A Complete Guide to Upgrading Fedora Silverblue to Fedora 44

Introduction

Fedora Silverblue is a powerful, immutable desktop operating system built on Fedora Linux. It is designed for daily use, development, and container-based workflows, offering unique advantages such as atomic updates and easy rollback capabilities. If you are ready to upgrade your Silverblue system to Fedora 44, this guide provides clear, step-by-step instructions for both graphical and terminal methods. Additionally, you will learn how to revert the changes if any issues arise.

Prerequisites: Updating Your Current System

Before starting the rebase process, ensure your existing Fedora Silverblue installation is fully up to date. This helps avoid conflicts and ensures a smooth transition. Open a terminal and run:

$ rpm-ostree update

Alternatively, you can use GNOME Software to install any pending updates. After applying updates, reboot your system. Note that rpm-ostree is the atomic technology underpinning all Fedora Atomic Desktops, so the steps here apply to similar variants with appropriate adjustments for the desktop environment.

Method 1: Upgrading via GNOME Software

GNOME Software provides a user-friendly way to detect and install the new Fedora release.

Download the New Image

Open GNOME Software and navigate to the Updates screen. You will see a notification that Fedora Linux 44 is available. Click the Download button to fetch the new system image. This may take some time depending on your internet speed.

Install and Reboot

Once the download completes, the interface shows that the update is ready to install. Click Restart & Upgrade. The system applies the new image within moments and automatically reboots. After restarting, you will be running Fedora Linux 44. This method is quick and straightforward.

Method 2: Upgrading via Terminal

If you prefer using the command line, the terminal approach gives you more control and visibility into the process.

Verify Availability of Fedora 44

First, check that the Fedora 44 branch is reachable by running:

$ ostree remote refs fedora

Look for output containing fedora:fedora/44/x86_64/silverblue. This confirms the branch exists for your architecture.

Optional: Pin Your Current Deployment

If you want to keep your current system available as a boot option in GRUB (until you manually remove it), pin the deployment. Find the index number of your current deployment using rpm-ostree status, then run:

$ sudo ostree admin pin 0

Replace 0 with the appropriate index. To later unpin a deployment, use:

$ sudo ostree admin pin --unpin 2

Again, adjust the index as needed. This step is optional but recommended for safety.

Rebase to Fedora 44

Now execute the rebase command:

$ rpm-ostree rebase fedora:fedora/44/x86_64/silverblue

The system downloads the required packages and prepares the new deployment. Once finished, reboot your computer with:

$ systemctl reboot

Upon reboot, you will boot into Fedora Linux 44.

How to Roll Back if Something Goes Wrong

One of the greatest strengths of Silverblue is the ability to revert to a previous state if the upgrade causes problems.

Using the GRUB Menu

If you cannot boot into Fedora 44 at all, restart your computer and watch for the GRUB menu. If it does not appear automatically, press ESC during startup. From the menu, select the entry corresponding to the previous version (the one before the rebase). Your system will boot into that older deployment normally.

Making the Rollback Permanent

After you have successfully booted into the older version, you can make it the default by running:

$ rpm-ostree rollback

This command sets the current (older) deployment as the primary one, removing the need to manually select it each time. If you later change your mind, you can rebase again to Fedora 44.

Conclusion

Upgrading Fedora Silverblue to Fedora 44 is a straightforward process whether you use GNOME Software or the terminal. The atomic nature of Silverblue ensures that you can always roll back if something unexpected occurs, making the upgrade low-risk. By following this guide, you can enjoy the latest features and improvements of Fedora 44 on your Silverblue system with confidence.

Keywords: Fedora Silverblue, Fedora 44, rebase, upgrade, atomic desktop, rpm-ostree, rollback