Install/Upgrade to Fedora Rawhide from Fedora 35
If you’re still on Fedora 35 and want to start tracking the bleeding‑edge packages, this guide will show you how to switch over without wiping your disk. You’ll get a step‑by‑step upgrade using DNF, plus a few sanity checks so you don’t wake up with a broken desktop after a wild driver update.
Why you should think twice before jumping
Rawhide is basically Fedora’s nightly build – every package gets refreshed as soon as it lands in the repository. That means the newest kernel, GNOME, and drivers appear almost instantly, but also that regressions slip in just as fast. I’ve seen a friend lose Wi‑Fi right after a Rawhide update because the new iwlwifi firmware clashed with his old router; rolling back was a pain.
If you’re comfortable troubleshooting, have backups, and can afford a few reboots to sort out broken bits, go ahead. Otherwise consider staying on the stable releases or trying Rawhide in a virtual machine first.
Prepare your system
Back up anything you care about – snapshots with Timeshift, a tarball of /home, or just copy important files to an external drive. A failed upgrade can leave you with a partially switched system that won’t boot.
Make sure the system is fully updated
sudo dnf update --refresh
Running this ensures you’re starting from the cleanest Fedora 35 base before pulling in Rawhide packages.
Install the DNF system‑upgrade plugin – it’s not installed by default on older Fedora spins.
sudo dnf install dnf-plugin-system-upgrade
The plugin handles the heavy lifting of swapping repositories and resolving dependencies.
Switch the repos to Rawhide
Fedora keeps the rawhide repo in /etc/yum.repos.d/fedora-rawhide.repo. You can enable it without editing files manually:
sudo dnf config-manager --set-enabled rawhide
If you prefer to see what’s being added, open the file and confirm enabled=1 under [rawhide]. Leaving the regular Fedora repos enabled is fine; DNF will prioritize Rawhide packages because they have a higher version number.
Perform the upgrade
Now run the actual system upgrade:
sudo dnf system-upgrade download --releasever=rawhide
DNF will start pulling in thousands of packages. It will stop and warn you if any conflicts appear – read those messages carefully. For example, a common blocker is an outdated third‑party repo that still points to Fedora 35; disabling it (sudo dnf config-manager --set-disabled <repo>) clears the path.
When the download finishes, trigger the reboot:
sudo dnf system-upgrade reboot
Your machine will boot into the upgrade environment, apply the new packages, and then restart normally. The whole process can take 20‑30 minutes on a decent SSD, longer if you’re on an HDD.
Post‑upgrade clean‑up
- Remove any leftover Fedora 35 repos – they’ll keep trying to pull older packages.
sudo dnf config-manager --set-disabled fedora-updates
- Check the kernel – Rawhide ships a newer kernel, so verify you’re actually running it:
uname -r
- Rebuild the RPM database (optional but helpful after big jumps):
sudo rpm --rebuilddb
If something misbehaves, the dnf history rollback command can revert you to the previous transaction set, provided the old packages are still cached.
When Rawhide bites
Because it’s a development branch, expect occasional breakage:
- Graphics driver regressions – switch back to the previous kernel from the GRUB menu if GNOME freezes.
- Third‑party software – some apps (like Docker) may not have rawhide builds yet; you’ll need to stick with the Fedora 35 version or compile yourself.
Keep an eye on the Fedora mailing lists and the #fedora IRC channel. The community is quick to point out workarounds for the most common Rawhide pitfalls.
Enjoy the newest software, but stay ready with a rescue USB just in case.
