When KaOS Linux dropped KDE Plasma, I worried – now I’m loving the new default desktop

Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google.

ZDNET’s key takeaways

• KaOS Linux no longer defaults to KDE Plasma.
• In Plasma’s place is the scrollable tiling Niri.
• KaOS is free to install and use.

Over the years, I’ve watched Linux distributions make all sorts of changes — some that made sense and some that didn’t. So when I read that KaOS was dropping the KDE Plasma desktop in favor of Niri (which I’d never heard of), I thought, “Hoo boy, this marks the beginning of the end.”

I was wrong. Niri is actually pretty cool.

Also: After 30 years with Linux, I switched it for Windows 11 – and found 9 serious problems

What is KaOS?

KaOS, according to the developer’s website, is a “rolling and transparent distribution for the modern desktop, built from scratch with a very specific focus — focus on one DE (desktop environment), one toolkit (Qt), one architecture (x86_64).”

That DE is Niri, a scrollable, tiling compositor. Unlike most tiling window managers, Niri tiles all windows in a horizontal plane, which you can scroll left or right to find the window you want to work with.

It’s much cooler than it sounds.

Also: Linux PC booting slowly? This handy tool shows why in seconds – here’s how

Picture this: You’ve opened an app on Niri. That first app opens on the left half of the screen. Open a second app, and it appears on the right side of the first app. Open a third app, and it appears to the right of the second app, bumping the first app off the screen to the left. 

Now, click on the titlebar of the second app and drag it to the right to reveal the first app. You can click and drag windows left or right to find the one you’re looking for.

It’s like having both a tiling and standard window manager rolled into one, and I like it.

No matter what KaOS does beneath the desktop environment, it’s Niri that takes center stage for this latest release. 

Also: Want your Linux looking more like Windows? KDE Plasma makes it easy – here’s how

Niri is also really good-looking. Open the desktop menu (aka the Launcher — the top three-line icon), and you’ll see the curves and how it blends into the top and side of the desktop. The launcher is also broken down into categories, similar to other menus (only the layout is more horizontal than vertical).

There’s also the notification panel, which looks similar to the launcher, but it includes things like system controls, weather, and system performance monitors. This is similar to the Budgie Raven notification center, only it looks far more elegant.

Preinstalled apps

During OS installation, you can choose which office suite you want (KDE Office or LibreOffice), which is added to the preinstalled apps list that includes Elisa music player, Falkon web browser, K3b CD burner, Sweeper disk cleaner, and a few utilities.

Also: This is by far the best Linux email client I’ve used – and I’ve tested them all

You don’t get much, and because KaOS is based on Arch, you get the pacman package manager. Fret not: You won’t be required to use the command line for app installation, as KaOS includes the Octopi GUI app store, where you can install thousands of applications.

Just search for the app you’re looking to install, right-click its entry, click Install, and then click the left-pointing arrow in the toolbar to run the installation.

KaOS makes me jealous

It’s been a long time since I’ve been jealous of a desktop, but Niri has done just that. I love how elegant and efficient this desktop is, and I totally get why the developers opted to migrate from KDE Plasma.

That’s not to say KDE Plasma isn’t a great option. In fact, I consider KDE Plasma one of the best desktop environments on the market. But Niri is just so darned cool that I want to install it on Pop!_OS and enjoy that scrollable, tiling compositor.

If you’re using a distribution based on Ubuntu 25.10 or newer, you can install Niri with the commands:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:avengemedia/danklinux
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:avengemedia/dms
sudo apt install niri dms

Also: This is my favorite Linux distro of all time – and I’ve tried them all

Sadly (for me), Pop!_OS is running 24.04, so installing Niri is far too involved to bother. What does that mean for me? I may consider a migration from Pop!_OS to KaOS. I’ve never used Arch or an Arch-based distro as my primary OS, but with each passing year, that scenario becomes more likely — and KaOS/Niri might be the thing that sends me packing to rolling-release-ville.

I would highly recommend giving KaOS and Niri a try. It performs incredibly well, it’s beautiful, and it’s rock solid.

Download an ISO of KaOS, create a bootable USB drive with it, and install this outstanding Linux distribution.