KDE Plasma Tips & Hints

This page is not meant to be a complete guide to KDE Plasma but merely a list of things I have learnt and wanted to make a note of. It started just as a personal record but I decided to make it public as it may be useful to others. KDE Plasma is a lot more configurable than most other desktops but with that comes a bit of complexity. However most things can be found by searching, the first place to try is System Settings. Most Widgets have a settings option on the right click menu too.

These tips were last tested on my Fedora 44, KDE Plasma 6.7.1 system.  Some of these tips may not apply to other versions or distros. Package names and paths may change in other distros or even other Fedora versions, look for something similar.

The list is by no means complete and is out of date. This page was last updated (partially) on 28th June 2026.

Index

Settings
Menu
KDM
Codecs
Digikam
Yakuake
Dolphin
Spectacle
Desktop
Language Etc.
Date and Time
Widgets
Further Help

Settings

Touchpad

The  ‘Mouse and Touchpad’ section of ‘System Settings’ has a Touchpad screen. By default Fedora has Tap to Click turned off but it can be set to the more popular “on” on the Tapping tab. 

Plasma has an option to disable the touchpad while typing but if you use a mouse there is also an option to disable the touchpad while the mouse is connected. I find this works better than the ‘while typing’ option.

Starting Applications at Log In

You can set an application or script to start automatically when you log in by adding it to the list in ‘System Settings’ –  ‘Autostart’.

Numlock

You can set the state of the number lock on start up in ‘System Settings’  – ‘Keyboard’.

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Menu

Edit the Menu

Right click on the menu (aka Application Launcher) icon and select ‘Edit Applications’ (this was called by the more obvious Menu Editor). Select the menu item you want to edit and make the necessary changes. Simple as that.

The menu includes a Favourites section. To make an item a favourite select it in the menu, right click and select add to Favourites. Similarly to remove an item from the Favourites right click on the item and select remove.

Settings

Right click on the menu icon and select Configure Application Launcher. In Fedora I change the icon to a KDE one.

I also select to view the applications by name rather than by description. A handy option when you have multiple apps of one type, eg, browsers installed.

Run as Other User

You can set an option in the menu to run an application as another user. One useful reason for this is to run a file manager or editor as root. Fedora doesn’t allow you to log in as root due to the potential security issues but there are a few jobs which must be done as root. This is one way to accomplish that.

Right click on the menu icon and select Edit Applications, select an existing entry for e.g. Dolphin and click on copy. Go to where you want the new entry and click new item. You will be asked for a name, call it anything, e.g. Dolphin (Root). Click paste. The name will be overwritten so now is the time to give it the name you want.  Go to advanced tab and set the user to root. Save it.

When you run that item you will be asked for root password and then will have a file manager with root access

Other DEs

If you use other desktop environments and don’t want KDE apps appearing in the menus in those environments the menu editor has an option to appear only in Plasma. Unfortunately this is for each individual app so a mass change is a lot of work.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Rather than always opening applications from the menu you can create keyboard shortcuts. This is a handy option for applications you use regularly. Keyboard shortcuts can be added by going into the menu editor (see above) and selecting the advanced tab on the menu entry you want a shortcut for. Click on the shortcut box and press the desired keys. If the key combination is already in use you will have the option to replace or cancel (and try a different combo).

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KDM

Out of Date. To be updated when SDDM is replaced.

KDM (KDE Desktop Manager) is the default desktop manager with a KDE system. However in Fedora if you install from the KDE Live CD you have KDM but if you install from the DVD or add KDE to an existing system you will have GDM, the Gnome equivalent. Adding another desktop environment to an existing KDE installation may change the default DM too. While the KDE environment will run fine on GDM you may prefer to have KDM as I do. To activate KDM add the line

DISPLAYMANAGER=”KDE”

to /etc/sysconfig/desktop. If that file doesn’t exist you will need to create it first. Of course you will need to be root to do this. A restart is required.

If you have problems logging in for any reason try the second KDE option on the log in screen, it is marked ‘safe’ or something similar depending on the version. It will log you in without desktop effects running and with the default screen size.

Themes

To change the theme for KDM in ‘System Settings’ – ‘System Administration’ –  ‘Login Screen’ – ‘Themes’, there is a Get New Theme button which downloads and installs themes. Alternatively you can download the theme and use the Install button. Just point it to the downloaded archive, no need to extract the contents. If you prefer to do it manually extract the contents of the archive to /usr/kde4/share/apps/kdm/themes/. You need to be root to do this.

