How to Install SMPlayer on Fedora Linux

Resume memory, subtitle timing, and per-file audio settings are the reasons many people stick with SMPlayer once their library gets messy. Those same strengths are why many readers install SMPlayer on Fedora from the default repositories or from Flathub instead of chasing a separate third-party repository, while still using it as a front-end for both MPV and MPlayer.

Most Fedora desktops should start with the native DNF package. Flatpak is useful if you prefer Flathub updates or want SMPlayer isolated from the rest of the system, and the extra codec steps only matter when Fedora’s patent-limited multimedia stack still blocks H.264, H.265, or disc playback.

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Install SMPlayer on Fedora

Compare SMPlayer Install Methods on Fedora

Launch SMPlayer on Fedora

Update SMPlayer on Fedora

Remove SMPlayer from Fedora

Troubleshoot SMPlayer on Fedora

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

Install SMPlayer on Fedora

SMPlayer is available directly from Fedora’s default repositories, and a Flatpak build is available on Flathub. Use the Fedora package when you want the simplest setup, or use Flatpak when you want a separate app lifecycle.

Update Fedora before installing SMPlayer

Refresh package metadata and install any pending updates first so SMPlayer and its dependencies come from the current Fedora repositories:

sudo dnf upgrade --refresh

This guide uses sudo for commands that need root privileges. If your account is not in the sudoers file yet, follow the guide on how to add a user to sudoers on Fedora.

Install SMPlayer with DNF

The Fedora package gives you the most direct integration with the desktop, file associations, and normal system updates:

sudo dnf install smplayer

Verify that Fedora installed SMPlayer correctly:

rpm -q smplayer

smplayer-25.6.0-2.fc43.x86_64

Install SMPlayer with Flatpak

Use the Flatpak build when you want SMPlayer from Flathub with a sandboxed runtime. These commands keep everything at system scope so the remote, install, updates, and removal steps all match.

sudo flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists --system flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo

No output usually means the Flathub remote was added successfully. The --if-not-exists flag leaves an existing Flathub setup unchanged.

sudo flatpak install --system flathub info.smplayer.SMPlayer

After the install finishes, confirm that the system Flatpak build is present:

flatpak list --system | grep -i '^SMPlayer'

SMPlayer        info.smplayer.SMPlayer        25.6.0        stable

Compare SMPlayer Install Methods on Fedora

Both install paths get you the same player, but they fit different maintenance styles.

Method	Channel	Updates	Best For
DNF	Fedora repositories	With normal system updates	Most users who want the simplest Fedora-native setup
Flatpak	Flathub	With Flatpak updates	Users who prefer sandboxing or a separate app lifecycle

The Fedora package is the better default because it is already in the standard repositories and needs less maintenance. Choose Flatpak when you already manage desktop apps through Flathub or want stronger isolation.

Launch SMPlayer on Fedora

After installation, you can open SMPlayer from a terminal or from Fedora Activities.

Launch SMPlayer from the terminal

Search for Terminal in Activities if you want a shell, then use the command that matches your install method:

smplayer

For the Flatpak build, run:

flatpak run info.smplayer.SMPlayer

Launch SMPlayer from Fedora Activities

Open Activities, search for SMPlayer, then launch it from the search results or the application grid.

Open Activities.
Type SMPlayer in the search bar.
Click the SMPlayer icon to start the player.

Update SMPlayer on Fedora

Update SMPlayer with DNF

Use DNF when you only want to refresh the Fedora package:

sudo dnf upgrade smplayer

Updating and loading repositories:
Repositories loaded.
Nothing to do.

If you prefer to refresh everything on the system at the same time, run:

sudo dnf upgrade --refresh

Update the SMPlayer Flatpak build

For the system-scoped Flatpak install, update SMPlayer with:

sudo flatpak update --system info.smplayer.SMPlayer

Looking for updates...
Nothing to do.

Remove SMPlayer from Fedora

Use the removal command that matches the way you installed the player.

Remove the SMPlayer DNF package

The Fedora package removes cleanly with DNF:

sudo dnf remove smplayer

Removing:
 smplayer x86_64 25.6.0-2.fc43 fedora 15.7 MiB

Transaction Summary:
 Removing: 16 packages

Complete!

Confirm that the package is gone:

rpm -q smplayer

package smplayer is not installed

Remove the SMPlayer Flatpak build

Remove the system Flatpak build with:

sudo flatpak uninstall --system info.smplayer.SMPlayer

Uninstalling...
Uninstall complete.

Verify that the Flatpak app is no longer installed:

flatpak info --system info.smplayer.SMPlayer

error: info.smplayer.SMPlayer/*unspecified*/*unspecified* not installed

Remove SMPlayer user data on Fedora

Removing these directories permanently deletes SMPlayer preferences, playlists, watch history, and cached data. Keep them if you plan to reinstall the player later.

