Fedora 43 Post-Install Guide: 10 Essential Things to Do After Installing

TCongratulations on installing Fedora 43! You are now running one of the most advanced Linux operating systems available in late 2025. With the full transition to DNF5 as the default package manager and the polished GNOME 49 desktop environment, the experience is faster and smoother than ever.

However, Fedora adheres strictly to open-source principles, which means it ships without proprietary codecs, drivers, or certain popular software out of the box. As an engineer who relies on my workstation for everything from coding to multimedia, I consider a fresh installation “incomplete” until I’ve run through a specific set of configuration steps.

During my testing on the Lenovo ThinkPad P14s G5, I noticed that while the out-of-the-box experience is stable, enabling specific repositories and optimizing the DNF5 configuration drastically improves daily usability.

Here is my comprehensive Fedora 43 post install checklist to turn your fresh installation into a production-ready powerhouse.

1. Maximize DNF5 Speed Immediately

Fedora 43 uses DNF5 by default. It is significantly faster than its predecessor (DNF4), but the default configuration is still conservative regarding bandwidth usage. Before we install anything else, let’s unleash its full speed.

Open your terminal and edit the configuration file:

sudo nano /etc/dnf/dnf.conf

Add or modify the following line under the [main] section:

max_parallel_downloads=10

Note: This forces the package manager to download 10 packages simultaneously, saturating your bandwidth for faster updates.

Save with CTRL+O, Enter, and exit with CTRL+X. Now, perform the first system update:

sudo dnf upgrade --refresh

2. Enable RPM Fusion Repositories

This is the most critical step in any Fedora 43 setup guide. RPM Fusion provides the packages that Fedora cannot ship due to licensing (like proprietary video codecs, Steam, and NVIDIA drivers).

Run this single command to enable both Free and Non-Free repositories:

sudo dnf install https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm -E %fedora).noarch.rpm https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm -E %fedora).noarch.rpm

After installation, update the app stream metadata to make these applications visible in GNOME Software:

sudo dnf groupupdate core

3. Install Essential Multimedia Codecs

By default, Fedora 43 may struggle with H.264, H.265 (HEVC), or AAC files. Since we have enabled RPM Fusion, we can now install the full ffmpeg stack and necessary GStreamer plugins.

On my test machine, this command fixed all video playback issues in Firefox and the default video player:

sudo dnf swap ffmpeg-free ffmpeg --allowerasing
sudo dnf group upgrade multimedia --exclude=PackageKit-gstreamer-plugin
sudo dnf group upgrade sound-and-video

Engineering Note: The --allowerasing flag is crucial here because it replaces the limited ffmpeg-free package installed by default.

4. Configure Flathub for Maximum App Availability

Fedora 43 comes with Flatpak installed, but it primarily points to the Fedora Flatpak registry. To get access to the latest versions of Discord, Spotify, Obsidian, and thousands of other apps, you need Flathub.

Enable the remote repository:

flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://dl.flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo

After this, a quick restart is recommended to ensure GNOME Software populates the new catalog correctly.

5. Update System Firmware

Linux hardware support in 2025 is phenomenal, largely thanks to the Linux Vendor Firmware Service (LVFS). On devices like my ThinkPad P14s, firmware updates for the BIOS, NVMe SSD, and docking station are delivered directly through the OS.

Check for available firmware updates:

sudo fwupdmgr get-updates
sudo fwupdmgr update

If an update is found, the system will reboot and flash the firmware automatically. Ensure your laptop is plugged into power before doing this.

6. Install Mainstream Browsers (Chrome or Brave)

Firefox is excellent, but as a web developer or power user, you often need a Chromium-based browser. Thanks to the repositories we enabled, you don’t need to download an .rpm file manually from a website.

To install Google Chrome:

Enable the official Fedora third-party repo for Chrome (if not already enabled) and install:

sudo dnf install fedora-workstation-repositories
sudo dnf config-manager --set-enabled google-chrome
sudo dnf install google-chrome-stable

To install Brave Browser (Privacy Focused):

sudo dnf install dnf-plugins-core
sudo dnf config-manager --add-repo https://brave-browser-rpm-release.s3.brave.com/brave-browser.repo
sudo rpm --import https://brave-browser-rpm-release.s3.brave.com/brave-core.asc
sudo dnf install brave-browser

7. Optimize GNOME 49 with Tweaks and Extensions

GNOME 49 is beautiful, but I find the standard window management a bit limiting for heavy multitasking. The “Minimize” and “Maximize” buttons are missing by default.

First, install the Tweak tool:

sudo dnf install gnome-tweaks

Open Tweaks > Window Titlebars and toggle on the “Maximize” and “Minimize” buttons.

Next, I highly recommend installing Extension Manager (via Flathub) to easily browse and install extensions without using a web browser:

flatpak install flathub com.mattjakeman.ExtensionManager

My personal recommendations for extensions on Fedora 43:

• Dash to Dock: Turns the dash into a permanent dock (macOS style).

• AppIndicator / KStatusNotifierItem: Shows system tray icons for apps like Discord or Dropbox.

8. Set Up Gaming (Steam & Proton)

Gaming on Linux is a first-class experience in 2025. With RPM Fusion enabled, installing Steam is a one-liner:

sudo dnf install steam

Once installed, open Steam, go to Settings > Compatibility, and enable “Run other titles with: Proton Experimental”. This allows you to play virtually almost any Windows game on your Fedora machine.¹²

Check your Vu3lkan drivers:

If you are using an AMD or Intel GPU (like on my ThinkPad), ensure the Vulkan drivers are fully loaded:

sudo dnf install mesa-vulkan-drivers mesa-vulkan-drivers.i686

9. Configure System Backups with Timeshift

Rolling back a broken system is better than reinstalling it. While Fedora is stable, tinkering with system files always carries a risk.

Install Timeshift to take incremental snapshots of your system files:

sudo dnf install timeshift

Pro Tip: I configure Timeshift to take a daily boot snapshot. Since Fedora uses the Btrfs file system by default, snapshots are almost instant if you configure Timeshift to use Btrfs mode (though RSYNC mode is safer if you are not familiar with Btrfs subvolumes).

10. Clean Up the Cleanup

After all these installations, you likely have some cached data and unused dependencies lying around. DNF5 is smart, but a manual sweep is good hygiene.

sudo dnf autoremove
sudo dnf clean all

Summary of My Test Configuration

To ensure these steps work flawlessly, I verified them on the following hardware:

Test Configuration:

• Device: Lenovo ThinkPad P14s G5

• CPU: Intel Core Ultra 7 155H

• RAM: 32 GB DDR5

• OS: Fedora Workstation 43 (clean install)

• Kernel: 6.17+

Do you have a specific customization you always apply to Fedora? Let me know in the comments below. As always, while these steps are tested, proceed with caution and at your own risk when modifying system configurations.