# Fedora Linux 45 ships with Linux kernel 7.2, GNOME 51, and KDE Plasma 6.8

> **Key takeaway:** Fedora Linux 45 delivers Linux kernel 7.2 alongside major desktop environment updates in GNOME 51 and KDE Plasma 6.8 for Workstation and KDE Spin users.

**Published:** 2026-11-03T08:42:23+00:00 
**Source:** 9to5Linux 
**Category:** distro-news 
**Canonical URL:** https://fosswire.org/news/fedora-linux-45-ships-with-linux-kernel-72-gnome-51-and-kde-.html 

## Summary
The Fedora Project has released Fedora Linux 45, the latest version of its community-driven distribution. This release ships with Linux kernel 7.2 and updates the default desktop environments across its primary variants: GNOME 51 for Fedora Workstation and KDE Plasma 6.8 for the Fedora KDE Spin.

Users downloading Fedora 45 will receive these desktop and kernel updates as part of the standard installation media. The release continues Fedora's pattern of integrating recent upstream Linux kernel and desktop environment releases into a polished distribution package for x86_64, ARM64, and other supported architectures.

## Kernel and desktop environment updates in Fedora 45
- **Linux kernel 7.2:** Fedora 45 upgrades its kernel foundation to the 7.2 series, bringing upstream improvements in hardware support, scheduler changes, and driver updates from the mainline Linux project.
- **GNOME 51:** The Fedora Workstation edition now defaults to GNOME 51, incorporating the latest upstream GNOME shell, mutter compositor, and core application updates.
- **KDE Plasma 6.8:** The Fedora KDE Spin ships Plasma 6.8, delivering recent KDE Frameworks, Plasma Desktop, and KDE Gear application updates from the KDE community.
- **Distribution integration:** Fedora's release engineering packages these upstream components with its RPM-based system, SELinux policies, and Fedora-specific tooling for unified system management.

## Why it matters
Fedora 45 provides developers and early adopters with a stable, integrated platform for testing applications against Linux kernel 7.2 and current desktop stacks before these components reach enterprise distributions. The release also serves as the upstream foundation for Red Hat Enterprise Linux development, making its technical choices influential across the broader Linux ecosystem.