This page contains information explaining how to upgrade Fedora online using `dnf` (without the xref:dnf-system-upgrade.adoc[DNF system upgrade plugin]).
This is not a supported upgrade method. Read xref:upgrading.adoc[Upgrading to a new release of Fedora] to see a list of supported and tested upgrade methods. The steps included in the guide are *at your own risk*.
If you are upgrading using link:https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/DNF[DNF] and it shows any general dependency issues, please file them in http://bugzilla.redhat.com[Bugzilla]. But please read this page, all references pages and search the mailing list archives before filing bugs. And of course, please help keep this page updated.
If you need to upgrade across several releases, it is generally recommended to go one release at a time: for example, rather than going directly from Fedora 37 to Fedora 39, first go to Fedora 38 and then to Fedora 39. This tends to reduce the number of package dependency issues you may encounter. If you are upgrading from an link:End_of_life[End of life] release, please also see link:#eol[the end-of-life section].
Backup any personal data to an external hard drive or to another machine. If there is some unrecoverable error that requires a fresh install, you don't want to lose any data.
Further down in this page there is a list of common problems specific to dnf upgrades for specific versions. Some of them require attention before the upgrade.
General advice on upgrading Fedora can be found on the link:https://docs.fedoraproject.org/en-US/quick-docs/upgrading/[Upgrading] page. You should also read the http://docs.fedoraproject.org/install-guide/[Installation Guide] and http://docs.fedoraproject.org/release-notes/[Release Notes] for the version you plan to upgrade to - they contain important information regarding upgrading issues. Finally, check the list of link:Common_bugs[Common bugs].
Review and remove all .rpmsave and .rpmnew files before and after upgrading. (And if you have selinux enabled then remember to check security context if you move config files around.)
TIP: *Find unused config files* + Merge and resolve the changes found by the following script: `dnf install rpmconf; rpmconf -a`. Now find and remove old config which nobody owns: `rpmconf -c`.
TIP: *Find and review "unused" packages* + You can find packages not required by other packages with the tool `package-cleanup` from the `dnf-utils` package: `dnf install dnf-utils; package-cleanup --leaves`. These packages could be candidates for removal, but check to see whether you use them directly or if they are used by applications not backed by rpm packages. Remove them with `dnf remove package-name-and-version`. Another useful tool for cleaning up unused packages is `rpmreaper`. It's an ncurses application that lets you view rpm dependency graph and mark packages for deletion. Marking one package can make other packages leaf, which you can see immediately, so you don't have to run the tool several times to get rid of a whole sub-tree unused packages. Install with `dnf install rpmreaper`.
TIP: *Find and review "lost" packages* + You can find orphaned packages (i.e. packages not in the repositories anymore) with `package-cleanup --orphans`. This will also show packages which have been partially uninstalled but where the "%postun" script failed.
CAUTION: *Never upgrade on battery power* + Never run the upgrade operation on battery power! Always connect to the mains, if using a laptop. However, if your system does have a battery, it's a good idea to ensure it's charged and connected in case of a power outage during the upgrade.
CAUTION: *Do not interrupt an upgrade for any reason* + Once a live upgrade is started, do not stop the upgrade by rebooting, killing the process, or by any other method until it is complete. Interrupting an upgrade will cause the affected system to be in a mixed state -- partially the old release and partially the new release. In this state, the system will not be reliable and will not operate as expected. You can try running `dnf distro-sync` and `package-cleanup --problems` to try and fix the problems.
NOTE: *Dependency issues* + If you experience any dependency problems, you have to solve them manually. These are often caused by packages being retired in the newer release, but not properly obsoleted. Often it is enough to remove several problematic package(s).
You may find that a package you care about depends on a package that must be removed for the upgrade to proceed. Usually you will be able to reinstall the important package once the upgrade is complete.
If it seems like you must remove a package with many dependencies, especially ones that look important, please be careful. If you are attempting to upgrade across multiple releases, try a smaller jump to see if that avoids the problem.
If you are at all unsure in any way, ask for help on a mailing list, forum or IRC before removing packages.
If you are upgrading to a final release from an Alpha, Beta, or release candidate, please see link:Upgrading_from_pre-release_to_final[Upgrading from pre-release to final].
Note that Fedora strongly recommends against ever running an end-of-life release on any production system, or any system connected to the public internet, in any circumstances. You should never allow a production Fedora deployment to reach end-of-life in the first place.
With that in mind, if you do have an end-of-life release installed on a system you cannot just discard or re-deploy, you can attempt to upgrade it, though this is a less-tested and less-supported operation.
For detailed instructions on upgrades from EOL releases, please read link:Upgrading_from_EOL_Fedora_using_package_manager[Upgrading from EOL Fedora using package manager].
