How to Install HandBrake on Fedora 37/36/35

Recommended Steps Before Installation

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

#1st Method – Install HandBrake – 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 RPM Fusion Free Repository (Required)

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

Enable RPM Fusion Nonfree Repository (Optional, Not Required)

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

While installing the free repository, you can install the non-free repository; if you decide to require free popular closed-source software from it in the future, remember this is optional.

Next, execute the following dnf install command.

sudo dnf install handbrake handbrake-gui -y

#2nd Method – Install HandBrake – Flatpack/Flathub

The second option is to use the Flatpak package manager. Flatpak is installed and should be present 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:

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.

Launch HandBrake on Fedora Linux

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

You can launch the application immediately using the following command for users with their terminal open.

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

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

Congratulations, you have successfully installed HandBrake.

Update HandBrake on Fedora Linux

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

Remove HandBrake on Fedora Linux

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

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

Disable RPM Fusion Free Updates Repository

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

Disable RPM 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; 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

For more information, visit the official Handbrake documentation.