How to Install HandBrake on Fedora 36 Linux

HandBrake is an open-source video transcoder that can be downloaded for free and supports Mac, Windows, or Linux to convert videos in many different formats into more commonly used ones like MP4 with minimal file size reduction – making it efficient at reducing the amount of data consumed on your hard drive while also helping save time!

In the following tutorial, you will learn how to install the HandBrake on Fedora 36 Linux using the command line terminal with two installation methods and tips on maintaining the HandBrake software.

Update Fedora

Before you continue, your system is advised to ensure all existing packages are up to date to avoid system conflicts during the installation and good system maintenance.

sudo dnf upgrade --refresh -y

Install HandBrake – DNF Method with RPM Fusion

The first option is to use the RPM fusion third-party repository. The recommended way to install HandBrake for Fedora users is by utilizing the DNF package manager. Execute the following commands to import the free and non-free repositories into your terminal.

Enable the Free Repository

sudo dnf install https://download1.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm -E %fedora).noarch.rpm

Enable the Nonfree Repository

sudo dnf install https://download1.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm -E %fedora).noarch.rpm

Next, execute the following dnf install command.

sudo dnf install handbrake handbrake-gui -y

Optional – Enable RPM Fusion Testing

An alternative is to enable bleeding-edge updates to all packages you install from RPM Fusion, so be aware that things can get buggy on the odd occasion; worse can remove the application, disable testing, and revert to stable.

Enable the Free Testing Updates Repository

sudo dnf config-manager --set-enabled rpmfusion-free-updates-testing

Enable the Non-Free Testing Updates Repository

sudo dnf config-manager --set-enabled rpmfusion-nonfree-updates-testing

Install HandBrake – Flatpak Method

The second option is to use the Flatpak package manager. Flatpak is installed with Fedora 36 unless you have removed it. This is another popular option similar to Snap but would be preferred since it comes natively installed.

First, if Flatpak has been removed, reinstall it using the following command.

sudo dnf install flatpak -y

Next, you need to enable Flatpack for Fedora using the following command in your terminal:

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

Now install HandBrake using the following flatpak command:

flatpak install flathub fr.handbrake.ghb -y

If the above command does not work and you receive the “error: Unable to load summary from remote flathub: Can’t fetch summary from disabled remote ‘flathub’‘ use the following command.

flatpak remote-modify --enable flathub

This will fix the issue.

How to Launch HandBrake

Now that you have the application installed, launching can be done in two ways.

For users with their terminal open, you can launch the application immediately using the following command.

handbrake

Flatpak users will need to launch using the command below from a terminal instance:

flatpak run fr.handbrake.ghb

However, this is not practical, and you would use the following path on your desktop to open the course.

Activities > Show Applications > HandBrake

Example:

Now open Handbrake to the default landing screen. From here, you can begin using the transcoding software.

Example:

Congratulations, you have successfully installed HandBrake.

How to Update/Upgrade HandBrake

Updates should appear in notifications, but if these fail to show sometimes, it is recommended to check using the terminal regardless use one of the following commands to check for updates.

DNF Method

sudo dnf update

Flatpak Method

flatpak update

How to Remove (Uninstall) HandBrake

Use one of the following commands to suit the original installation method for users who no longer require the application.

DNF Remove Method

sudo dnf autoremove handbrake handbrake-ui

Note, autoremove will also delete any unused packages from HandBrake or any other leftovers from previous applications. Most times, this is safe to do and should be done to keep your system from being bloated.

Use the following commands for users who may want to disable RPM Fusion.

Disable the Free Updates Repository

sudo dnf config-manager --set-disabled rpmfusion-free

Disable the Non-Free Updates Repository

sudo dnf config-manager --set-disabled rpmfusion-nonfree

For users curious to see if this works, a quick way is to use the dnf repo | grep command as follows.

dnf repolist | grep rpmfusion

Nothing should be returned, and if they are still present, you will see a printout of the repositories.

Flatpak Remove Method

flatpak remove  --delete-data fr.handbrake.ghb -y

Next, run the following command for any leftover clean-ups required, similar to the autoremove command described for the dnf remove example command.

flatpak remove --unused

How to Disable RPM Fusion Testing Updates

For users that enable testing RPM Fusion, you can disable it with the following commands.

Disable the Free Testing Updates Repository

sudo dnf config-manager --set-disabled rpmfusion-free-updates-testing

Disable the Non-Free Testing Updates Repository

sudo dnf config-manager --set-disabled rpmfusion-nonfree-updates-testing

Comments and Conclusion

HandBrake is a simple online tool that allows users to create high-quality videos without special skills. It offers everything you would expect from an editing platform but in a minimalistic way that doesn’t require much time or effort. If you’re looking for professional video content with no hassle, this might be your best option!

For more information, visit the official Handbrake documentation.