Fedora 45's beta is now available to download, and there's good news for fans of GNOME and KDE

Published Sep 15, 2026, 12:32 PM EDT Simon is a Computer Science BSc graduate who has been writing about technology since 2014, and using Windows machines since 3.1. After working for an indie game studio and acting as the family's go-to technician for all computer issues, he found his passion for writing and decided to use his skill set to write about all things tech. Since beginning his writing career, he has written for many different publications such as WorldStart, Listverse, and MakeTechEasier. However, after finding his home at MakeUseOf in February 2019, he would eventually move on to its sister site, XDA, to bring the latest and greatest in Windows, Linux, and DIY electronics. Sign in to your XDA account Summary Fedora 45 Beta is available now; full release due Oct 20. Includes GNOME 51 or KDE Plasma 6.7, bundling Linux 7.2. RPM now rejects unsigned packages by default; Atomic ISOs use image-builder. With Fedora 45's release on the horizon, it's time to give it a test run to see if everything's working alright. Red Hat has released a public beta for the new version of its operating system, and there are some nice features to check out whether you prefer GNOME or KDE. Fedora 45 Beta introduces GNOME 51 and KDE Plasma 6.7 into the mix Something new, regardless of which you prefer As spotted by Linuxiac, Fedora 45 Beta is now ready for you to download and try. The biggest difference you'll note is the upgrade in desktop environments. If you prefer using the stock version of Fedora, you'll get access to GNOME 51; if you're more of a fan of its KDE spin, you'll find yourself at the helm of Plasma 6.7. Regardless of which one you pick, you'll get Linux 7.2 bundled in. Other than the obvious changes, there are a few nuances under the hood that are worth noting. First of all, RPM will now reject unsigned packages by default; you'll need to tell it to proceed if you want to download one. Fedora Atomic ISOs have moved from lorax to image-builder, and you can install them remotely using the Anaconda WebUI. Finally, DNF5 will no longer automatically change vendors during an upgrade. The full version of Fedora 45 is scheduled to release on October 20th, but if you don't want to wait that long, pop over to the Fedora 45 Beta summary. There, you can grab the ISO of your choice and read the full patch notes for Fedora 45. As you might imagine, there are plenty of changes in this new version of Fedora, so it may be worth giving the changelog a quick once-over to ensure you're up-to-date on the changes (or lack thereof) for your favorite tools.