KDE has released Plasma 6.7, the latest version of its desktop environment, bringing one of the most requested virtual desktop changes in the project’s history alongside improvements to printing, widgets, theming, usability, color handling, and performance.
The main feature is per-screen virtual desktops. Plasma now allows users to manage virtual desktops independently on each monitor, offering greater control for multi-monitor setups. In other words, now you can keep static content on one screen while switching tasks on another.
Plasma 6.7 also features a microphone volume test, letting users check input levels before calls or recordings. Plus, the virtual keyboard now supports press-and-hold for special characters, similar to mobile keyboards.
Widgets have been updated with a new light/dark mode toggle for instant theme switching. The release also adds support for the Vietnamese lunar calendar and improves System Tray management of background applications, including those using the newer Flatpak system.
Printing has been improved with the System Tray printer icon now displaying active job counts, connecting to shared Windows printers is easier, and a new print queue management tool supports users and administrators managing multiple printers.
Usability improvements include faster virtual desktop switching on the Overview screen using scroll or Page Up/Page Down keys. Users can now also add or remove favorite applications in the Application Launcher, Menu, and Dashboard via drag-and-drop.
Discover, KDE’s software center, now features a more prominent Install button, redesigned application cards with additional information, improved sorting, and grouping of installed software by type.
The Digital Clock widget now displays the time difference between the local time zone and other time zones. A new “type-ahead” option lets users select desktop files by typing.
Regarding visuals, Plasma 6.7 offers major theming updates. Believe it or not, the Oxygen theme from KDE 4 has been updated, and the Air style has returned. Both now support adaptive opacity, various panel positions, and include additional fixes.
On top of that, the Breeze theme now features rounded highlights in lists and grids, as well as visible click effects for menu items. Notifications slide in from the nearest screen edge for improved consistency.
This release also includes an early preview of Union, KDE’s new CSS-based theming system for Plasma, QtQuick, and QtWidgets applications. In Plasma 6.7, Union is available as a technology preview for QtQuick and is disabled by default.
Graphics and performance enhancements include simultaneous ICC color management and HDR support for compatible displays. On the optimization side, Plasma 6.7 improves performance and reduces power usage for CPU-rendered applications, fullscreen windows, and systems with integrated Intel GPUs.
Additional updates include duplicating network connections, syncing mouse and stylus pointers, selecting a preferred calendar application, new shortcuts for microphone mute and notification history, mixed skin tone emoji selection, storage unit preferences in System Monitor, enhancements to the Global Menu widget, a Recent Locations item in the Application Menu, customizable sorting and grouping in the Window List widget, and expanded support for Wayland protocols and portals.
For additional details, refer to the official announcement or see the full changelog. Plasma 6.7 will receive six maintenance updates before Plasma 6.8, planned for mid-October.
For those eager to explore all the new features immediately, the simplest route is to opt for KDE Neon Testing Edition, which already has Plasma 6.7 readily available. As usual, the update will arrive in rolling-release distributions first, while other Linux distributions will ship it according to their own release schedules.
