Plasma 6.4 is here, and if you’re running Linux, this update is definitely worth your attention. KDE continues to refine its flagship desktop environment, and the latest release brings meaningful changes that go beyond visual tweaks.
For starters, you can now set different window tiling layouts on each virtual desktop. That means your coding workflow doesn’t have to interfere with your video editing space or your web browsing layout. It’s one of those features that makes you wonder how you lived without it.
The Spectacle app, used for screenshots and screen recording, has been completely redesigned. Hit the Print Screen key, and you’re instantly in selection mode. Want to annotate your screenshot? You can do that immediately too. Recording your screen? The quality is much better now, especially if you’re using fractional scaling or the WebM format.
KRunner, KDE’s powerful launcher, now understands color in a new way. Enter a hex code or even a color name like “PapayaWhip” and it will show you the visual along with other color formats. It’s an oddly useful addition if you do anything design-related on your Linux system.
Notifications have also gotten smarter. File transfer alerts now show a speed graph, updates can be installed directly from the pop-up, and Do Not Disturb mode kicks in automatically during full-screen activities. You’ll also be warned if an app tries to use your mic while you’re muted, which is a helpful touch for those endless video meetings.
The new Plasma also makes accessibility improvements on the Wayland session. You can now move your pointer with the numpad, and there’s support for pinch-to-zoom gestures on touchpads. KDE also tweaked its Breeze Dark theme to boost contrast, making things easier on the eyes.
Widgets have evolved too. You’ll now see a little “New!” tag next to freshly installed apps in the launcher, which disappears after three days or once you open the app. The media widget now includes playback speed control, and the Disks & Devices widget can check for disk errors and offer repairs.
Artists will find that stylus setup is more intuitive, and there’s now a relative mode that makes the pen behave more like a mouse. If your calibration goes sideways, you can reset everything with a single click.
A new HDR calibration wizard has landed in Display settings, and there’s now support for Extended Dynamic Range and the P010 video format. These improvements should help those with modern displays make better use of their hardware.
System monitoring has improved, too. You can now see Intel and AMD GPU usage on a per-process basis, and background services are broken out separately in System Monitor. The new Sensors page gives you real-time data on CPU and GPU temperatures.
Browser integration has also expanded. KDE’s media control features now work with Flatpak versions of Firefox and Chromium variants like LibreWolf. And dragging files with Dolphin just got more predictable – you can now default to always moving files on the same disk instead of being asked what to do each time.
Under the hood, KDE added support for more Wayland protocols, improving how third-party apps behave on Plasma.
If you’re using Linux, Plasma 6.4 is a smooth and thoughtful upgrade. It’s available now through KDE neon and soon from other Linux distributions that ship with KDE.
