (replacing Calamares) and uses Plasma Login Manager instead of SDDM. A GNOME 50 variant is also available, along with a Fedora Server variant for headless deployments and a Minimal image for custom builds. Whether you are setting up a fresh installation or upgrading from version 42 or 43, this guide walks you through the process step by step.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have the following:

An Apple Silicon Mac (M1, M1 Pro/Max/Ultra, M2, M2 Pro/Max/Ultra, M3, etc.)
For a new installation: A bootable USB drive (at least 8 GB) and a stable internet connection.
For an upgrade: An existing installation of Fedora Asahi Remix 42 or 43, with sufficient disk space (at least 10 GB free) and a backup of important data.
Basic familiarity with the command line (for upgrade via DNF) or KDE Plasma Desktop (for Discover).

Step-by-Step Instructions

New Installation

To install Fedora Asahi Remix 44 from scratch, follow the official installation guide at Asahi Linux’s installation page. The general steps are:

Download the installer – Visit the Asahi Linux website and download the script.
Create a bootable USB – Use dd or a tool like BalenaEtcher to write the image to a USB drive.
Boot from USB – Hold the power button on your Mac to select the USB drive in Startup Manager.
Run the installer – The new Plasma Setup wizard will guide you through user account creation and system configuration.
Complete setup – After installation, reboot and log in with your new credentials.

Note: The new Plasma Login Manager replaces SDDM on fresh installs. Users upgrading from older versions will not have their configuration changed automatically.

Upgrade from Fedora Asahi Remix 42 or 43

Two methods are supported for upgrading: using KDE Plasma Discover or the DNF System Upgrade command. Upgrading via GNOME Software is not supported.

Method 1: Using Plasma Discover

Open Plasma Discover from the Application Launcher.
Navigate to Updates and click Check for Updates.
If an upgrade to version 44 is available, you will see a banner. Click Upgrade.
Follow the on-screen prompts. The system will download the necessary packages and reboot when ready.

Method 2: Using DNF System Upgrade

Open a terminal.
Update the current system: sudo dnf upgrade --refresh
Install the DNF plugin for system upgrade: sudo dnf install dnf-plugin-system-upgrade
Download the upgrade packages: sudo dnf system-upgrade download --releasever=44
Trigger the reboot: sudo dnf system-upgrade reboot
The system will reboot into the upgrade process. After completion, verify with cat /etc/fedora-release – it should show version 44.

Post-Upgrade Steps

After upgrading, you may want to:

Run sudo dnf distro-sync to ensure all packages are consistent.
Check that Mesa and virglrenderer are now from upstream Fedora: rpm -qa | grep mesa and rpm -qa | grep virglrenderer.
If you encounter issues, report them in the Fedora Asahi Remix issue tracker or ask for help in the Discourse forum or Matrix room.

Common Mistakes

Attempting to Upgrade via GNOME Software

GNOME Software is not supported for upgrading Fedora Asahi Remix. If you use GNOME, switch to Plasma Discover or the command-line method. Attempting to use GNOME Software may lead to incomplete upgrades or errors.

Insufficient Disk Space

Upgrades require significant free space. Before starting, run df -h and ensure at least 10 GB is available. Free up space by removing old kernels (sudo dnf remove --oldinstallonly) or clearing package cache (sudo dnf clean all).

Skipping a Backup

Always back up your important files before an upgrade. Use rsync, Deja Dup, or any backup tool. While the upgrade process is reliable, unexpected power loss or errors can occur.

Ignoring the Mesa Transition

If you manually installed custom Mesa or virglrenderer packages, the upgrade will automatically replace them with upstream versions. Do not try to revert or hold packages – this is intentional and improves compatibility.

Summary

Fedora Asahi Remix 44 brings a polished Linux experience to Apple Silicon Macs with updated desktops (KDE Plasma 6.6 and GNOME 50), a new Plasma Setup wizard, and streamlined package management. You can install it fresh using the Asahi installer, or upgrade from version 42 or 43 via Plasma Discover or the dnf system-upgrade command. Avoid the common pitfalls of using GNOME Software, forgetting to back up, or ignoring disk space warnings. With this guide, you’re ready to enjoy the latest Fedora on your Mac.

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