KDE tidies up Plasma 6.5 with 60-odd fixes and smoother setup for OEMs
(2025/10/30)
- Reference: 1761835910
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2025/10/30/kde_65_651/
- Source link:
The KDE Plasma 6.5 graphical shell arrived last week for Unix-like operating systems, and now 6.5.1 is here for the more cautious. The team's squashed over 60 bugs – and they're by no means all new.
[1]KDE Plasma 6.5 is a significant release with a lot of small improvements in fit and finish; the project's announcement refers to this release as an "inflection point" and says "KDE is on the verge of making it big for the general public." This version has performance and accessibility improvements, simplifies connecting to and sharing Wi-Fi networks, and can automatically switch between light and dark display modes (optionally changing the wallpaper to match).
So it's inevitable that some bugs found their way in – Plasma is a large and very complex suite of software. One week later, [2]KDE Plasma 6.5.1 followed, which has no new features at all but contains fixes for, by our reckoning, [3]63 different bugs . The bugs are not all newly introduced – for instance, [4]bug #385856 involves panel shortcuts rearranging when you drop a new item on the panel, and that one dates back to 2017. That was just after the release of [5]KDE Plasma 5.11 . There were some new ones, though, such as screen corruption when adding or removing monitors, and AMD GPU users seeing a corrupted mouse pointer.
[6]
One of the new features in Plasma 6.5 won't be visible to many existing users, as it targets OEMs shipping new hardware with KDE Plasma pre-installed. The new [7]Plasma Setup tool, which was [8]announced back in August , provides an improved KDE Initial System Setup – or as some vendors call it, "out-of-box experience." This is not to be confused with the [9]Plasma Welcome app , which runs on your first login to a new account. Plasma Setup runs on the first boot of a new computer, and is the tool that sets up that initial account – including choosing a language, keyboard layout, and so on. Companies such as Tuxedo Computers sell Linux hardware with KDE, such as the [10]Pulse G2 and [11]Stellaris Gen 4 , running the company's own modified version of Ubuntu, [12]Tuxedo OS .
[13]
[14]
For those already comfortable with KDE, there are lots of other improvements. Application permissions have been improved and they're now handled in one place under Settings, which covers various kinds of installations including Flatpaks, native apps, and more. The [15]Discover app store now can handle flatpak+https:// URLs, so it will open directly from application links on web pages. Discover now can display and install device drivers too – at least on compatible OSes.
One of the very handy features that's not immediately obvious is [16]Krunner , which is KDE's intelligent app and file launcher tool. It's especially handy in the "desktop grid" overview screen, which appeared long ago – it's mentioned in the [17]Plasma 4.0 announcement – but got [18]much more capable in Plasma 5.24 . Krunner can also perform calculations and conversions, switch desktops, and much more: it's akin to KDE's "Siri," lacking only the speech recognition. Now it does fuzzy matching on application names, so a fragment of the name or description should find what you want.
[19]Aurora immutable KDE Plasma workstation: Big, slow, and confusing
[20]Key KDE developer Jonathan Riddell quits
[21]KDE Linux and FreeBSD hit alpha and – surprise – fan fave Pop_OS nearly at beta
[22]Project Banana ripens into a pre-alpha for KDE Linux, and you can test it
The Plasma clipboard manager lets you name and save fragments for later use, which would save this vulture a number of desktop text files we use daily. Sticky notes can be resized, and virtual desktops can be rearranged directly in the Pager widget – or in the Overview, in which case the widget rearranges itself to match.
There are also smaller cosmetic improvements, such as panels automatically scrolling when too full to display all their contents, and a minor feature to which the release announcement mystifyingly gives top billing: windows styled with KDE's default Breeze theme now have their bottom corners curved to match the top corners.
