How to Install GIMP on Fedora 44

Screenshot cleanup, photo retouching, layered web graphics, and thumbnail work are easier when one editor handles masks, selections, filters, and plug-ins in the same workspace. You can install GIMP on Fedora from the Fedora repositories for the simplest system-managed setup, or use the Flathub build when you want GIMP on a separate Flatpak update path.

Fedora’s gimp package is the best default for most users because it updates with the rest of the system through DNF. The Flatpak build is also current and convenient, but its current permissions include broad host file access, so treat it as a Flatpak packaging and runtime choice rather than strict file isolation.

Install GIMP on Fedora

Choose a GIMP Package Source on Fedora

Both supported methods install GNU Image Manipulation Program, but they differ in package ownership, update behavior, and desktop integration.

Method	Source	Updates	Best Fit
DNF package	Fedora repositories	Normal Fedora package upgrades	Most users who want system integration and low-maintenance updates
Flatpak	Flathub	Flatpak app and runtime updates	Users who prefer Flathub’s app stream or need the same app ID across distributions

GIMP’s own downloads page also lists AppImage and source tarball options for Linux. For a normal Fedora desktop, DNF or Flathub keeps installation, updates, and removal cleaner than a manually downloaded portable file or source build.

Update Fedora Packages Before Installing GIMP

Refresh repository metadata and apply pending updates before installing the Fedora package. Review the transaction before confirming if DNF lists broad system changes.

sudo dnf upgrade --refresh

Install GIMP with DNF on Fedora

Install the main GIMP package from Fedora’s repositories:

sudo dnf install gimp

Install the development headers only if you compile plug-ins or build software against GIMP libraries. Photo editing, painting, export, and normal plug-in use do not require this package.

sudo dnf install gimp-devel

For more package-manager examples, the DNF5 install examples on Fedora cover package names, groups, and local RPM handling. If repository downloads are consistently slow, tune mirrors with DNF speed settings on Fedora.

Verify the DNF GIMP Package

Check the installed RPM package and the application version:

rpm -q gimp
gimp --version

Fedora 44 currently returns output similar to this. Fedora 43 can show a different release tag, and normal package updates can change the exact revision, but the gimp package name and a GIMP 3.x version confirm the install.

gimp-3.2.4-1.fc44.x86_64
GNU Image Manipulation Program version 3.2.4

Install GIMP with Flatpak on Fedora

Fedora Workstation, Silverblue, and Kinoite normally include Flatpak already. Mutable Server, minimal, or trimmed Fedora installs may need the Flatpak package first:

sudo dnf install flatpak

Add Flathub at system scope so all users on the machine can access the same GIMP Flatpak:

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

Confirm that the Flathub remote is enabled. Fedora’s own fedora remote may also appear; the flathub line is the one GIMP needs for this method.

flatpak remotes --columns=name,options

fedora   system,oci
flathub  system

Install GIMP from Flathub. Review the runtime and permission prompt, then confirm the transaction.

sudo flatpak install flathub org.gimp.GIMP

Current Flathub metadata publishes GIMP for x86_64 and aarch64. If Flatpak ever offers more than one branch for the same app ID, choose the stable branch unless you intentionally need a test build.

Verify the GIMP Flatpak

Use flatpak info to confirm the installed app ID, version, and system installation scope:

flatpak info org.gimp.GIMP

Relevant output includes:

ID: org.gimp.GIMP
Version: 3.2.4
Installation: system

You can also ask the Flatpak build for the GIMP version directly:

flatpak run org.gimp.GIMP --version

GNU Image Manipulation Program version 3.2.4

Launch GIMP on Fedora

GIMP needs a graphical desktop session to open normally. Terminal launch commands are still useful when you want startup messages or need to confirm which package source you installed.

Launch GIMP from the Terminal

Launch the DNF-installed version with the host command:

gimp

Launch the Flatpak version with its app ID:

flatpak run org.gimp.GIMP

Launch GIMP from Activities

Open Activities, search for GIMP, and select GNU Image Manipulation Program. Fedora can show the full application name in search results, so searching for either GIMP or GNU Image works.

Update or Remove GIMP on Fedora

Update GIMP Installed with DNF

DNF updates the Fedora repository package during normal system upgrades:

sudo dnf upgrade --refresh

Update GIMP Installed with Flatpak

Update the Flathub build and any required runtimes with Flatpak:

sudo flatpak update org.gimp.GIMP

Remove GIMP Installed with DNF

Remove the Fedora repository package with DNF:

sudo dnf remove gimp

If you also installed the development headers, remove that package separately:

sudo dnf remove gimp-devel

Check for local GIMP profile and cache directories before deleting them. No output means these paths are not present for your account.

find "$HOME/.config/GIMP/3.0" "$HOME/.cache/gimp" -maxdepth 1 -type d 2>/dev/null

Deleting these directories removes local preferences, plug-ins, brushes, patterns, keyboard shortcuts, and cache data for your Linux account. Export any custom assets you want to keep before running the cleanup command.

rm -rf "$HOME/.config/GIMP/3.0" "$HOME/.cache/gimp"

Remove GIMP Installed with Flatpak

Uninstall the system-scope Flatpak application first:

sudo flatpak uninstall org.gimp.GIMP

Then remove unused runtimes if no other Flatpak application needs them:

sudo flatpak uninstall --unused

For a full per-user reset, check the Flatpak profile directory in your own account before deleting it. No output means there is no Flatpak profile directory to remove for that user.

find "$HOME/.var/app/org.gimp.GIMP" -maxdepth 1 -type d 2>/dev/null

The Flatpak profile directory stores GIMP settings and user data for your account. Remove it only if you want to reset GIMP completely for that user.

rm -rf "$HOME/.var/app/org.gimp.GIMP"

Troubleshoot GIMP on Fedora

Fix a Disabled Flathub Remote

If the Flathub remote exists but is disabled, the GIMP Flatpak install can fail with this error:

error: Unable to load summary from remote flathub: Can't fetch summary from disabled remote 'flathub'

Re-enable the system remote with sudo:

sudo flatpak remote-modify --enable flathub

Then confirm that flathub appears in the remote list:

flatpak remotes --columns=name,options

fedora   system,oci
flathub  system

Retry the Flatpak install after the remote is enabled.

Fix No Match for gimp-python on Fedora

Older GIMP 2 tutorials sometimes mention a separate gimp-python package. Current Fedora GIMP 3 packages do not use that package name, so DNF returns this error:

Failed to resolve the transaction:
No match for argument: gimp-python

The current gimp package already includes Python 3 plug-in files, including the Python console plug-in. Use gimp-devel only when you need C headers and libraries for building against GIMP, not as a replacement for the old Python package name.

Conclusion

GIMP is ready on Fedora through either the DNF package or the Flathub build, with version checks, launch commands, updates, and cleanup paths tied to the method you chose. For adjacent image workflows, ImageMagick on Fedora is useful for command-line batch conversion, and DNF Automatic on Fedora can handle routine repository updates.