The KDE Plasma 6.5 desktop environment was officially released, just four months after the previous stable version. This update brings a host of improvements focused on performance, Wayland support, and user experience.

To experience the latest features, you can try KDE Plasma 6.5 using builds from projects like KDE Neon or openSUSE (Argon on openSUSE Leap, and Krypton on openSUSE Tumbleweed).

Key Updates in KDE Plasma 6.5

System Settings & Configuration

Graphics tablet settings are now hidden by default if no device is connected.
Game controller settings now display more relevant information.
Screen Edges settings have been moved to the Display configuration page for better organization.
The Bluetooth setup wizard now hides unnamed devices by default to reduce clutter.
A new KDE Initial System Setup (KISS) wizard guides users through creating a user, setting the language, time zone, and network on first boot.
Support for hibernating (suspend to disk) is now available from the SDDM login screen.
The built-in RDP server now supports clipboard text synchronization between the client and server.

Wayland Enhancements

Opening files in already-running applications via KRunner now correctly brings the existing window to the front.
The Orca screen reader now properly recognizes the Caps Lock state.
Support for the xdg-pip (picture-in-picture) protocol allows for stable floating multimedia windows, such as those in Firefox.
Virtual desktops can now be reordered via the Pager widget, and the order is synced with the Overview effect.
Added support for the pointer-warp protocol, which allows applications to instantly move the cursor to a specific position.

Performance & KWin Improvements

Significantly improved scrolling performance when browsing the available desktop wallpapers.
Implemented improved HDR Tone Mapping in KWin for better high-dynamic-range content display.
Optimized the rendering loop timer in KWin to reduce overall resource consumption.
The Blur and Background Contrast effects have been merged into a single, more efficient shader.
Added support for hardware overlay planes, which boosts performance and reduces latency for windowed games while lowering power consumption for video playback.

UI & Widget Refinements

The network connection widget now clearly indicates active states like searching for wireless networks.
Enhanced keyboard navigation in the volume control widget, Flatpak settings, and the Discover update manager.
The Emoji picker (Meta + .) now has a permanently visible search bar and hides the empty Recently Used page on first launch.
Notifications missed during Do Not Disturb mode now include a button to quickly review them.
Muting the system sound now mutes all audio devices. Any volume adjustment will unmute all devices simultaneously.
Sidebars in the Discover app center and System Monitor are now resizable, and their sizes are saved across sessions.

Application & Utility Updates

Spectacle: The screenshot tool now shows a tooltip reminding users how to stop a screencast. Window recordings now capture the title bar, borders, shadows, and associated pop-ups.
Discover: The software center now supports installing device drivers and features improved handling of Flatpak installations and updates.
kwindowprop: A new command-line utility, similar to xprop, has been added to display detailed information about any selected window.

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