For the DNF package, remove the local configuration and cache directories with:

rm -rf ~/.config/smplayer ~/.cache/smplayer

For the Flatpak build, remove the sandboxed application data with:

rm -rf ~/.var/app/info.smplayer.SMPlayer

Troubleshoot SMPlayer on Fedora

Most playback problems on Fedora come from the display backend, the codec stack, or extra helpers such as yt-dlp. Start with the symptom that matches what SMPlayer is doing, then work through the related fix.

Fix SMPlayer black screen on Fedora

If audio plays but the video area stays black, check which display session your local desktop is using before changing the output driver in SMPlayer.

Run this from a terminal inside your desktop session, not from SSH:

echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE

wayland

Fedora Workstation usually reports wayland. Some other desktop environments can still report x11.

Open Options -> Preferences -> General -> Video, then try the driver that matches your session:

Wayland: Try gpu-next or opengl.
X11: Try xv or opengl.
Fallback: Use x11 for basic software rendering.

If the same file still fails elsewhere, you can also install VLC on Fedora to rule out file corruption or a damaged local media file.

Enable H.265 and HEVC playback for SMPlayer on Fedora

The Fedora package installs SMPlayer itself, but Fedora still ships the patent-limited ffmpeg-free stack by default. If H.264, H.265, AAC, or E-AC3 files refuse to play, add RPM Fusion and replace the limited FFmpeg build.

If RPM Fusion is not enabled yet, start with the standard Free and Nonfree repositories. The $(rpm -E %fedora) expression expands to your Fedora release number automatically. For the full walkthrough, see install RPM Fusion on Fedora.

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

Swap Fedora’s limited FFmpeg build for the full RPM Fusion package:

sudo dnf swap ffmpeg-free ffmpeg --allowerasing

If hardware decoding still fails on AMD or Intel graphics, add RPM Fusion’s VA-API package:

sudo dnf install mesa-va-drivers-freeworld

Verify that the full FFmpeg package is installed:

rpm -q ffmpeg

ffmpeg-7.1.2-7.fc43.x86_64

The Flatpak build ships with its own runtime, so codec failures usually affect the Fedora DNF package more often than the Flathub build.

Fix SMPlayer YouTube playback on Fedora

The Fedora package relies on yt-dlp for YouTube playback. If URLs stop opening or SMPlayer reports extractor errors, make sure the helper package is still installed and current.

rpm -q yt-dlp

yt-dlp-2026.02.21-1.fc43.noarch

If the package is missing or older than the current Fedora build, install or refresh it with:

sudo dnf install yt-dlp

Then confirm that the command is available from your shell:

yt-dlp --version

2026.02.21

Restart SMPlayer after updating yt-dlp so the player picks up the refreshed helper binary.

Fix DVD or Blu-ray playback in SMPlayer on Fedora

Commercial DVDs and Blu-ray discs need extra libraries for CSS, AACS, and BD+ handling. On Fedora, those packages come from RPM Fusion Free and RPM Fusion Free tainted.

If RPM Fusion Free is not enabled yet, add it first:

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

Enable the tainted repository that provides libdvdcss:

sudo dnf install rpmfusion-free-release-tainted

Install the optical-disc libraries:

sudo dnf install libdvdcss libaacs libbdplus libbluray

Verify that all four packages are present:

rpm -q libdvdcss libaacs libbdplus libbluray

libdvdcss-1.5.0-1.fc43.x86_64
libaacs-0.11.1-7.fc43.x86_64
libbdplus-0.2.0-7.fc43.x86_64
libbluray-1.3.4-11.fc43.x86_64

After the packages are in place, open Open -> Disc in SMPlayer and try the drive again. Some Blu-ray titles still need an AACS key database, so encrypted discs can require one extra step beyond the packages above.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is SMPlayer available in Fedora’s default repositories?

Yes. Fedora’s default repositories already carry smplayer, so the native install only needs sudo dnf install smplayer. You only need the Flathub route if you prefer the Flatpak build.

Why do the SMPlayer Flatpak commands use sudo on Fedora?

Those commands add Flathub and install SMPlayer as a system Flatpak, which makes the app available to every local user. System-scope Flatpak operations need elevated privileges, so the commands use sudo consistently for add, install, update, and removal.

Does SMPlayer use MPV or MPlayer on Fedora?

SMPlayer can act as a front-end for both, but Fedora’s smplayer package pulls in mpv as the playback backend dependency. You still launch and control playback from the SMPlayer interface.

Conclusion

SMPlayer now has a clean install path on Fedora whether you want the native DNF package or the Flathub build. Start with the Fedora package for the simplest setup, then add codec or disc support only when a file format actually needs it. If you want more media tools next, install FFmpeg on Fedora or install OBS Studio on Fedora.