You can also change the splash screen that appears after the KDM screen. Go to ‘System Settings’ – ‘Workspace Appearance’ –  ‘Splash Screen’. Again you have the same install options as for the KDM theme but if installing manually extract to ~/.kde/share/apps/ksplash/themes/
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Codecs

Fedora doesn’t include any codecs or drivers etc. that aren’t free and open source so you need to add these from other sources. The standard source for Fedora is RPMFusion. Follow the instructions in the link to add both free and non-free repos to the repo list then install the following.

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digiKam

Plugins

digiKam is a great image organiser that just keeps getting better. 

There a lot of entries on the Import and Export menua. You probably don’t use all of them so they can be hidden by going to ‘Settings’ – ‘Configure digiKam’ – ‘Plugins’ and deselect the ones you don’t use. They are still in the system but don’t appear on the menu.

Even some that are there aren’t particularly useful. While I use Flickr I find the plugin doesn’t work for me as it doesn’t allow posting images to a Flickr group. So I still need to go to Flickr anyway.

Geolocation

The Edit Geolocation option on the Item menu is a useful way to add the location to images. A good feature if you regularly visit particular locations is to use the bookmarks option. You can store any location there and select it without waiting for the map to load. However if you intend adding a few bookmarks it is advisable to put them in folders. Use the Edit Bookmarks option to add folders and then add the location. It is possible to drag and drop location between folders.

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Yakuake

Yakuake is a great drop down terminal emulator especially for Plasma. To get the best from Yakuake set it to start at log in. That way it will always be available with just a press of F12 or by clicking on the panel icon. Right clicking the panel icon provides access to the settings and other options.

Settings

It has a menu button to set the options. There are “Quick Options” for things like width and height. For other options can be set under Settings – Configure Yakuake. There is a menu button on the bottom bar of Yakuake, it has a down arrow on it when using the default theme.

To change things like appearance you need to edit Profiles. Profiles are shared with Konsole. If you want different profiles for Konsole and Yakuake you need to add a new Profile and set that as the default in each application.

Tabs

You can open multiple shells by clicking on the “+” sign on the left lower part of the window. Right clicking on it gives options for a few screen layouts too. You can use the “-” on the right to close the current session.

Shift + left or right arrow moves through the open shells.
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Dolphin

Dolphin has a default view mode of Icons but can be changed to Details or columns. This can be done on the fly using the icons in the toolbar. Once changed Dolphin will remember  the settings for each folder, although that can be disabled in settings.

If you want to set a default view for all folders first set up Dolphin as you want it then go to Menu, the three lines on the right side – ‘Configure’ -‘Configure Dolphin’ and change the option under view properties to “Use common display style for all folders”. It will now use the view settings currently in use for every folder.

As well as Dolphin Fedora provides the Krusader file manager. Krusader is a twin pane file manager that includes several advanced options. Check it out.

Menu Bar

By default the Menu Bar is not visible in Dolphin. You can turn it on by clicking on the Spanner icon on the right and selecting View Menubar.

File Associations

To change the option to “open with” on the right click menu you need to update the file associations. Right click on the file, go to Properties. On the General Tab is a ‘Open with’ which shows the default application and a change button. Click this and under “Application Preference Order’ you can configure the application used to open files of that type.

You do the same thing in ‘System Settings’ – ‘Default Applications’ – ‘Files Associations’ – use the search box to find the appropriate extensions. Add your preferred apps to the list and hit Apply. You may need to close and reopen Dolphin for the changes to apply.

Open a Terminal

There are 2 ways to access the command line while using Dolphin. First F4 will bring up a command line in the lower part of the Dolphin window. Second Shift + F4 will open a separate window. These will open at the location displayed in Dolphin.

Of course if you use Yakuake F12 will open that too. But it will be at the last location you were using.

Deleting Files

Be careful with this one but if you really want to delete something rather than moving it to Trash use Shift + Delete. Remember this deletes the files, they will be gone for good.
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Spectacle

Spectacle is a simple screen capture program but it can be quite powerful. If you wish to capture the special screens produced by Desktop effects like “Present Windows” or “Desktop Grid” Spectacle can do it. It may not appear obvious but is actually quite simple.

