Migrating to Fedora Asahi Remix 44 on Apple Silicon Macs: A Complete Step-by-Step Guide

Overview

Fedora Asahi Remix 44, now generally available, brings the power and flexibility of Fedora Linux 44 to Apple Silicon Macs (M1, M2, M3 series). Developed in close partnership with the Fedora Asahi Special Interest Group and the Asahi Linux project, this release integrates all the performance and usability enhancements from Fedora 44 while retiring the previously vendored Mesa and virglrenderer packages. Existing users who haven’t already manually switched will be automatically migrated to the upstream versions provided by the standard Fedora repositories.

The Remix offers two flagship desktop environments: KDE Plasma 6.6 (with a new Plasma Setup wizard replacing the older Calamares-based one, and Plasma Login Manager now the default greeter) and GNOME 50. Additionally, a Fedora Server variant and a Minimal image are available for headless or custom installations. This guide covers both fresh installations and upgrades from Fedora Asahi Remix 42 or 43.

Prerequisites

Before proceeding, ensure you have the following:

• Hardware: An Apple Silicon Mac (M1, M2, or M3). Intel-based Macs are not supported.
• Backup: A full backup of your important data. Use Time Machine or a manual copy to an external drive.
• Internet Connection: Stable broadband for downloading the ISO or upgrade packages.
• Storage Space: At least 20 GB free for a new installation; for upgrades, ensure your root partition has at least 10 GB free.
• Current Version: For upgrades, know whether you are on Fedora Asahi Remix 42 or 43. Check with cat /etc/fedora-release.
• Terminal Access: Familiarity with the terminal and sudo privileges.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Fresh Installation

1. Download the latest ISO from the official Fedora Asahi website. Choose between the KDE Plasma, GNOME, Server, or Minimal variants.
2. Create a bootable USB drive using tools like dd or balenaEtcher. For example:

   sudo dd if=/path/to/fedora-asahi-remix-44.iso of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress

   Replace /dev/sdX with your USB device (be careful not to overwrite your internal drive).
3. Boot from the USB: Restart your Mac, hold the power button until you see startup options, then select the USB drive.
4. Follow the on-screen prompts of the new Plasma Setup wizard (for KDE) or the standard GNOME installer. Partition your disk as needed—the installer can use the entire disk or let you customize.
5. Complete account creation and finalize the installation. Reboot when prompted, removing the USB drive.

After booting, your system will be on Fedora Asahi Remix 44 with the desktop of your choice. For detailed guidance, refer to the official installation guide.

Upgrading from Fedora Asahi Remix 42 or 43

Note: Upgrades via GNOME Software are not supported. Use either KDE’s Plasma Discover or the dnf system-upgrade command. The steps below assume you are using the default KDE Plasma environment.

Method 1: Using DNF System Upgrade (Recommended for all variants)

1. Update your current system and reboot if the kernel was updated:

   sudo dnf upgrade --refresh
   sudo reboot

2. Install the dnf-plugin-system-upgrade package:

   sudo dnf install dnf-plugin-system-upgrade

3. Download the upgrade packages for Fedora 44:

   sudo dnf system-upgrade download --releasever=44

   This may take a while. If you encounter dependency issues, try sudo dnf system-upgrade download --releasever=44 --allowerasing after reviewing the changes.
4. Once the download is complete, trigger the upgrade:

   sudo dnf system-upgrade reboot

5. Your system will reboot and perform the upgrade. This process may take 15–30 minutes. After completion, you’ll log into Fedora Asahi Remix 44.

Method 2: Using Plasma Discover (KDE-only)

1. Open Discover and click on “Updates”. Install all pending updates.
2. After updates are applied, look for the “Upgrade to Fedora 44” notification in Discover. If it doesn’t appear, refresh the updates feed.
3. Click the upgrade button and follow the on-screen instructions. The system will download packages and schedule a reboot.

After upgrading, verify the version with cat /etc/fedora-release. You should see “Fedora release 44”.

Common Mistakes and Troubleshooting

• Using GNOME Software to upgrade: GNOME Software is not supported for this upgrade path. Always use Discover or DNF.
• Not updating before upgrading: Failing to run sudo dnf upgrade --refresh before the major release upgrade can lead to conflicts. Always ensure your system is fully updated first.
• Insufficient disk space: The upgrade downloads many packages; ensure at least 10 GB free on your root filesystem. Use df -h to check.
• Ignoring backup: While upgrades are generally safe, a backup protects against rare failures. Don’t skip this step.
• Attempting to upgrade from unsupported versions: Only Fedora Asahi Remix 42 and 43 can be upgraded directly to 44. If you are on an older release, do a fresh installation.
• Custom Mesa or virglrenderer packages: If you manually installed custom versions, the upgrade might fail. The Remix now retires vendored versions; you may need to revert to upstream. Check with rpm -qa | grep mesa and remove any third-party packages.

Summary

Fedora Asahi Remix 44 delivers the latest Fedora Linux experience to Apple Silicon Macs with KDE Plasma 6.6 and GNOME 50, along with server and minimal variants. This guide has walked you through both fresh installations and upgrades from version 42 or 43. Key points: use the correct tool for upgrades (DNF or Discover, not GNOME Software), always back up your data, and ensure your system is up-to-date before initiating the process. If you encounter any Remix-specific issues, please report them via the official issue tracker or seek help on the Fedora Discourse forum or Matrix channel. Enjoy the new features and improved performance!