How to Help KDE Improve Plasma Through User Feedback

This year, the KDE project reported record fundraising revenue, reinforcing its status as one of (if not the most) beloved and widely used desktop environments in the open-source world. That achievement is well deserved, but it is not the focus here.

Instead, this article looks at another way to help KDE improve. With just a few clicks, you can provide anonymous technical data that helps KDE focus development efforts on the areas that matter most. Thus, you indirectly help your favorite desktop environment become even better.

The feature is available directly in System Settings under User Feedback. It is disabled by default and clearly explains what data would be shared at each level. No personal data is collected, and KDE explicitly states that files, websites, or any information that could identify a user are never included.

I have to admit that despite using KDE for years, I never paid much attention to this setting (shame on me). It always flew under my radar, overshadowed by other options I usually tweak right away, such as those tied to the desktop’s behavior and appearance. Still, it’s never too late to correct an oversight. Here’s how.

Open KDE’s System Settings. In the left sidebar, go to Security & Privacy and select User Feedback. Use the vertical slider to choose one of four levels that control how much technical data your system sends to the KDE project. When you’re done, click Apply to save your changes.

As I said, by default, nothing is sent. Enabling Basic system information shares technical details such as application versions, platform information, compiler data, and the Qt version in use. This helps developers understand which environments Plasma actually runs on.

Raising the level to Basic system information and usage statistics adds anonymous metrics such as application launch counts and overall usage time. This allows KDE to see which components are widely used and which are rarely touched, helping prioritize maintenance, performance work, and regressions.

The highest level includes Detailed system information and usage statistics, including screen parameters, panel counts, locale information, and OpenGL details. This is particularly useful for diagnosing layout issues, graphics driver problems, and multi-monitor behavior across different hardware setups.

As you can see, at every level, Plasma shows a clear list of exactly what will be sent before changes are applied.

However, if you still have any concerns, KDE makes it easy to put them to rest by letting you quickly review exactly what data is being sent. Click one of the two links, plasmashell or plasma-discover, and your file manager will open the directory containing the files generated so far. You can then open those files in a text editor and review their contents yourself for peace of mind.

Finally, what’s the main idea behind all this? In short, from a development perspective, this information replaces guesswork with evidence. Instead of relying solely on bug reports or anecdotal feedback, KDE developers can see clear patterns across thousands of systems. That makes it easier to decide where their development time will have the greatest impact.

For you and me, enabling feedback requires minimal effort and carries no privacy trade-off. Once again, the system is anonymous by design, opt-in, and reversible with a single click. It is a small action that, at the same time, directly contributes hugely to a more stable, better-focused Plasma desktop.

So, unless you are a privacy fanatic (even then, there is no cause for concern), I strongly recommend supporting the KDE developers in this way.