Table of Contents
Overview
KDE Plasma is a popular graphical desktop environment for Linux that focuses on customizability, visual polish, and productivity. It provides the graphical shell that you interact with on the screen, including panels, menus, window decorations, notifications, and many of the default applications. Plasma can run on top of many different Linux distributions, and is often offered as an alternative to other environments such as GNOME or XFCE.
KDE Plasma is built using the Qt toolkit and is part of the broader KDE ecosystem, which also includes a large collection of applications. When you choose a distribution variant labeled "KDE" or "Plasma", you are typically choosing this desktop environment and its suite of integrated tools.
First Login and Layout
After logging in to a Plasma session, you usually see a familiar desktop layout: a wallpaper in the background, a panel at the bottom of the screen, and a menu button at the left end of the panel. On the desktop, Plasma can show icons for mounted devices or special folders, or it can be completely clean, depending on the distribution defaults.
The panel at the bottom is called the "panel" or "Plasma panel". It holds the application launcher, task manager, system tray, clock, and sometimes additional widgets. The main menu is opened by clicking the launcher button, often a small icon resembling a gear or the logo of the distribution. From this menu you can search for applications, browse categories, access system settings, and shut down or restart the system.
Windows in Plasma have a title bar with control buttons to minimize, maximize or restore, and close. By default, clicking and dragging the title bar moves the window, and you can resize by dragging window edges or corners. Right clicking the title bar opens a window menu that includes actions such as moving to another workspace, always on top, or more advanced features like tiling and transparency, depending on the version and configuration.
The Application Launcher and Search
The KDE Plasma application launcher combines a traditional menu with a powerful search feature. When you open it, you usually see a list of favorite applications, common system locations, and categories such as Internet, Office, Graphics, and System. You can navigate these categories with the mouse or keyboard.
Typing directly after opening the launcher triggers the search. Plasma can search not only for applications but also for system settings modules, recent documents, and sometimes files, depending on configured search plugins. For example, typing "display" can show the Display Configuration settings, while typing "konsole" opens the default terminal.
Plasma also offers an alternative launcher style called "Application Dashboard" or a more compact "Application Menu". You can switch between these styles by right clicking the launcher icon, choosing the configure option, and selecting another launcher type. This allows you to choose between a classic hierarchical menu, a full screen dashboard, or a hybrid layout.
Panels and Widgets
A core feature of KDE Plasma is the concept of widgets, small interactive elements that you can place on panels or directly on the desktop. The task manager that shows open applications, the system tray, the clock, and the application launcher are all implemented as widgets.
You can customize panels extensively. Right clicking on an empty area of the panel and choosing the edit option opens panel edit mode. In this mode, you can:
Change the length and position of the panel, for example from bottom to top or to one of the sides.
Add widgets to the panel, such as a CPU monitor, weather display, quick launch icons, or a system load graph.
Adjust the height and alignment of the panel.
Remove or rearrange existing items.
To add a widget, use the "Add Widgets" button in the panel edit interface. A widget browser opens, showing available widgets with descriptions. You can drag a widget to the panel or to the desktop. Many widgets can be configured by right clicking them and opening their settings dialog.
Plasma allows multiple panels, so you can have different sets of widgets on different screen edges. This can be useful if you want a secondary panel on the top for system monitoring, or if you use multiple monitors and want a panel on each one.
Desktop Management and Activities
The Plasma desktop itself can hold widgets and icons, not only a background image. Right clicking on the desktop opens a context menu where you can change the wallpaper, add widgets, or configure desktop behavior.
By default, Plasma can show a folder view that mirrors a particular directory, often your Desktop folder or your home directory. In this mode, files and folders appear as icons directly on the desktop background. Alternatively, you can configure the desktop to show no icons and only widgets, which is useful if you prefer a clean workspace.
An advanced feature unique to Plasma among popular environments is "Activities". Activities are separate groupings of desktops, widgets, and configuration profiles for different tasks. For example, you could have one activity for work, with a set of widgets and wallpaper tailored to productivity, and another for entertainment. Switching activities changes which windows are visible and which desktop layout is active.
For a beginner, virtual desktops or workspaces are usually more important than activities, and these are handled in Plasma through the pager widget and system settings. You can enable multiple virtual desktops, then switch between them with keyboard shortcuts, mouse actions, or the pager on the panel. Activities add another layer of organization, but you do not need to use them initially if you find them confusing.
KDE System Settings
Plasma uses a centralized configuration application called System Settings. You can open it from the launcher by searching for "System Settings" or "Settings". Within this application, settings are grouped into categories such as Appearance, Workspace Behavior, Notifications, Hardware, and Network.
In the Appearance section, you can change the overall look of the desktop, including global themes, color schemes, icons, window decorations, and fonts. KDE themes can alter the look of widgets, window borders, and controls in a consistent way. Many distributions include tools that let you download additional themes and icon sets directly from online repositories.
Workspace Behavior controls how windows and desktops behave. Here you can adjust focus behavior, window snapping, and effects, as well as the configuration of virtual desktops and screen edges. For example, you can configure a corner of the screen to show an overview of all windows when the mouse moves into that corner.
Hardware settings include display configuration, input devices like keyboard and mouse, audio, and power management. Most of these are shared with the underlying system, but Plasma provides a graphical interface for adjusting them. For example, display settings let you arrange multiple monitors and change resolution or orientation.
