Download & Install Fedora 35 & GNOME 41 from USB Bootable Disk

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Fedora 35 has brought with it many improvements over its predecessor with GNOME 41, Linux Kernel 5.14, and a range of other enhancements front and back end that have made the new release a much quick, fast and powerful release not just on the desktop version but also the server variant as well compared to the more mature Fedora 34.

In the following tutorial, you will learn how to install Fedora 35 on a PC with complete steps, screenshots from creating a USB bootable drive to installing and first time set up.

Table of Contents

Prerequisites

RAM: 1GB Minimum / 4GB+ Recommended
Storage: 8GB Minimum / 16GB+ Recommended
Display: Minimum 1024 x 768 / 1440 x 900 or higher Recommended
Bootable Media: Bootable DVD-ROM / Bootable USB Drive
Internet connection

Download Fedora 35 Disk Image

The first task is to visit the official site and download the desktop workstation version of Fedora 35.

Example:

How to Download & Install Fedora 35 & GNOME 41 from USB Bootable Disk

Note, at the current time of the tutorial, Fedora was delayed by a week. This will now be Fedora 35 and no longer marked as beta.

Create Bootable USB Drive

The next step after you have downloaded your choice of Fedora 35 disk image is to create it into a bootable USB so you can proceed with the installation. Currently, a lot of options exist with Rufus or balenaEtcher. The tutorial will use balenaEtcher as it is free, well supported, and straightforward. Another benefit is that the program is supported on Windows, Mac OS, and Linux.

First, visit the downloads page and download the latest version that suits your operating system.

Example:

Next, install the application. For Windows and macOS users, the installation process is easy and automated. For users that are on existing Linux distributions, however, it is a little more complicated. Download the .zip archive and extract the file, leaving you a folder. Enter this folder and right-click the App Image.

Example:

Different Linux distributions may look other with “run” replaced by “open,” but with the same principle. Also, this tool can be installed using various repositories, but for the tutorial’s sake, the manual method is shown only.

Once you have opened the balenaEtcher select flash from file:

Example:

Select the downloaded Fedora 35 image, and then you will move on to select a target to locate the USB stick and hit flash.

Example:

A progress bar will show. Usually, depending on the speed of the USB, this process takes 1 minute to 5. The process should be over quickly, and a notification will appear along with the USB being renamed. In this case, the USB name takes after ubuntu 21.10.

Example:

Restart PC and Enter BOOT Mode.

The next step is to insert the USB into the target PC and turn it on. Some PCs have dedicated hotkeys to launch from USB, but this is on the manufacture, and there are many different types out there. A hint would be to research your make and module about loading from bootable drives.

Another handy tip usually is F1, F2, F10, F11, or F12 can lead into the boot settings, if not the bios, and change the boot sequence. Some designs are dead set easy. Others are complicated, again make sure to do some research first.

Install Fedora 35 From USB Bootable Drive

Once you have the USB bootable drive-in, start your PC, which will eventually take you to the first optional choice window.

Welcome to Fedora (Start)

Doube click “Install to Hard Drive” to proceed unless you try Fedora 35 out first.

Example:

Welcome to Fedora 35 (Installation Language Setup)

The best optional selection should be made on your behalf by default if connected to the Internet. Alternatively, you can adjust and select your language by browsing through the list or using the quick search box at the bottom.

Example:

Pre-Release Software Warning

Fedora has delayed the release of OS 35 for another week at the time of this tutorial so that you will receive this warning. By now, the BETA is almost ready to be made to release status.

Click on the “I want to proceed.” to continue with the installation.

Example:

Installation Summary (First Overview)

The installation menu shows precisely what needs to be completed. Since you have already configured the localization section, all left is to configure the system installation destination.

To proceed, click on “Installation Destination.”

Example:

Installation Destination (Hard Drive Setup)

Once inside the installation destination configuration window, it is highly recommended to click the “Done” button for most users. The reason is Fedora and most Linux distributions do an excellent job at configuring directories.

However, users can select “Add a disk” to add or customize the installation or create partitions, but the average user, as stated, should skip this, especially if new to Linux.

Click the hard drive and click the “Done” button.

Example:

Installation Summary (Second Overview)

After setting up the installation destination, you will be returned to the installation summary window. From this point, you can review any of the configuration settings you have done and, if needed, modify them.

