Having an attractive and easy-to-navigate desktop is desired by every Arch Linux user as it makes it easy to get along with the operating systems. Further, it also provides great help for new users as desktop environments like KDE have the option of installing themes mimicking Windows or MacOS. There are a number of desktop environments that can be installed on Arch, usually, GNOME and KDE are the popular ones due to their diverse features.
Outline:
- How to Install KDE Plasma on Arch Linux
- Getting Started with KDE On Arch
- How to Remove KDE Plasma From Arch Linux
- Conclusion
How to Install KDE Plasma on Arch Linux
KDE as mentioned above is a desktop environment that is known for its long list of customization features. It just doesn’t stop here, it enhances the performance of Arch Linux as it is lightweight and uses fewer system resources.
Step 1: Update System Package List
To begin with the installation process of KDE on Arch Linux, first update the Arch Linux default package installer:
Step 2: Install KDE on Arch Linux
Now use the default package installer to install KDE on Arch:
Here during the installation, the first prompt will be about the installation of fonts on Arch and there will be 10 options provided in this regard:
- gnu-free-fonts: As from their name, they are free and open-source fonts that are specifically used for GNU-based software or applications. These fonts nearly cover all languages.
- noto-fonts: These sets of fonts are from Google and cover all the languages in the world and not only that they include fonts for the emojis as well. Further, these sets of fonts are mostly used for the KDE because of their comprehensiveness.
- ttf-bitstream-vera: These are a set of high-quality fonts from bitstream which are primarily used for printing. Further, these include four styles which are: serif, sans-serif, mono, and sans-mono.
- ttf-croscore: This set of fonts is also from Google and metric compatible with the most popular Microsoft fonts such as Arial, Times New Roman, and Courier New. They are intended to improve rendering of web pages and documents.
- ttf-dejavu: This set of fonts is based on bitstream vera that comes with unicode support that aims to provide a wide range of characters. This font set includes six styles which include: serif, sans-serif, mono and sans-mono, sans-condensed, serif-condensed, and mono.
- ttf-droid: This set of fonts is also from Google but is used for Android devices and comes in four styles which include: serif, sans-serif, mono, and sans-fallback.
- ttf-ibm-plex: These fonts are from IBM and are used for reflection of their brand and design, like other fonts these also have four styles: sans-condensed, serif, and sans-serif.
- ttf-liberation: These fonts aim to have metric compatibility with popular fonts like Arial, Time New Roman, and Courier New. These fonts are from RedHat and are intended to be a free alternative to the proprietary fonts.
- ttf-mona-sans: This set of fonts is designed by Degarism which is a digital type design studio. These fonts work well with mona sans and hubat sans, they fall under the category of variable fonts which enable variations of a typeface.
- ttf-ms-fonts: These fonts are from Microsoft and are primarily used in Windows operating systems and Microsoft Office.
Here I have selected the option of installing noto fonts as they are more compatible with the KDE desktop environment, you can choose any other font as per your preference. The second prompt is about the selection of a framework that uses the API for audio and video playback in KDE applications. Here are the two options:
- phonon-qt5-gstreamer: It is a framework that uses gstreamer for creating multimedia applications that support a wide range of media streams. To support more formats, you might need to install an additional codec package.
- phonon-qt5-vlc: This backend is more reliable as it uses a VLC media player which is capable of handling almost every media file.
Here I have opted for VLC as it is far better when it comes to quality and stability:
Now you need to install some packages which include Firefox browser, terminal application, theme, and some other add-ons for KDE. The installation of these packages is necessary as they provide essential components and applications for the KDE plasma desktop environment, without them, you won’t be able to have a fully functional and consistent KDE experience.
