KDE developers continue preparing Plasma 6.6, and although there are still over two months to go before the final stable release (scheduled for February 17, 2026), the team posts weekly updates on the KDE Blogs about what changes to expect from this version. After covering some of them last week, we now have a new batch to look at.
This time, several UI improvements stand out. Desktop items now support Alt-click and Alt-double-click to open their properties, matching the behavior already familiar from Dolphin. Notifications also become less intrusive: when multiple printer cartridges run low on ink simultaneously, Plasma will present a single consolidated alert instead of several separate ones.
System Settings receives further polish, including clearer messaging on the Drawing Tablet page when missing drivers prevent certain features from appearing, and a set of adjustments across multiple pages to better align with KDE’s Human Interface Guidelines.
On the usability side, Spectacle now includes a visible Cancel button when selecting a rectangular capture region, eliminating the need to use the Escape key to exit. Locking the screen from the Application Launcher no longer leaves the launcher open and awkward on return. Authentication behavior also becomes more predictable, with the Date and Time page avoiding error messages when users close the authentication prompt without completing it.
On top of that, applications launched from the Favorites section of Kickoff, Kicker, and Dashboard will now appear in the Recent Apps list, bringing them in line with how other launch paths are tracked. In addition, Plasma now blocks attempts to rename currently logged-in user accounts and warns users when they try to disable the built-in Notifications widget in the System Tray due to potential unexpected consequences.
Lastly, Plasma 6.6 adds support for per-DRM-plane color pipelines, expanding the compositor’s capabilities for modern display hardware. Power management behavior becomes more accurate as well: after a system wakes from sleep, Plasma now rechecks the battery level, ensuring that notifications reflect real-world changes that occurred while the device was suspended.
For more information, refer to Nate Graham’s series “This Week in Plasma” post on the KDE Blogs.
