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Enable RPM Fusion Repositories on Fedora via Command Line

RPM Fusion provides additional software repositories for Fedora that are not included in the official repositories. This comprehensive guide walks you through enabling RPM Fusion repositories, configuring multimedia support, and installing hardware-accelerated codecs—all from the command line.

Prerequisites​

Before starting, ensure you have:

  • A Fedora Linux system installed and updated
  • Internet connectivity
  • Administrator (sudo) access
  • A terminal or SSH session

Enabling RPM Fusion Repositories​

Enable the Free Repository​

The Free repository contains open-source software that Fedora doesn't ship by default. Install it with:

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

This command automatically detects your Fedora version using $(rpm -E %fedora) and installs the corresponding release package.

Enable the Nonfree Repository (Optional)​

The Nonfree repository contains proprietary software and drivers. Enable it if needed:

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

Confirm Repository Signatures​

When you first install packages from these repositories, DNF prompts you to verify the repository signatures. Review the fingerprints and confirm them to complete the setup.

Setting Up Multimedia Support​

Install Multimedia Packages (Fedora 41+)​

For Fedora 41 and newer, install the multimedia group:

sudo dnf group install multimedia

This installs essential multimedia libraries and plugins needed for audio and video playback.

Switch from FFmpeg-Free to Full FFmpeg​

While Fedora's ffmpeg-free package works for most tasks, it sometimes has version mismatches with dependent packages. RPM Fusion provides a more complete ffmpeg build with better support.

Replace FFmpeg-Free with the full version:

sudo dnf swap ffmpeg-free ffmpeg --allowerasing

The --allowerasing flag allows DNF to remove conflicting packages if necessary. Note: You won't need the libavcodec-freeworld package after this swap, as it's only designed to complement ffmpeg-free.

Install Additional Codecs​

Enable playback of restricted video and audio formats in applications using GStreamer and other multimedia frameworks:

sudo dnf update @multimedia --setopt="install_weak_deps=False" --exclude=PackageKit-gstreamer-plugin

The --exclude=PackageKit-gstreamer-plugin flag prevents installation of an unnecessary package that can cause conflicts.

Hardware-Accelerated Video Codecs​

Hardware acceleration uses your GPU to decode video, reducing CPU load and improving performance. Setup depends on your graphics hardware.

Intel Processors (Recent)​

For modern Intel processors, use the intel-media-driver:

sudo dnf install intel-media-driver

This package is available in the RPM Fusion nonfree repository.

Intel Processors (Older)​

For older Intel integrated graphics:

sudo dnf install libva-intel-driver

This package is available in the RPM Fusion free repository.

AMD Processors with Mesa​

For AMD GPUs using the Mesa driver (required since Fedora 37):

sudo dnf swap mesa-va-drivers mesa-va-drivers-freeworld
sudo dnf swap mesa-vdpau-drivers mesa-vdpau-drivers-freeworld

For 32-bit compatibility libraries (needed for Steam and similar applications):

sudo dnf swap mesa-va-drivers.i686 mesa-va-drivers-freeworld.i686
sudo dnf swap mesa-vdpau-drivers.i686 mesa-vdpau-drivers-freeworld.i686

NVIDIA Processors​

NVIDIA's proprietary driver doesn't natively support VAAPI, but a wrapper bridges NVDEC/NVENC hardware codecs with VAAPI:

sudo dnf install libva-nvidia-driver

For both 32-bit and 64-bit support:

sudo dnf install libva-nvidia-driver.{i686,x86_64}

Playing DVDs​

DVD playback requires the libdvdcss library, which contains CSS decryption code. This library is available in the tainted repositories due to legal restrictions in some countries.

Enable Tainted Free Repository​

sudo dnf install rpmfusion-free-release-tainted
sudo dnf install libdvdcss

The tainted free repository contains FLOSS (free and open-source) packages with potentially restricted usage in certain jurisdictions.

Installing Additional Firmware​

The tainted nonfree repository contains non-free packages without clear redistribution status, but their installation is permitted for hardware interoperability purposes in many countries.

Enable Tainted Nonfree Repository​

sudo dnf install rpmfusion-nonfree-release-tainted

Install All Available Firmware​

sudo dnf --repo=rpmfusion-nonfree-tainted install "*-firmware"

This command installs firmware packages from the tainted nonfree repository only, allowing you to update device drivers and firmware without affecting other system packages.

Troubleshooting​

DNF conflicts with existing packages? Use the --allowerasing flag to allow DNF to remove conflicting packages and proceed with the installation.

Hardware acceleration not working? Verify your driver installation with vainfo (for VAAPI) or check your system's codec support settings in your media player.

Cannot find packages? Ensure the appropriate RPM Fusion repository (free, nonfree, or tainted variants) is enabled for your needs.

Next Steps​

With RPM Fusion configured and multimedia support installed, you can now:

  • Play a wider range of audio and video formats
  • Use GPU acceleration for video playback and encoding
  • Access proprietary software and tools
  • Play DVDs on your Linux system
  • Keep your multimedia libraries up to date with system updates

For more information about RPM Fusion, visit the official RPM Fusion website.

Last updated: 10/2025 Difficulty level: Intermediate Estimated reading time: 8 minutes