KDE Plasma 6.8 dropped the X11 session. If you have been logging into “Plasma (X11)” out of habit or because something did not work on Wayland, that choice is going away as your distribution moves to 6.8. Most people will notice nothing; this guide is for the things that do break.

First, confirm what you are running:

echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE

If you want the background on why Wayland works differently, read our Wayland vs X11 explainer first. The short version: on X11 every application could see and control every other application; on Wayland the compositor (KWin) is in charge, and apps must ask through defined protocols and portals.

Your X11 apps still work

Plasma 6.8 runs X11 applications through XWayland automatically. Older apps, games through Wine, and Electron apps that have not switched to native Wayland keep working. To see which windows are X11, run xeyes: its eyes only follow the pointer over XWayland windows. KWin’s debug console (qdbus org.kde.KWin /KWin showDebugConsole) also lists each window’s type.

Screen sharing and recording

On Wayland, apps cannot capture the screen directly. They go through xdg-desktop-portal and PipeWire, and you choose what to share in a dialog. If you get a black screen or an empty source list:

systemctl --user status pipewire xdg-desktop-portal
pacman -Qs xdg-desktop-portal-kde    # or: dpkg -l | grep portal-kde

You need xdg-desktop-portal-kde and PipeWire running. Firefox, Chromium, OBS, Zoom, Teams in a browser, Discord’s newer builds, and most modern apps use the portal. Our guides to desktop portals and Wayland screenshots and recording go deeper. Spectacle in Plasma 6.8 can now record system audio and the microphone together.

Global shortcuts for X11 apps

X11 apps used to grab keys globally, for push-to-talk in voice chat, for example. On Wayland they only see input when focused. Plasma has a setting for this: System Settings, Application Permissions, Legacy X11 App Support, where you can allow XWayland apps to read key presses, either only with modifier keys or always. Native Wayland apps should use the global shortcuts portal instead.

xdotool, wmctrl, and automation

Scripts that use xdotool or wmctrl to move windows, type text, or click do not work on native Wayland windows. Replacements:

Task	X11 tool	Plasma Wayland option
Find, move, activate windows	xdotool, wmctrl	kdotool (drives KWin)
Type text, send keys	xdotool type	ydotool (uses uinput)
Window rules	devilspie	KWin window rules (built in)
Display layout	xrandr	kscreen-doctor

For example, to set a monitor’s resolution and scale from the command line:

kscreen-doctor --outputs
kscreen-doctor output.DP-1.mode.2560x1440@144 output.DP-1.scale.1.25

Password managers that auto-type have their own Wayland support work; KeePassXC added Wayland auto-type in 2.8.

Blurry apps with fractional scaling

Native Wayland apps scale cleanly at 125% or 150%. XWayland apps may look blurry because KWin scales their output. In System Settings, Display and Monitor, set Legacy Applications (X11) to Apply scaling themselves. They then render at full resolution; some may look small and need their own scaling setting. Our HiDPI and fractional scaling guide covers per-toolkit settings.

Many Electron and Chromium apps can run natively on Wayland, which avoids the issue entirely; recent versions do so by default.

NVIDIA

Wayland on NVIDIA used to be the main reason to stay on X11. With the proprietary driver from the 560 series onward, explicit sync support, and Plasma 6.8 enabling triple buffering on NVIDIA by default, it works well. Check that kernel modesetting is on:

cat /sys/module/nvidia_drm/parameters/modeset    # should print Y

If it prints N, add nvidia-drm.modeset=1 to your kernel command line. Our NVIDIA drivers guide covers installation.

Remote desktop

X11 tools like x11vnc cannot capture a Wayland session. Plasma’s built-in remote desktop server (KRdp, in System Settings) serves RDP, and in 6.8 handles slow networks better, can present a virtual display sized to the client, and syncs the clipboard both ways. Connect from any RDP client, such as Remmina or Windows’ Remote Desktop.

For sharing a keyboard and mouse between computers, Barrier and old Synergy versions are X11-only; Input Leap and Deskflow support Wayland through the libei protocol on recent Plasma.

Clipboard and other small things

• Clipboard command-line tools: xclip and xsel only see the XWayland clipboard; use wl-copy and wl-paste. See our Wayland clipboard guide
• Colour pickers and screen magnifiers must support Wayland; KDE’s own work
• Window shading (rolling a window up to its title bar) is gone in 6.8
• Apps that set their own window position on launch may open somewhere else, because Wayland leaves placement to the compositor; use KWin window rules to pin them

If something still does not work

You can stay on Plasma 6.7 or the 6.6 LTS branch for a while, or try another desktop. But most remaining X11 dependencies have a Wayland path now. Report what breaks to the app’s developers, because that is how the gaps close.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I still use X11 with KDE Plasma?

Not on Plasma 6.8 or newer, which removed the X11 session. Plasma 6.7 and the Plasma 6.6 LTS branch still have it, so distributions that ship those versions still offer an X11 login. X11 applications continue to run on Plasma 6.8 through XWayland.

How do I check whether I am running Wayland?

Run echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE in a terminal. It prints wayland or x11. In Plasma you can also check System Settings, About this System, which shows the graphics platform.

Why does screen sharing show a black screen?

On Wayland, applications cannot read the screen directly. They must use the desktop portal and PipeWire. Make sure xdg-desktop-portal-kde and PipeWire are installed and running, and use an app version that supports the portal; modern browsers, OBS, and most video call apps do.

What replaces xdotool on Wayland?

There is no direct equivalent because Wayland does not let one app control another by default. For KDE, kdotool scripts KWin to find and manipulate windows, and ydotool injects input through the kernel uinput device. KWin scripts can also automate window management.

Why are some apps blurry with fractional scaling?

X11 apps running through XWayland may be scaled by the compositor, which blurs them. In System Settings, Display and Monitor, set Legacy Applications (X11) to Apply scaling themselves so they render at full resolution, then set scaling in each app if needed.

Does NVIDIA work on Plasma Wayland?

Yes, with the proprietary driver from the 560 series onward, or nouveau and NVK for supported cards. Kernel modesetting must be enabled, which recent drivers do by default. Plasma 6.8 also enables triple buffering on NVIDIA by default for smoother rendering.