Arch Linux, the iconic rolling-release distro beloved by countless Linux enthusiasts, has once again moved fast to please its fans—this time by adding the brand-new KDE Plasma 6.5 desktop environment to its stable repositories just four days after its official release.
Regarding the desktop environment itself, as always, the KDE developers have created a visually stunning and immersive experience for users. I’ve already covered it in detail in our launch review. But let’s quickly recall the highlights:
- Automatic day/night theme switching and dynamic wallpapers — you can now set different global themes or wallpapers for day and night.
- Rounded bottom window corners in the Breeze decoration, completing the modern look introduced in Plasma 6.
- Wayland improvements — better window activation behavior, cursor tracking, and smoother effects like Zoom.
- Unified microphone mute key behavior — the mute key now mutes all microphones, not just the active one.
- System Settings redesign and performance tweaks — pages now hide irrelevant options automatically, and Discover handles firmware updates faster via Fwupd.
- KDE Initial System Setup (KISS) tool — a new first-boot wizard for setting up user accounts and OEM installations.
- Improved tablet and stylus support — rotatable dials on drawing tablets are now fully configurable.
- Better performance and memory optimization, resulting in a faster and lighter desktop experience.
- Simplified Wi-Fi sharing — when you share a connection, the password is now visible to make connecting easier.
- Upgraded frameworks and dependencies, ensuring Qt 6 / KDE Frameworks 6 compatibility and long-term stability.
Additionally, it is also worth noting that one of the biggest advantages of using Arch is that you get a pure, vanilla Plasma experience. In other words, you get exactly what the upstream developers intended—no added “creative visions” or modifications like you might find in other distros.
But of course, if you have a specific setup in mind, you’re free to customize it however you like to match your own tastes. So, if you’re an Arch user excited to try out the new Plasma 6.5 desktop environment, getting started is simple:
udo pacman -S plasma-meta kde-applications-metaCode language: Bash (bash)Already using the previous 6.4.x series version? Just update your system to upgrade to the latest release:
sudo pacman -SyuCode language: Bash (bash)And one last thing—for those who are feeling unsure about Arch’s Pacman package manager, our “Beginner’s Guide to Using Pacman on Arch Linux” is here to help. It’s packed with tips to make managing software on this legendary Linux distro a breeze.
So, dive in, give Plasma 6.5 a try, and experience the difference for yourself. Happy Arching!
