Fedora Linux 45 Ships With Linux 7.2 Kernel
The latest stable release of the Fedora Project's Linux distribution arrives six months after Fedora Linux 44.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Software
The Fedora Project released Fedora Linux 45 as its latest stable version, powered by the Linux 7.2 kernel series and available as live ISO images from Fedora mirrors. Existing Fedora Linux 44 users can upgrade using DNF system-upgrade.
Why it matters
The release brings GNOME 51 and KDE Plasma 6.8 as default desktops, fully reproducible package builds, and updated toolchains including GCC 16.2, LLVM 23, Go 1.27, Python 3.15, and Podman 6. It arrives six months after Fedora Linux 44.
Fedora Linux 45 is built on the Linux 7.2 kernel series and ships with GCC 16.2, LLVM 23, Go 1.27, Python 3.15, and Podman 6. The release follows Fedora Linux 44 by six months, and the source does not report measured performance or adoption figures.
The players
Fedora Project
The Fedora Project is a community-driven open-source initiative sponsored by Red Hat that develops the Fedora Linux distribution.
The details
Fedora Linux 45 ships with GNOME 51 for Fedora Workstation and KDE Plasma 6.8 for the Fedora KDE Plasma Desktop flavor. The release enables signature checking by default for RPM package verification, uses kmscon as the default VT console, and includes a new WebUI installer on all Fedora Atomic ISO images.
Timeline
Fedora Linux 44 was released six months before Fedora Linux 45.
Fedora Linux 45 became available for download on November 3, 2026.
Roadmap
Fedora Linux 45 extends the distribution's existing RPM package verification framework by enabling signature checking by default. The release also moves packaged RPM repository configuration data from /etc to /usr, continuing a shift toward more immutable system layouts.
Existing Fedora Linux 44 users can upgrade to Fedora Linux 45 using DNF system-upgrade, while new users can download live ISO images from Fedora mirrors. The release switches the default Secrets Service provider for Fedora desktops to oo7, which may affect how stored credentials are handled.
The takeaway
Fedora Linux 45 introduces default-on package signature checking and reproducible builds, which strengthen verification of what runs on a system. Users on Fedora Linux 44 can move to the new release through the standard DNF upgrade path.
Further reading
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