First set Delay to around 5 seconds, increase it if you need to, press the New Snapshot button then press the key combination for the desired effect. You will know it is done when the KSnapshot screen reappears. Close the effect screen and save your creation.
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Desktop

Window Settings – Position, Size Etc.

For most of these settings you have the choice to set them in ‘More Actions’ – ‘Special Window Settings’ or ‘Special Application Settings’. There isn’t much difference, both offer almost the same options. However Window settings only affects that particular window not any other window the application may open such as notification windows. Application settings will affect all windows opened by the application.

When you open an application you may want it to open in a particular place on the desktop and even on a particular desktop.  It is possible to set this and more for each application. While they can be set in  System Settings the easiest way is to open the application and position and size it as you want it. Right click on the Titlebar and select ‘More Actions’ – ‘Special Window Settings’.  Select ‘Add Properties’ Click on the desired options and select Apply. 

As an example. If you want the application background to be partly transparent you can change the Opacity setting on the right click menu on the titlebar. Go to ‘More Options’ – ‘Special Window Settings’ and scroll down. It is possible to set different settings for active and inactive windows. The inactive settings will override the settings in ‘Desktop Effects’ – ‘All Effects’.  You need to have Desktop Effects activated for transparency to work. You can also disable compositing for that application there. This can be useful for image editors, paint programs and similar.

Non KDE Apps

If you use the default oxygen style for applications install oxygen-gtk. In System Settings – Application Appearance – GTK+ Appearance select oxygen-gtk as the widget style. Now most apps will look and behave more like your KDE apps.

If you use another theme and want to add a custom GTK that is installed in ~/.themes you may find it is not displayed in the settings list. If this happens copy the theme to /usr/share/themes.

Mouse Actions

The mouse can be configured to display various options or produce various actions when clicking on the desktop. Right click on the desktop and select Desktop Settings – Mouse Actions. 

Authentication

Many administration applications require authentication, that is you need to type in a password  for the changes to take affect. Sometimes this password window is hidden behind the main application window. To change this set System Settings – Window Behaviour – Focus – Focus Stealing to none.

Desktop Effects

Many desktop effects have additional options on the All Effects tab, click on the wrench. The default setting for many effects is conservative. Experiment with these settings to get smoother and more impressive effects and better performance.

Themes

To change the various themes for the desktop, applications etc. in System Settings – Colors and Themes, there is a Get New Theme button which downloads and installs themes. Check that the theme you are selecting is compatible with the Plasma version you are using. Some older themes haven’t been updated for newer Plasma versions.

Clipboard

Plasma has a powerful Clipboard manager. It appears in the System Tray when in use. There are too many options to cover here but there are plenty of online guides. Browse through the ‘Configure Clipboard’ option by right clicking on the icon.

If you use different desktop environments and want to share your Clipboard across desktops consider Parcellite. Even though it is a GTK app it works fine in KDE and most other DE’s.

Add a Launcher

Right clicking on the Icon of a running application in the Task Manager will bring up a menu. This menu has the option to show a launcher on the Task Manager when the application isn’t running. 

For an alternate launcher panel look at the Crystal dock, for Fedora you need to install crystal-dock. It has many appearance options and animations.
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Language Etc.

If you live anywhere but the US (which seems to be the default for most things) you may need to set the local location. This should be done automatically during instalation. But if not  go to System Settings – Regional and Language and set your country. This should give you mostly correct options for things like currency, measure and paper (A4 in much of the world not Legal) but you also need to set the correct language on the Spell Checker screen.
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Date and Time

The Date and Time option in System Settings only lets you set the date and time and time zone. To set the options for formatting the date and time go to System Settings – Regional & Language.
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Updating Widgets

To update the widgets installed on your system use ‘add or manage widgets’ option found by right clicking on the desktop. Go to ‘get new’ and select the updateable option on drop down menu. This will show the plasmoids which have updates available. Select those to update

When complete close the manager.

Note: this appears to only work for widgets installed with the manager. Widgets installed manually don’t appear.

The desktop needs to be restarted for the updated widget to work. So from a terminal or krunner do

systemctl restart –user plasma-plasmashell

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Further Help

Check out the Fedora forums and KDE mailing lists (or your distro’s equivalent)  and the KDE forums. There is also the KDE Userbase.

“KDE, KDE Plasma, K Desktop Environment and the KDE Logo are trademarks of KDE e.V.”
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