System Settings also manages user-specific options like login screen appearance (if the distribution allows user control), regional settings such as language and formats, and account details.
Default Applications in KDE Plasma
The KDE project provides a large collection of applications that integrate well with Plasma. While the exact default set depends on the distribution, some programs are commonly included or associated with Plasma.
Dolphin is the default file manager. It supports tabs, split views, and detailed information panels. It integrates with the desktop, so opening folders from the desktop icons usually launches Dolphin. Context menus in Dolphin provide access to file operations and, depending on installed components, additional features like archive management or service menus.
Konsole is the standard terminal emulator in Plasma based environments. It offers tabs, profiles, customizable color schemes, and integration with the clipboard and notifications. When you choose "Open Terminal Here" from within Dolphin, it typically launches Konsole in that directory.
KWin is the window manager that controls window placement, decorations, and effects. Users interact with KWin indirectly through System Settings. For example, configuring window rules or compositing effects is managed through KWin.
Other common KDE applications include a text editor such as Kate or KWrite, an image viewer like Gwenview, and various tools for system monitoring, device management, and configuration. These applications share a consistent look and behavior and often integrate with the Plasma notification system and the system tray.
Customization and Themes
KDE Plasma is particularly known for its extensive customization options. Almost every visible part of the interface can be adjusted.
You can change the global theme in System Settings, which alters widgets, window decoration, and some colors. Icon themes can be selected independently, which affects icons in the panel, menus, and file manager. Cursor themes control the mouse cursor appearance.
Within panel edit mode, you can change the panel's transparency, hiding behavior, and alignment. For example, you can configure the panel to auto hide when not in use, or to be centered with a fixed length instead of spanning the entire screen width.
Plasma also supports "Look and Feel" packages, which bundle several settings together, including splash screens, lock screens, and desktop themes. Applying one of these packages can quickly change the overall style of the desktop. In many cases, you can download new themes, icon sets, and cursors directly from within System Settings through integrated "Get New" dialogs.
For small adjustments, you can right click individual widgets and select their configure option. For example, the digital clock widget can change its time format, show seconds, display the date, or integrate a calendar. The task manager widget can group windows, show only windows from the current desktop, and adjust how icons and titles are displayed.
KDE Plasma allows deep customization. It is usually safe, but if you change many settings at once and become confused, consider creating a new user account and logging in with a fresh Plasma configuration. This keeps your main system intact while you experiment.
Workspaces, Window Management, and Effects
Plasma offers rich controls for managing multiple windows and workspaces. Virtual desktops provide separate screens that you can switch between logically. You can configure the number of desktops and their names in System Settings under workspace related sections. The pager widget on the panel can show a visual representation of each desktop, and you can click to switch.
KWin supports features like window snapping to edges, tiling arrangements, and visual effects. Dragging a window to the edge of the screen can cause it to fill half the screen, which is useful for side by side work. Dragging to a corner can allow quarter tiling, depending on configuration.
Special effects such as desktop animations, translucency, and window previews are controlled through compositing options. These effects can improve usability, for example by showing live thumbnails of windows when you hover over task manager entries. On very low end hardware, you might disable some effects for better performance, but on most modern systems Plasma runs efficiently.
Keyboard shortcuts are a key part of Plasma's window management. Many shortcuts are configured by default, such as Alt+Tab to switch between windows, and Ctrl+F8 or similar combinations for an overview mode, depending on your version and settings. A dedicated shortcut settings section in System Settings lists all current shortcuts and lets you change them or create new ones.
Notifications, System Tray, and Session Control
The system tray in KDE Plasma is an area of the panel that shows small icons for background applications, system status indicators, and notifications. It usually includes network status, volume control, clipboard, and updates indicator, along with icons for running applications that integrate with the tray.
Clicking an icon typically opens a small popup with relevant controls. For example, the network icon shows available connections, the volume icon offers volume sliders and device selection, and the battery icon displays power status on laptops.
Plasma uses an integrated notification system. When an event occurs, such as a file transfer completing or a USB device being plugged in, a small notification pops up near the tray. Notifications can be configured in System Settings, including how long they stay visible and which applications are allowed to show them.
Session control options, such as logging out, rebooting, and shutting down, can be found either in the application launcher or by clicking your user avatar in the panel if available. Plasma also includes a lock screen feature that activates when the screen is locked or the system is about to suspend. The lock screen often shares themes and style elements with the overall desktop.
Integrating KDE Plasma with Your Distribution
Different distributions package KDE Plasma with slightly different defaults. For example, Kubuntu, KDE Neon, openSUSE with KDE, and Fedora KDE Spin all provide Plasma but choose different default themes, widgets, and preinstalled applications. However, the core concepts remain the same, and you can tune the desktop to your liking regardless of the distribution.
If your distribution installed another desktop environment by default, you can often install Plasma through the package manager and then choose it on the login screen as your session type. This enables you to test Plasma without removing the other environment. Switching between them is usually a matter of logging out and choosing a different session before logging in again.
KDE Plasma can also coexist with multiple user accounts using different styles. Each user has their own Plasma configuration stored in their home directory. This means one user can have a heavily customized Plasma desktop while another uses the defaults or even a different desktop environment, all on the same machine.
Understanding the basic layout, the role of widgets and panels, and the central place of System Settings will help you become comfortable with KDE Plasma. From there, you can explore deeper customization at your own pace and use Plasma as a flexible, powerful interface for everyday Linux use.