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![]() The KDE Plasma 6 desktop | |
Developer(s) | KDE |
---|---|
Initial release | 28 February 2024 [1] |
Stable release | |
Preview release | N/A |
Repository | |
Written in | C++, QML |
Operating system | Unix-like |
Platform | FreeBSD, OpenBSD [3] and Linux |
Predecessor | KDE Plasma 5 |
Type | Desktop environment |
License | GPL 2.0 or later [4] |
Website | kde |
KDE Plasma 6 is the sixth generation of the KDE Plasma desktop environment. It is the successor of KDE Plasma 5 and was first released on 28 February 2024. [1]
KDE Plasma 6 was designed to not be a very large departure from KDE Plasma 5, instead being a series of improvements. [5] KDE Plasma 6 is built using Qt 6, KDE Frameworks 6 and KDE Gear 24.02. [1] [6] In addition, support for the Wayland protocol was mainstreamed as the default graphical session, with X11 support made secondary. [7] It introduces a new sound theme, Ocean, replacing Oxygen's sound theme as the default. [1] [6] [8] Plasma 6 on Wayland has partial support for High Dynamic Range (HDR) and color blindness correction filters. [1] [6] [9] The Discover app and settings were also improved and the 3D cube desktop effect was brought back. [10]
Compared to the latest Plasma 5 release, the sixth generation brings the following new features:
The first Technology Preview of Plasma 6 was released on 28 February 2024. [1]
As of 2025 [update] , major versions with new features are released every four months, with three updates per year. However, since 2023, the KDE community has expressed that they would prefer to transition to a semi-annual schedule, with updates occurring every six months, if it can be timed to align with the releases of the major Linux distributions that package Plasma (Ubuntu, OpenSUSE Leap, and Fedora). [12] [13]
Each release receives up to six patch releases containing bug fixes. Releases will stop receiving bugfixes as soon as the following major release is available. There are no plans to offer a long-term support version of Plasma 6. [13]
Version | Date | Key features |
---|---|---|
6.0 | 28 Feb 2024 | First release of KDE Plasma 6.0 (also known as KDE MegaRelease 6) [1] [14] |
6.1 | 18 Jun 2024 | Remote desktop, better widget editing, persistent apps, synchronizing keyboard LEDs with accent color. [15] [16] |
6.2 | 8 Oct 2024 | Drawing tablet calibration wizard and test mode, improved HDR support, support for PostmarketOS packages in Discover, overhauled Accessibility page in System Settings. [17] [18] |
6.3 | 11 Feb 2025 | Improved drawing tablet settings page, overhauled fractional scaling, support for ICC color profile on Night Light, improved hardware monitoring with added support for GPU statistics on FreeBSD, improved customization settings. [19] [20] |
6.4 | 17 Jun 2025 | 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. [21] |
6.5 | 21 Oct 2025 (planned) | |
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