How to Speed Up the Fedora Linux App Installer

To speed up the Fedora Linux app installer, first identify what is taking time. On Fedora systems that use PackageKit with DNF5, including the Fedora 44 backend change, GNOME Software can use DNF5 settings for RPM downloads. Raising the simultaneous download limit can shorten an install that needs several RPM packages. It will not make every part of Software faster: app catalog searches, metadata waits, and Flatpak downloads follow different paths.

Start with max_parallel_downloads=5. The DNF5 default is three simultaneous downloads, and the documented maximum is 20. A higher value is not automatically faster; your connection, mirror, and package server still set the limit. The optional fastestmirror setting chooses based on TCP latency, not measured download bandwidth, so treat it as an experiment.

First, identify the slow part

GNOME Software can install Fedora RPM packages and Flatpak applications. Open the app’s details page and look for its source or packaging format. If the delay happens while RPM packages are downloading, the DNF settings below may help. If the app list is slow to load or search, or the app comes from a Flatpak remote, changing dnf.conf is unlikely to fix that delay.

On Fedora 44 and later, GNOME Software’s PackageKit backend uses DNF5 and its configuration; older releases may differ. Check with dnf --version. The Fedora project explains the integration in its PackageKit-DNF5 notes.

1. Update your current Fedora installation

Install available updates before tuning DNF. This updates the release you already run; you do not need to upgrade to a newer Fedora release just to try the settings in this guide. Open Software and install the updates it offers, or use a terminal:

sudo dnf upgrade --refresh

Review the proposed transaction and confirm it when you are ready. The --refresh option asks DNF to check repository metadata before upgrading packages. Restart the computer if the update process asks you to do so. Fedora documents the release-upgrade process separately; that is a larger maintenance task, not a routine speed tweak.

2. Increase DNF5’s parallel downloads

Open the system-wide DNF configuration file as an administrator:

sudoedit /etc/dnf/dnf.conf

Find the existing [main] section. Add the setting beneath it, or change its current value if it is already present. Do not create a second copy of the same option. Begin with five simultaneous downloads:

[main]
max_parallel_downloads=5

If the file already has a [main] heading, keep it and add only the setting. Save and close the editor. If your connection remains stable, you can test 10; reduce the value if downloads stall or slow other devices. DNF5’s maximum of 20 is not a recommended setting for every connection.

Optional: test fastest-mirror selection

To let DNF5 select mirrors using TCP socket latency, add this line under [main] as well:

fastestmirror=True

The DNF5 reference says this overrides mirror-list order and selects among mirrors with latency near the lowest observed value. It does not measure throughput, so a low-latency mirror can still download slowly. Test installs with and without this line; remove it if performance gets worse. See the official DNF5 configuration reference for the current option definitions and defaults.

3. Restart the software service and test

Before restarting PackageKit, close GNOME Software and make sure no install or update is running. Then reload the service so it starts with the updated configuration:

sudo systemctl restart packagekit.service

Reopen GNOME Software and try a small RPM application. If you want to compare the package manager outside the graphical interface, run dnf repolist to see the enabled repositories, then install a package you recognize with sudo dnf install PACKAGE_NAME, replacing the placeholder with its actual package name. Do not compare unrelated downloads: package size, repository load, and cache state affect the time.

When the setting does not help

• Software takes a long time to open or search: Parallel downloads affect package transfers, not the app catalog interface. Check whether a repository or another package task is still refreshing, and verify that your network connection is stable.
• The app is a Flatpak: DNF settings do not control downloads from Flatpak remotes. Check the source shown on the app’s Software details page and troubleshoot the network path to that remote.
• You use Fedora Silverblue or Kinoite: These atomic desktops manage the base operating system with rpm-ostree, while many desktop apps are Flatpaks. Do not apply a traditional DNF tweak expecting it to speed up those workflows.
• One repository is consistently slow: Avoid random mirror URLs or disabling signature checks; either can undermine package integrity without fixing the network issue.

To undo the change, remove the max_parallel_downloads and fastestmirror lines you added, then restart packagekit.service when no package operation is active. For how Fedora separates RPM and Flatpak sources, see its guide to finding and installing Linux applications.