What is Nobara? Who it is for
Nobara is built on Fedora. It uses GNOME or KDE Plasma as its desktop and dnf for software, and it follows numbered releases on a fixed schedule.
Nobara at a glance
- Foundation: built on Fedora
- Desktop: GNOME or KDE Plasma
- Software tools: dnf
- Release style: numbered releases on a fixed schedule
- Installer: a graphical installer
Who Nobara suits
Nobara suits people who want a Fedora-based system with gaming fixes and media codecs ready to go.
Strengths
- Sensible defaults for Steam, Proton and current graphics drivers.
- The KDE Plasma desktop, with a great deal of customisation built in.
Things to consider
- Newer hardware can need extra driver steps, so check your graphics card before you commit.
- As a rough guide, about 4 GB of RAM is a comfortable minimum for a desktop session.
Try Nobara from a USB drive
The easiest way to find out is to start it from a USB drive without changing your computer. See the Nobara bootable USB drive, then follow our install guide when you are ready. New to this? Read how to try Linux without installing it and how to boot from a USB drive.
Compare Nobara
Installing software on Nobara
Nobara uses dnf. These commands search for a program and install it (replace name with the program):
dnf search name sudo dnf install name
Most desktop systems also have a graphical software store. See how to install software on Linux.
Frequently asked questions
Is Nobara good for beginners?
It can be used by beginners, but Nobara is aimed more at people who want a Fedora-based system with gaming fixes and media codecs ready to go. If you are brand new, a beginner-friendly distribution such as Linux Mint or Ubuntu is usually an easier first step.
What desktop does Nobara use?
Nobara uses GNOME or KDE Plasma. To learn how desktops differ, read what GNOME, KDE, Xfce and Cinnamon are.
How much RAM does Nobara need?
As a rough guide, about 4 GB of RAM is a comfortable minimum for a desktop session.
Is Nobara based on another distribution?
Nobara is built on Fedora.
How often is Nobara updated?
Nobara follows numbered releases on a fixed schedule.
How can I try Nobara without installing it?
Write it to a USB drive, restart, choose the drive from the boot menu and pick the live or try option. Nothing on your internal disk changes unless you choose to install.