What’s New in Fedora Workstation 45
Key points
Fedora Magazine has outlined the desktop changes in Fedora Workstation 45, which ships GNOME 51. The update covers display smoothness, several core apps, a new secret storage service and accessibility options.
Graphics and performance
- Mutter's frame scheduling and frame delivery have been reworked. Animations, window snapping and transitions should keep a steady frame rate even when the CPU and GPU are busy, for example during compiles or games.
- GNOME has dropped legacy NVIDIA proprietary interfaces and now uses the standard GBM memory management path, giving Wayland sessions one consistent pipeline across hardware.
Files (Nautilus)
- When several files are dragged, a badge shows how many items are being moved.
- Large or slow directory reloads no longer block the interface.
- Status and operation notifications are now grouped together.
Calendar and File Previewer
- Calendar's view-rendering engine has been rewritten, which reduces lag when scrolling through busy schedules in Month View.
- The event editor has been reorganised, with a cleaner Notes section and built-in recognition of video conference links.
- The File Previewer has been redesigned on GTK 4 and libadwaita. It follows the desktop theme and Dark Style, renders better with fractional scaling and shows high-resolution images at their native size.
Secret storage
- GNOME 51 introduces oo7, a new Secret Service provider written from scratch. It stores application passwords, API tokens and other credentials.
- Fedora Workstation is replacing the legacy keyring daemons with oo7, a compartmentalised, sandboxed service intended to stop other applications from reading cached credentials.
Accessibility and Settings
- The screenshot selection box can now be adjusted from the keyboard:
- Alt with the arrow keys moves the selection.
- Shift and Ctrl give coarse and fine resizing.
- R resets the selection.
- The Reduced Motion option now tones down animations in more core widgets and Shell elements.
- The About (System Details) panel has a button that opens the release notes for the running GNOME version.
- Fingerprint enrollment has been redesigned.
Upgrading and installing
- Existing Fedora systems can upgrade through GNOME Software or with
dnf system-upgradein a terminal. - For a clean install, Fedora Workstation live media is available at getfedora.org.
- Feedback is invited on the Fedora Discussion forum.
About the article
- According to the article, Google Gemini helped write it from the GNOME 51 release notes, and humans reviewed it before publication.
- The article says some content was left out and points readers to the GNOME 51 release notes for the full list of changes.
Summary by DistroNews, based on the original post.
Fedora Workstation features the latest six months of meticulous polish, under-the-hood responsiveness, and security hardening for F45, based on GNOME 51. Whether you are multitasking across monitors, managng daily appointments, or organizing large sets of files, GNOME 51 brings thoughtful refinements to your daily workflow on Fedora Workstation.
Silky-Smooth Responsiveness: Reworked Frame Scheduling
One standout improvement in GNOME 51 is a reworked frame scheduling and frame delivery system in Mutter. Animations, window snapping, and desktop transitions now hold a rock-steady frame rate even when the CPU and GPU are under heavy compile or gaming loads.
In tandem with this, GNOME streamlined its graphics pipeline by retiring legacy NVIDIA proprietary interfaces in favor of the standard GBM memory management path. This makes Wayland sessions cleaner, faster, and more uniform across all hardware.
Everyday App Polish
Files (Nautilus) Gets Quality-of-Life Upgrades
Files has picked up several subtle but indispensable touches:
- Drag-and-Drop Counter Badge: When selecting and dragging multiple files, a small badge now shows the exact count of items you’re moving.
- Non-Blocking Operations: Large or slow directory reloads no longer freeze the interface, resulting in a snappier file management experience.
- Notification Grouping: Grouping status and operation notifications together now keeps your notification tray tidy.
Calendar Rebuilt for Speed
Calendar feels faster than ever. The entire view-rendering engine was overhauled under the hood. This dramatically cut down the lag when scrolling through dense schedules in Month View. Reorganization within the event editor now presents a cleaner Notes section and native recognition of modern video conference links.
Revamped File Previewer
The quick-look File Previewer received a top-to-bottom redesign built on modern GTK 4 and libadwaita. It now seamlessly matches your desktop theme, respects Dark Style, handles fractional display scaling crisper than before, and properly previews high-resolution images at their actual native size.
Deeper Security: Next-Generation Secret Storage with oo7
Security underpins everything in Fedora Workstation. GNOME 51 introduces oo7, a modern Secret Service provider written from scratch to safely store application passwords, API tokens, and credentials.
Fedora Workstation is replacing legacy keyring daemons with a compartmentalized, sandboxed service. This provides even stronger defense against rogue applications attempting to peek at cached user credentials.
Accessibility and Navigation Upgrades
- Keyboard-Driven Screenshots: You can now adjust screenshot selection boxes entirely with your arrow keys ( Alt to move the selection, Shift / Ctrl for coarse/fine resizing, and R to reset).
- Extended Reduced Motion: Toggling the Reduced Motion accessibility option now softens animations across more core widgets and Shell elements than ever before.
- Reorganized Settings: The About (System Details) panel now includes a direct button to view the release notes for your running GNOME version, alongside a revamped fingerprint enrollment flow.
Upgrade or Try Fedora Workstation
If you’re already running Fedora, upgrading through GNOME Software or via the terminal with dnf system-upgrade will bring you right into GNOME 51. For clean installs, check out the Fedora Workstation live media at getfedora.org.
Share your favorite new feature or thoughts on the release over at the Fedora Discussion forum!
Disclaimer: Google Gemini, using the GNOME 51 release notes, assisted in the creation of this article. It was reviewed by humans before publishing. No apparent hallucinations were noted, however ,some content was not included.
Please read the GNOME 51 release notes for even more cool features that you can enjoy on Fedora Workstation as part of the F45 release.
By Aoife Moloney, from Fedora Magazine, reproduced under CC BY-SA 4.0. Formatting is simplified and images in the text are omitted.
Read the original at fedoramagazine.org