[23]
[24]KDE Plasma 6.0 was a long time coming, but the rapid cycle of releases and new features since then is great to see. Combined with the [25]new showcase KDE Linux distro , which as we [26]reported in late 2024 draws inspiration for its robustness from [27]Steam OS 3 on the Steam Deck, KDE hasn't looked so vigorous in many years. ®
Get our [28]Tech Resources
[1] https://kde.org/announcements/plasma/6/6.5.0/
[2] https://kde.org/announcements/plasma/6/6.5.1/
[3] https://kde.org/announcements/changelogs/plasma/6/6.5.0-6.5.1/
[4] https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=385856
[5] https://kde.org/announcements/plasma/5/5.11.0/
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2aQOZp-8BfUWXkmjapjURyAAAAVg&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[7] https://invent.kde.org/plasma/plasma-setup
[8] https://blogs.kde.org/2025/08/23/this-week-in-plasma-kde-initial-system-setup/
[9] https://github.com/KDE/plasma-welcome
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2022/07/05/tuxedo_pulse_g3_laptop/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2022/11/08/tuxedo_stellaris_amd_gen_4/
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2022/10/12/tuxedo_computers_version_1/
[13] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aQOZp-8BfUWXkmjapjURyAAAAVg&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[14] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aQOZp-8BfUWXkmjapjURyAAAAVg&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[15] https://apps.kde.org/en-gb/discover/
[16] https://userbase.kde.org/Plasma/Krunner
[17] https://kde.org/announcements/4/4.0/desktop/
[18] https://www.theregister.com/2022/02/09/plasma_524/
[19] https://www.theregister.com/2025/10/01/aurora_immutable_kde_workstation/
[20] https://www.theregister.com/2025/09/16/key_kde_dev_quits/
[21] https://www.theregister.com/2025/09/10/kde_linux_and_freebsd_hit/
[22] https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/04/kde_linux_prealpha/
[23] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aQOZp-8BfUWXkmjapjURyAAAAVg&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[24] https://www.theregister.com/2024/02/29/kde_plasma_60_released/
[25] https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/04/kde_linux_prealpha/
[26] https://www.theregister.com/2024/11/29/kde_and_gnome_distros/
[27] https://www.theregister.com/2023/09/27/osseu_steam_os_3/
[28] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
[1]KDE Plasma 6.5 is a significant release with a lot of small improvements in fit and finish; the project's announcement refers to this release as an "inflection point" and says "KDE is on the verge of making it big for the general public." This version has performance and accessibility improvements, simplifies connecting to and sharing Wi-Fi networks, and can automatically switch between light and dark display modes (optionally changing the wallpaper to match).
So it's inevitable that some bugs found their way in – Plasma is a large and very complex suite of software. One week later, [2]KDE Plasma 6.5.1 followed, which has no new features at all but contains fixes for, by our reckoning, [3]63 different bugs . The bugs are not all newly introduced – for instance, [4]bug #385856 involves panel shortcuts rearranging when you drop a new item on the panel, and that one dates back to 2017. That was just after the release of [5]KDE Plasma 5.11 . There were some new ones, though, such as screen corruption when adding or removing monitors, and AMD GPU users seeing a corrupted mouse pointer.
[6]
One of the new features in Plasma 6.5 won't be visible to many existing users, as it targets OEMs shipping new hardware with KDE Plasma pre-installed. The new [7]Plasma Setup tool, which was [8]announced back in August , provides an improved KDE Initial System Setup – or as some vendors call it, "out-of-box experience." This is not to be confused with the [9]Plasma Welcome app , which runs on your first login to a new account. Plasma Setup runs on the first boot of a new computer, and is the tool that sets up that initial account – including choosing a language, keyboard layout, and so on. Companies such as Tuxedo Computers sell Linux hardware with KDE, such as the [10]Pulse G2 and [11]Stellaris Gen 4 , running the company's own modified version of Ubuntu, [12]Tuxedo OS .
