If you’re running Kubuntu 25.04 and want the latest fixes the KDE Plasma 6.3.5 release, you can use the Kubuntu backports PPA to get ’em.
KDE Plasma 6.3.5 popped out a few weeks back, serving as the fifth and (likely) final bug-fix release prior to the next major release, KDE Plasma 6.4.
Over the weekend, Kubuntu developers announced that the Kubuntu backports PPA has added the requisite packages for Kubuntu 25.04.
Thus, Kubuntu users can add (or enable) the PPA to get the update now, rather than wait for the update to filter out through the usual software channels.
The Kubuntu backports PPA is maintained by Kubuntu developers but it is “opt-in” for a reason; if you’re a stickler for absolute stability, wait for the update to land through official software sources.
KDE Plasma 6.3.5 Fixes
Bug releases don’t tend to ignore a lot of interest since, y’know, they mainly contained fixes for low-level things you didn’t know where buggy to begin with.
Yet, Plasma 6.3.5 includes enough notable improvements to make it more interesting than you might otherwise think.
For instance, Discover, the KDE apps store/GUI software manager, has fixed its “Still Looking” indicator so you can tell when it’s still looking for results/updates (and not think it’s crashed). Discover also improves offline indication when its app window is at smaller widths.
KDE’s Print Manager now allows a printer to be set as default when adding a new device, avoiding the hassle of having to add it as a new device, and then set it as default.
Using the Notes applet? You may notice that the sizing of your stick notes no longer constrain or appear set to a specific size when changing display resolution. Weather widget users will be pleased to know it now respect default units – errant °F/C mixups begone!
Plasma’s Calendar applet moves event indicators above the main label shown. This is helpful when alternate calendar or holidays are enabled since there isn’t enough space to show indicators below the label at the same time.
And a notifications position fix means alerts from various applets and apps, including low power warnings, now show, stack or appear correctly, closing four separate and annoying bug reports in the process. Nice work!
KWin, the window manager of the KDE Plasma desktop, picks up a clutch of improvements:
- Variable Refresh Rate scheduler fixes on multi-monitor setups
- HDR brightness settings set to 100% for better consistency
- Night Light plugin now converts between local time and UTC reliably
- Texture allocations protected against zero sizes, nixing random crashes
- Power button presses no longer passed to the lockscreen
- KScreen screen management OSD now appear when expected
Finally, there’s also a fix for a rather wacky issue where Task Manager dialogues on vertical panel layouts often appeared upside down — amusing to see in action, but annoying and spatially confusing if trying to work!
The above items are just a handful of changes I pulled put. There are plenty more which make up this latest bug fix update in the KDE Plasma 6.3 series. For more details, along with links to commits and bug reports, refer to the KDE’s complete changelog.
Upgrade to Plasma 6.3.5 on Ubuntu
If you’re using Kubuntu 25.04 you can upgrade to KDE Plasma 6.3.5 by adding the Kubuntu backports PPA to your list of software sources.
The quickest and easiest way to do this is via the command-line, so open a new Konsole window and run:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:kubuntu-ppa/backports
Then upgrade:
sudo apt update && sudo apt full-upgrade
Keep in mind that you are choosing to enable this PPA. Like all PPAs it may, at a later date, get newer versions of other packages you may not wish to upgrade. To prevent this, you may wish to disable the PPA after installing and upgrading what you need.
Beyond that, should you find any major bugs after adding the PPA (not issues with Plasma 6.3.5 in general – file those upstream) you should file a bug against the PPA packages directly, which you can do on Launchpad.