Step 3: Install Display Manager on Arch
Now to shift the desktop environment to KDE on Arch I have installed a simple Desktop Display Manager, you can also use Light Display Manager so in case of sddm execute:
Step 4: Enable Display Manager On Arch
As on my Arch, I was previously running the GNOME desktop environment, so in that case I have checked the status of the GNOME display monitor and if it is running then you need to disable it before enabling sddm:
sudo systemctl status gdm
So now I have first disabled the gdm on Arch and this is necessary because running two display managers can cause some issues and conflicts:
Next, enable the sddm display manager:
Now once you start the sddm the login screen will appear and from there select the Plasma option in the session menu, select your user, and login:
Upon login, your Arch desktop environment will be changed to KDE:
Step 5: Verify KDE Installation on Arch
Now reboot the Arch Linux so that changes are applied successfully as some applications may not work, further, you can verify the installation of KDE plasma by executing:
Getting Started with KDE On Arch
The customization features on Arch Linux allow setting the desktop environment of Arch
Linux is similar to the other operating systems as it helps the new users to get along with it. So here I have given some of the basic tweaks related to the appearance of Arch desktop that a newbie can do:
1: Changing themes on KDE
You can set a theme of your own choice, by default there is no theme with KDE, so to get themes on KDE open the System Settings.
From there, navigate to the Global Theme option in the appearance tab and click on Get New Global Themes:
How you can see that there is a list of themes that you can preview, to install the theme of your choice move the cursor to that theme and select Install:
2: Changing Colors on KDE
Next, you can customize is color scheme of KDE on Arch Linux, here you can either set the color by yourself or you can choose the color that comes with the theme:
3: Changing the Application Style of KDE
Setting the preferred application style helps you to navigate on Arch Linux, so for that navigate to Application Style in appearance settings. Here, you can either select the styles given by the current theme or you can configure the styles by yourself and for that click on Configure GNOME/GTK Application Style:
4: Changing Fonts on KDE
Setting a correct font improves the readability of the text in the applications, so to change the font click on the Adjust all Fonts options in the Font tab. From there change the type of font, its style, and size:
Further, to restore the font settings to default click on the Reset option and after changing the settings click on Apply:
5: Changing Icons on KDE
Each theme on KDE provides a different set of icon designs and not only that you can add a custom design that you can make by yourself. To see the list of available icons on KDE click on Get New Icons and follow the same procedure of installation as in the case of themes.
Other than the appearance settings, there are a number of other settings available in the system settings that you can customize:
How to Remove KDE Plasma From Arch Linux
The removal of KDE plasma from Arch Linux is fairly simple but there are a number of commands that you need to execute. First, disable the sddm display manager:
Next enable your previous display manager, in my case, it was gdm so to enable it execute:
Once the previous display manager is enabled you need to start it as well and after that login to your account:
Now remove the add-ons and the packages installed for KDE on Arch Linux:
Next remove the KDE desktop environment from Arch Linux using the default package installer:
Removing sddm is optional if it is disabled as there will be no conflicts or issues with the currently running display manager. So if you need to remove sddm then execute:
You may face the issue of the screen going black especially if you are running Arch as a virtual machine then in that case try reinstalling mkinitcpio. This is a script which uses a display hook that is responsible for setting up resolution and font for early user space console:
Next change the desktop environment to GNOME on Xorg from the login screen and the screen flickering or black screen issue will be resolved:
Note: If the Arch Linux screen goes black at a certain resolution when running as a virtual machine, then reinstalling it may fix the issue.
Conclusion
KDE plasma, unlike other desktop environments, comes with a number of customizable features, thus making it a favorable choice for Arch Linux. To install KDE on Arch Linux you need to install a display manager either sddm or ldm and after that use the Pacman package installer to proceed with installation. Once the installation is complete, install some add-ons like console, web-browser, and theme to have a fully functional and consistent KDE experience.
I’m Aaliyan javaid, an electrical engineer and a passionate tech enthusiast. I have been working with embedded systems, programming, and Linux operating systems for over 2 years. I love to explore new technologies and share my knowledge and experience with others.