[13]
[14]
For those already comfortable with KDE, there are lots of other improvements. Application permissions have been improved and they're now handled in one place under Settings, which covers various kinds of installations including Flatpaks, native apps, and more. The [15]Discover app store now can handle flatpak+https:// URLs, so it will open directly from application links on web pages. Discover now can display and install device drivers too – at least on compatible OSes.
One of the very handy features that's not immediately obvious is [16]Krunner , which is KDE's intelligent app and file launcher tool. It's especially handy in the "desktop grid" overview screen, which appeared long ago – it's mentioned in the [17]Plasma 4.0 announcement – but got [18]much more capable in Plasma 5.24 . Krunner can also perform calculations and conversions, switch desktops, and much more: it's akin to KDE's "Siri," lacking only the speech recognition. Now it does fuzzy matching on application names, so a fragment of the name or description should find what you want.
[19]Aurora immutable KDE Plasma workstation: Big, slow, and confusing
[20]Key KDE developer Jonathan Riddell quits
[21]KDE Linux and FreeBSD hit alpha and – surprise – fan fave Pop_OS nearly at beta
[22]Project Banana ripens into a pre-alpha for KDE Linux, and you can test it
The Plasma clipboard manager lets you name and save fragments for later use, which would save this vulture a number of desktop text files we use daily. Sticky notes can be resized, and virtual desktops can be rearranged directly in the Pager widget – or in the Overview, in which case the widget rearranges itself to match.
There are also smaller cosmetic improvements, such as panels automatically scrolling when too full to display all their contents, and a minor feature to which the release announcement mystifyingly gives top billing: windows styled with KDE's default Breeze theme now have their bottom corners curved to match the top corners.
[23]
[24]KDE Plasma 6.0 was a long time coming, but the rapid cycle of releases and new features since then is great to see. Combined with the [25]new showcase KDE Linux distro , which as we [26]reported in late 2024 draws inspiration for its robustness from [27]Steam OS 3 on the Steam Deck, KDE hasn't looked so vigorous in many years. ®
Get our [28]Tech Resources
[1] https://kde.org/announcements/plasma/6/6.5.0/
[2] https://kde.org/announcements/plasma/6/6.5.1/
[3] https://kde.org/announcements/changelogs/plasma/6/6.5.0-6.5.1/
[4] https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=385856
[5] https://kde.org/announcements/plasma/5/5.11.0/
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2aQOZp-8BfUWXkmjapjURyAAAAVg&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[7] https://invent.kde.org/plasma/plasma-setup
[8] https://blogs.kde.org/2025/08/23/this-week-in-plasma-kde-initial-system-setup/
[9] https://github.com/KDE/plasma-welcome
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2022/07/05/tuxedo_pulse_g3_laptop/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2022/11/08/tuxedo_stellaris_amd_gen_4/
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2022/10/12/tuxedo_computers_version_1/
[13] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aQOZp-8BfUWXkmjapjURyAAAAVg&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[14] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aQOZp-8BfUWXkmjapjURyAAAAVg&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[15] https://apps.kde.org/en-gb/discover/
[16] https://userbase.kde.org/Plasma/Krunner
[17] https://kde.org/announcements/4/4.0/desktop/
[18] https://www.theregister.com/2022/02/09/plasma_524/
[19] https://www.theregister.com/2025/10/01/aurora_immutable_kde_workstation/
[20] https://www.theregister.com/2025/09/16/key_kde_dev_quits/
[21] https://www.theregister.com/2025/09/10/kde_linux_and_freebsd_hit/
[22] https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/04/kde_linux_prealpha/
[23] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aQOZp-8BfUWXkmjapjURyAAAAVg&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[24] https://www.theregister.com/2024/02/29/kde_plasma_60_released/
[25] https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/04/kde_linux_prealpha/
[26] https://www.theregister.com/2024/11/29/kde_and_gnome_distros/
[27] https://www.theregister.com/2023/09/27/osseu_steam_os_3/
[28] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/