KDE Plasma Widgets

Posted on 4 2026

GNOME Shell extensions exist because GNOME is deliberately minimal and extensions are the primary mechanism for adding functionality. The source material this series draws on covers GSConnect (KDE Connect reimplemented for GNOME) and the browser integration needed to install extensions from extensions.gnome.org.

On Kubuntu, neither of these is needed. KDE Connect is native and already covered in the Toolbox introduction. KDE Plasma’s extension equivalent is Plasmoids (widgets), which extend the panel and desktop, and KWin scripts, which extend the window manager. Both are already covered in the KDE Tweaks page.

This page covers the widgets and KWin scripts worth installing, and the tools for managing them.

Understanding KDE extensibility

GNOME extensions are fragile. Each GNOME release tends to break a significant proportion of available extensions because they modify GNOME Shell’s internals directly. Extension maintainers have to update for each release, and many do not.

KDE Plasma widgets are considerably more stable. They use a well-defined API that changes infrequently, and widgets written years ago often work without modification on the latest Plasma release. This is a meaningful practical difference for a setup you want to maintain with low overhead.

KWin scripts use a similar stable API for window management behaviour. They are simpler than full extensions and tend to be more reliable as a result.

Installing widgets

From the System Settings GUI

Right-click the desktop or any panel > Add Widgets. This opens the widget browser showing installed widgets. Click Get New Widgets to browse and install from the KDE Store.

Alternatively: System Settings > Workspace > Plasma Widgets.

From the command line

Widgets can be installed manually by placing them in ~/.local/share/plasma/plasmoids/. Download the .plasmoid file (which is a zip archive) and extract it there, then restart Plasma:

plasmapkg2 --install widget-name.plasmoid

Widgets worth having

System Load Viewer

Displays CPU, memory, and network activity directly in the panel. More informative than the default system tray for at-a-glance resource monitoring.

Search for: System Load Viewer in the widget browser.

Netspeed Widget

Shows current upload and download speed in the panel. Useful when working with large file transfers or backup jobs running in the background.

Search for: Net Speed Widget.

Event Calendar

A more capable replacement for the default clock widget. Shows a configurable calendar popup with weather, events from multiple calendar sources, and time zone support.

Search for: Event Calendar.

Weather Widget

Shows current weather and forecast in the panel or on the desktop. Configure it with your location (Manchester, GB) for relevant forecasts.

The default Plasma weather applet (System Settings > Notifications > Weather) works, but the community YaWP (Yet Another Weather Plasmoid) is more configurable.

Search for: YaWP.

Pager

Shows virtual desktops as a miniature panel widget with live previews of open windows. Useful with multiple virtual desktops configured.

Search for: Pager (already installed by default, may just need adding to the panel).

Active Window Control

Shows the title of the currently focused window in the panel, similar to the macOS menu bar behaviour. Frees up taskbar space on smaller screens.

Search for: Active Window Control.

KDE Connect widget

If KDE Connect is installed, the panel widget shows connected devices, battery levels, and provides quick access to file transfer and clipboard sharing without opening the full KDE Connect application.

The KDE Connect widget is installed automatically with kdeconnect:

sudo apt install kdeconnect

Right-click the panel > Add Widgets > search for KDE Connect.

KWin Scripts

KWin scripts extend the window manager. They are separate from widgets and configured in System Settings > Window Management > KWin Scripts.

Installing KWin scripts

From the GUI: System Settings > Window Management > KWin Scripts > Get New Scripts.

From the command line:

plasmapkg2 --type kwinscript --install script-name.kwinscript

Scripts worth installing

Quarter Tiling (covered in the KDE Tweaks page): divides the screen into quadrants and snaps windows to them by dragging to screen edges. The simplest tiling option that does not require learning keyboard shortcuts.

Krohnkite: a more complete tiling window manager for KDE. Multiple layout options (bsp, monocle, spiral, spread, stair) with keyboard-driven window management. Worth considering if you work primarily from the keyboard.

To install Krohnkite:

git clone https://github.com/esjeon/krohnkite.git
cd krohnkite
make install

Enable it in System Settings > Window Management > KWin Scripts.

MinimizeAll: adds a keyboard shortcut to minimise all windows simultaneously, similar to the Show Desktop button but accessible without a mouse.

Force Blur: applies blur effects to specific windows. Primarily aesthetic, but useful if you want the transparent terminal to blur its background.

Plasma themes

Plasma themes control the appearance of the panel, widgets, and window decorations separately from the application theme. Install new themes from System Settings > Appearance > Global Theme > Get New Global Themes, or specifically for window decorations from System Settings > Appearance > Window Decorations > Get New Window Decorations.

Worth knowing: Plasma themes, colour schemes, window decorations, and icon themes are all separate things that can be mixed and matched. Global themes apply sensible combinations of all of them at once. Individual components can be overridden.

Panel configuration

The KDE panel is considerably more configurable than GNOME’s. Right-click the panel > Edit Mode to access the panel editor.

Adding a second panel: Right-click the desktop > Add Panel. Useful for a separate panel on a second monitor, or for a macOS-style dock at the bottom of the screen alongside a top panel for the system tray and clock.

Panel height: In edit mode, drag the edge handle to adjust. A slightly taller panel is more comfortable on high-DPI displays.

Floating panel: In edit mode, enable the floating option for a panel that hovers above the desktop edge with rounded corners. Purely aesthetic but available if you prefer it.

The KDE Store

All official Plasma extensions, widgets, themes, and KWin scripts are available from the KDE Store:

https://store.kde.org/

Everything on the store is accessible directly from the Get New Widgets, Get New Themes, and Get New Scripts dialogs within Plasma. The store has a rating system and download counts that give a reasonable signal for what is well-maintained.

GNOME Shell extensions break frequently because they operate on GNOME Shell’s internals without a stable API. KDE Plasma widgets and KWin scripts use a more stable interface and tend to survive major Plasma updates without modification. This is not just a talking point: it is a practical difference that affects how much maintenance a heavily extended desktop requires over time.