Software:KDE Plasma 6

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KDE Plasma 6
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The KDE Plasma 6 desktop
Developer(s)KDE
Initial release28 February 2024; 2 years ago (2024-02-28)[1]
Preview release
N/A
Written inC++, QML
Operating systemUnix-like
PlatformFreeBSD, OpenBSD[2] and Linux
PredecessorKDE Plasma 5
TypeDesktop environment
LicenseGPL 2.0 or later[3]
Websitekde.org/plasma-desktop

KDE Plasma 6 is the sixth and most recent generation of the KDE Plasma desktop environment. It is the successor of KDE Plasma 5 and was first released on 28 February 2024.[1]

Overview

KDE Plasma 6 was designed not to be a major departure from KDE Plasma 5, but rather a series of improvements.[4] KDE Plasma 6 is built using Qt 6, KDE Frameworks 6, and KDE Gear 24.02.[1][5] In addition, support for the Wayland protocol was mainstreamed as the default graphical session, with X11 support made secondary.[6] It introduces a new sound theme, Ocean, replacing Oxygen's as the default.[1][5][7] Plasma 6 on Wayland has partial support for High Dynamic Range (HDR) and color blindness correction filters.[1][5][8] The Discover app and settings were also improved, and the 3D cube desktop effect was brought back.[9]

New features

Compared to the latest Plasma 5 release, the sixth generation brings the following new features:

  • The panel floats by default. Panels can be configured in auto-hide mode and resized, including being turned into a dock.[9][5]
  • Plasma Search allows you to customize the ordering of search results, supports time zone conversion, and matches text in both the current system language and English.[4][5]
  • Support for the Astronomical and Umm al-Qura Calendars in the calendar applet.[5]
  • Native support for the use of both password and fingerprint authentication at the same time.[1][10]
  • Support for sound themes.[5]

History

The first stable version of Plasma 6 was released on 28 February 2024.[1]

Releases

As of 2025, major versions with new features are released every four months, with three updates per year. However, since 2023, the KDE community has expressed a preference to transition to a semi-annual schedule, with updates occurring every six months, if it can be timed to align with the release cycles of the major Linux distributions that package Plasma (Ubuntu, OpenSUSE Leap, and Fedora).[11][12]

Each release receives up to six patch releases containing bug fixes. Releases will stop receiving bug fixes as soon as the next major release is available. There are no plans to offer a long-term support version of Plasma 6. [12]

Plasma 6 releases[12]
Version Date Key features
6.0 2024 First release of KDE Plasma 6.0 (as part of the greater KDE MegaRelease 6)[1][13]
6.1 2024 Remote desktop, better widget editing, persistent apps, and synchronizing keyboard LEDs with accent color.[14][15]
6.2 Template:DTS Drawing tablet calibration wizard and test mode, improved HDR support, support for PostmarketOS packages in Discover, and overhauled Accessibility page in System Settings.[16][17]
6.3 Template:DTS Improved drawing tablet settings page, overhauled fractional scaling, support for ICC color profiles in Night Light, improved hardware monitoring with added GPU statistics support on FreeBSD, and improved customization settings.[18][19]
6.4 Template:DTS Modernized KMenuEdit, improved Discover feedback, enhanced accessibility in Calculator and System Monitor, default dimming on admin prompts, terminology cleanup, better clipboard and bell handling, and various widget fixes.[20]
6.5 Template:DTS Automatic light-to-dark theme switching, pinnable clipboard items, application permissions page, grayscale color filter, improvements to screen reader, various performance and widget enhancements.[21]
6.6 Template:DTS An on-screen keyboard, Plasma Login Manager, and text extraction from screenshots with Optical Character Recognition (OCR) enhance usability and accessibility, e.g., with a grayscale filter for color blindness and customizable global themes.[22]
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References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 "KDE MegaRelease 6". KDE. 28 February 2024. https://kde.org/announcements/megarelease/6/. 
  2. ↑ Sadowski, Rafael (20 May 2024). "KDE6 on OpenBSD" (in en). https://rsadowski.de/posts/2024-05-20-kde6-on-openbsd/. 
  3. ↑ "Copying of Plasma Workspace" (in en). https://invent.kde.org/plasma/plasma-workspace/-/blob/master/COPYING. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Wallen, Jack (11 September 2023). "I tested KDE Plasma 6 and found it very familiar. Here's why that's a good thing" (in en). https://www.zdnet.com/article/i-tested-kde-plasma-6-and-found-it-very-familiar-heres-why-thats-a-good-thing/. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 Nestor, Marius (28 February 2024). "KDE Plasma 6 Desktop Environment Officially Released, This Is What's New" (in en-US). https://9to5linux.com/kde-plasma-6-desktop-environment-officially-released-this-is-whats-new. 
  6. ↑ Wallen, Jack (14 February 2024). "The first Linux distribution to deliver a pure KDE Plasma 6 environment is here" (in en). https://www.zdnet.com/article/the-first-linux-distribution-to-deliver-a-pure-kde-plasma-6-environment-is-here/. 
  7. ↑ Sneddon, Joey (28 February 2024). "KDE Plasma 6.0 Has Arrived, This is What's New". https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2024/02/kde-plasma-6-0-new-features. 
  8. ↑ Davenport, Corbin (28 February 2024). "KDE 6 Update Arrives With Big Plasma Desktop Updates for Linux". https://www.howtogeek.com/kde-6-update-plasma-desktop-linux/. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Rudra, Sourav (28 February 2024). "KDE Plasma 6: The Big Release is Here!" (in en). https://news.itsfoss.com/kde-plasma-6/. 
  10. ↑ "Plasma/Plasma 6". https://community.kde.org/Plasma/Plasma_6. 
  11. ↑ "KDE Plasma 6.0.1, Bugfix Release for March". 5 March 2024. https://kde.org/announcements/plasma/6/6.0.1/. 
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 "Plasma 6 Schedules". https://community.kde.org/Schedules/Plasma_6. 
  13. ↑ Proven, Liam (29 February 2024). "KDE Plasma 6.0 brings the same old charm and confusion". https://www.theregister.com/2024/02/29/kde_plasma_60_released/. 
  14. ↑ "Plasma 6.1" (in en). 18 June 2024. https://kde.org/announcements/plasma/6/6.1.0/. 
  15. ↑ Sneddon, Joey (18 June 2024). "KDE Plasma 6.1 Released With… Well, A Fair Bit!" (in en-GB). https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2024/06/kde-plasma-6-1-new-features. 
  16. ↑ "Plasma 6.2" (in en). 8 October 2024. https://kde.org/announcements/plasma/6/6.2.0/. 
  17. ↑ Sneddon, Joey (8 October 2024). "KDE Plasma 6.2 Released, This is What's New" (in en-GB). https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2024/10/kde-plasma-6-2-released-this-is-whats-new. 
  18. ↑ "Plasma 6.3" (in en). 11 February 2025. https://kde.org/announcements/plasma/6/6.3.0/. 
  19. ↑ Sneddon, Joey (11 February 2025). "KDE Plasma 6.3 Released, This is What's New" (in en-GB). https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2025/02/kde-plasma-6-3-released-this-is-whats-new. 
  20. ↑ "KDE Plasma 6.4" (in en). 17 June 2025. https://kde.org/announcements/plasma/6/6.4.0/. 
  21. ↑ "Plasma 6.5" (in en). 21 October 2025. https://kde.org/announcements/plasma/6/6.5.0/. 
  22. ↑ "Plasma 6.6" (in en). 17 February 2026. https://kde.org/announcements/plasma/6/6.6.0/. 



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