June 2, 2026
X marks the exit
Preparing for KDE Plasma's Last X11-Supported Release
KDE says goodbye to the old desktop system, and fans are split between cheers and rage
TLDR: KDE’s Plasma 6.8 will drop its old X11 desktop login option and focus only on Wayland, a major shift the team says will improve speed and future features. Fans are split between celebrating a smoother modern desktop and posting dramatic farewell messages about KDE losing its soul.
After 15 years of "it’s done when it’s done," KDE is finally pulling the plug on its old display system in Plasma 6.8 and going all-in on the newer one, Wayland. In plain English: the old login option is disappearing in about five months, and the developers say that frees them up to make the desktop faster, lighter, and full of new tricks. They also insist this is not the end of older apps, because a compatibility layer will still let many legacy programs keep running.
But the real fireworks are in the comments. One camp is basically throwing confetti: one user said KDE on Wayland feels "a lot smoother and more responsive," arguing that most everyday problems are already gone. That’s the victory-lap side of the internet. The other camp? Full soap opera. One commenter dramatically declared, "So long KDE. Xlibre for life," while another turned it into a full breakup post, shouting out the old KDE 3.5 era and saying, "We’re doin our own thang now." And then came the classic open-source betrayal arc: accusations that modern developers are "killing KDE off" and ruining its legacy.
There was also a very specific panic mixed into the chaos: "How can I embed my mpv window in other application now?" Which is the perfect comment-thread energy—half existential crisis, half oddly specific workflow emergency. KDE says if Wayland still breaks your setup in the current release, speak now. The community response? Equal parts applause, doomposting, and nostalgic rebellion.
Key Points
- •KDE says Plasma 6.7 will be the last release to include an X11 session.
- •Plasma 6.8 will remove the Plasma X11 login session and delete X11-specific code paths for Plasma Shell, System Settings, and device configuration.
- •XWayland support will remain, allowing X11 applications to continue running under Plasma.
- •KDE says more than 95% of Plasma 6.6 users are on Wayland, while total Wayland adoption including Plasma 5.27 users is about 76%.
- •Users on Plasma 5.27 or older releases will not be affected retroactively, and KDE is asking users with remaining Wayland issues on Plasma 6.7 to report them.