To start, make sure you’re actually on CentOS 9 Stream by checking the output of cat /etc/os-release and confirming that AppStream is enabled in your repository list. If the basic gimp package can’t be found with sudo dnf install gimp, turn to a trusted COPR stream such as morganm/gimp which usually has newer builds that still integrate smoothly with your system’s packaging tools. After installation run gimp --version to see the 2.10.x release and launch it from the menu or with gimp &; if it crashes right away, reinstall libgdk-pixbuf‑2.0 to bring back any missing runtime libraries. Finally, use sudo dnf autoremove to clean up orphaned dependencies whenever a failed installation leaves stray packages behind.

Install GIMP on CentOS 9 Stream in Minutes

CentOS 9 Stream users often hit the “package not found” wall when trying to install GIMP. This guide shows how to pull the latest stable build from the official repositories or a trusted COPR stream, with explanations for each step.

Verify Your OS and Repository Status

1. Confirm you’re on CentOS 9 Stream

   cat /etc/os-release
   

   The output must say “CentOS Linux 9” or “CentOS Stream 9”. If it shows a different release, the instructions below won’t work.

2. Check that AppStream is enabled

   dnf repolist all | grep appstream
   

   You’ll see enabled next to AppStream if everything’s set up right. Some minimal installs strip this away by default, and without it GIMP won’t show up.

Enable the EPEL Repository (Optional but Handy)

GIMP’s dependencies sometimes live in EPEL on older streams. To be safe:

sudo dnf install -y epel-release

If you already had EPEL, this command will just refresh it.

Install GIMP from the AppStream Repository

The easiest path is to let DNF pull the official package:

sudo dnf install gimp

Why do this?

• Version Control – The gimp package in AppStream is built against CentOS 9’s libraries, so it won’t break at launch.
• Automatic Updates – Future security patches arrive with your normal system updates.

If the command returns “No match found,” move on to the COPR method below.

Use a Trusted COPR Stream When Needed

CentOS 9’s AppStream sometimes lags behind the latest GIMP release. A community-maintained COPR often catches up quickly:

sudo dnf copr enable morganm/gimp
sudo dnf install gimp

What makes this reliable?

• Same Build System – The COPR builds use the same dnf packaging workflow, so they integrate cleanly.
• Regular Updates – The maintainer pushes new RPMs as soon as the upstream project releases.

Verify the Installation and Launch

gimp --version

You should see something like GIMP 2.10.x. Then start it from your desktop menu or with:

gimp &

If GIMP crashes immediately, you’ve probably missed a runtime library. The most common culprit on CentOS 9 is an absent libgdk-pixbuf-2.0. Reinstalling that fixes the issue:

sudo dnf reinstall libgdk-pixbuf-2.0

Clean Up After a Failed Attempt

If you tried a broken package and now have orphaned files, tidy them up:

sudo dnf autoremove

This removes packages that were installed as dependencies but are no longer needed.

Real‑world hiccup

A few users reported that after an aggressive cleanup script removed libgdk-pixbuf-2.0, GIMP would launch and immediately throw a “missing shared library” error. Reinstalling the missing lib solved it in seconds—no need to reinstall GIMP itself.

With these steps, CentOS 9 Stream should now feel as comfortable with GIMP as any mainstream distro.