Once you are happy to proceed, click the “Begin Installation” button.

Example:

Begin & Complete Installation Window

The installation will now begin, depending on your PC hardware and resources. This can take several minutes, if not longer.

You can safely walk away as no prompts will arise during this part until it has been completed, as in the example below.

Example:

Click the “Finish Installation” button once the installation has been completed.

By default, the installation process does not automatically reboot your system to complete the installation, so you must do this manually. In the top right-hand corner click Power symbol > Power Off / Logout > Restart …

Example:

Once you reboot your Fedora 35 system, you have pretty much installed Fedora 35 on your system at this point. The following parts are to cover the first time set up and updating.

Fedora 35 First Time Setup

Welcome to Fedora Linux 35 (Start of Setup)

The next part of installing Fedora 35 for the first time once you have rebooted the system is to complete the first time set up. If you are in a hurry and skip most of the configuration options, you can go back on these and adjust them in the future.

To begin, click the “Start Setup” button.

Example:

Privacy Setup

By default, both the options of Location Services and Automatic Problem Reporting are on. For increased privacy, you can disable these.

Click on the “Next” button to proceed.

Example:

Third-Party Repositories

In this section, you can enable third-party repository support. This can help install free and non-free (proprietary) packages such as drivers and popular applications. By default, this is not enabled. However, it is recommended to switch this on unless you are confident you can add these repositories manually in the future.

Click on the “Next” button to proceed.

Example:

Connect Your Online Accounts

Connect Google, Nextcloud, or Microsoft accounts. This can be done later on and can be skipped.

Either connect an account or click on the “Skip” button to continue.

Example:

About You (Create Username)

Enter your name. From this information Fedora, will create a suggested username that you can modify or change to your liking afterward.

Click on the “Next” button to proceed.

Example:

Set a Password

As the name suggests, set a password for the username you just created. Ideally, this should contain letters, numbers, and punctuation for increased password security.

Click on the “Next” button to proceed.

Example:

Setup Complete

At this point, you have finished the first time set up and can now proceed to use or customize your Fedora setup. Ideally, when installing any operating system, you should immediately check for updates and download/install them as they often contain major bug fixes and, more importantly, security updates.

Click on the “Next” button to proceed.

Example:

Note, straight afterward, and you will be given a screen advising you to take a tour of the new GNOME 41.

Example:

Click “No Thanks” unless you are eager to see the new features.

Update Fedora 35 (Highly Recommended)

Now that you are finally on your Fedora 35 desktop, you are eager to use your system. First, open your Fedora terminal by going to the top left-hand corner and clicking and typing Activities > Type to search > Terminal.

Example:

Now that you are in your terminal, to check for updates, you will use the “dnf upgrade –refresh” command as below.

sudo dnf upgrade --refresh

Note, you will be prompted to enter your password.

Example output:

Next, you should receive an output of updates. Depending on the age of the installation package from Fedora, this can be quite large or small. It varies. At the moment of the tutorial, the size is quite large (1.1GB) as Fedora has been delayed a week, so the installation package has not been updated in a while.

In the future, this will be much smaller.

Example output of updates:

Type Y, then press the ENTER KEY to begin the update process. This is pretty much automatic, and rarely do you need to intervene. Depending on how many packages need updating, the process is over quickly.

Some packages require system reboots, especially with Linux Kernel updates. To reboot, use the graphical restart method shown earlier in the tutorial or use the following command in your terminal once the updates are finished.

reboot

First Look of GNOME 41

GNOME 41 is now on Fedora 35, with this has brought some changes in the graphics, applications, and UI look. Below are some screenshots.

Example of the desktop:

Example of show applications:

Example of expanded multitasking window settings:

Optionally, to confirm the installation, you can find your system information in the “About” screen located in system settings. Alternatively, another handy package to install is Neofetch. To install this package, use the following command in your terminal.

sudo dnf install neofetch -y

Once installed, run the following command in your terminal.

neofetch

Example output:

Comments and Conclusion

In the tutorial, you have learned how to install Fedora 35 and first-time setup and update your system using the terminal command console instead of relying on the GUI to update your system.

Overall, Fedora 35 performance is miles ahead of Fedora 34 with back-end improvements. The main floors of GNOME 40 being fixed in GNOME 41 make this release feel snappy and powerful compared to most recent releases.

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