If you use KDE Plasma on Wayland with more than one monitor, or you watch videos in a floating window while you work, KDE Plasma 6.9 is shaping up to fix some long-standing annoyances. KDE’s latest weekly development report highlights Wayland Picture-in-Picture (PiP) support enabled by default, window positions that are remembered per monitor layout, tighter control over what XWayland apps can do, and browser integration updates.
This article walks through each change, explains why it matters, and covers how to check whether your setup will benefit before the release arrives.
⚡ Quick Summary
- Release window: Plasma 6.9 is scheduled for late February 2027.
- Wayland PiP: KWin’s support for the Wayland Picture-in-Picture protocol has finished extended testing and will be enabled by default.
- Multi-monitor memory: Plasma remembers window sizes and positions separately for each screen arrangement, so unplugging and reconnecting a monitor restores your layout.
- Security: you can permanently deny XWayland apps permission to control the keyboard and pointer, and review those decisions in System Settings.
- Extras: pause and resume Firefox downloads from Plasma notifications, Brave support in Plasma Browser Integration, and several System Monitor, Wi-Fi and login screen refinements.
Wayland Picture-in-Picture on by default
Picture-in-Picture lets a video keep playing in a small floating window that stays on top while you work in other apps. On Wayland, applications cannot freely position and pin their own windows the way they could on X11, so a proper protocol is needed for PiP to work well.
KDE has been building towards this for a while. In 2025, KDE’s weekly report described an experimental implementation of the Wayland picture-in-picture protocol in Plasma 6.5, aimed at apps such as Firefox that implement it. For Plasma 6.9, the reported news is that KWin’s support has completed extended testing and will be enabled by default. Compatible applications can then show floating video windows using native Wayland functionality, with no special configuration.
Smarter multi-monitor window memory
Laptop users with a docking station know this problem well. You unplug the external monitor, Plasma crams everything onto the laptop screen, and when you reconnect, your carefully arranged windows are still piled up in the wrong place.
Plasma 6.9 will remember window sizes and positions separately for different screen arrangements. The developers’ example: if you disconnect a secondary monitor and rearrange windows on the remaining display, reconnecting the second monitor restores your previous two-screen layout. It also works in reverse, bringing back your single-monitor arrangement when the extra display is removed.
| Scenario | Today (typical behaviour) | Plasma 6.9 (as reported) |
|---|---|---|
| Unplug the second monitor | Windows move to the remaining screen | Layout for the single-screen setup is remembered |
| Reconnect the monitor | Windows often stay where they ended up | Previous two-screen layout is restored |
| Close and reopen an app | Position handled normally | Not covered yet, still under development |
More control over XWayland input
Many older apps still run through XWayland, the compatibility layer for X11 programs. Plasma 6.9 adds a way to permanently deny XWayland applications permission to control the keyboard and mouse pointer. System Settings will also list the apps you have denied, so you can review those decisions and revoke them later if something stops working.
This matters for privacy and safety. An application that can synthesise keyboard and pointer input can, in principle, act on your behalf, so a clear deny-and-review control gives you more say over which legacy apps get that power. It is also relevant because Linuxiac reports that Plasma 6.8 dropped X11 sessions, which makes XWayland the main path for older apps.
Browser integration updates
- Firefox downloads in Plasma notifications: downloads that appear as native Plasma notifications can now be paused and resumed directly from the notification, thanks to Plasma Browser Integration.
- Brave support: the Plasma Browser Integration extension is gaining support for the Brave browser.
If you already use media controls and notification handling through Plasma Browser Integration, the Brave addition removes a reason to switch browsers or live without those features.
Smaller desktop improvements
📊 System Monitor
When you hold Shift or Ctrl to select several processes, the application and process lists temporarily stop rearranging, so entries no longer jump while you click.
📶 Wi-Fi wording
Clearer wording when you forget a saved Wi-Fi network.
🪟 Alt+Tab previews
More accurate previews of the different Alt+Tab window switcher styles in System Settings.
🖥️ Login screen power
Plasma Login Manager improves power management so monitors can enter power-saving mode when the login screen sits idle.
Who benefits most?
✅ Likely to notice the difference
- Laptop users who dock and undock often
- Multi-monitor desktop users on Wayland
- People who watch video in a PiP window while working
- Users with older X11 apps who want tighter input control
- Brave and Firefox users on Plasma
⚠️ Keep expectations realistic
- PiP needs app support too, not just KWin
- Layout memory does not yet cover closed and reopened apps
- Features may change before the February 2027 release
- Your distribution decides when Plasma 6.9 reaches you
How to check your setup
You cannot test Plasma 6.9 yet unless you run a development build, but you can confirm today whether you will benefit when it lands. These commands work in any terminal.
- Check you are on Wayland. Most of these changes are Wayland features.
- Check your Plasma version so you know how far you are from 6.9.
- List your monitors to see the arrangement Plasma will track.
# Should print "wayland" if you are in a Wayland session
echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE
# Show the installed Plasma version
plasmashell --version
# List connected outputs and their positions (KDE tool)
kscreen-doctor -oWhen Plasma 6.9 is released, how quickly you get it depends on your distribution. Rolling-release and KDE-focused distributions tend to ship new Plasma versions first, while fixed-release distributions may wait for their next release or a backport. Watch your distribution’s announcements rather than upgrading Plasma by hand.
More Linux desktop and open-source guides are on VMoreCloud.
Sources and further reading
- Linuxiac: KDE Plasma 6.9 to Improve Wayland PiP and Multi-Monitor Support
- KDE Blogs: This Week in Plasma (October 24, 2026)
- KDE Blogs: This Week in Plasma, Wayland PiP and accessibility (June 2025)
- Linuxiac: KDE Plasma 6.8 Released, Drops X11 Sessions
- KDE Plasma desktop
This article is based on KDE’s published development reports and press coverage available on October 26, 2026. Features and the release date for Plasma 6.9 may change. It is general information, not a guarantee of final behaviour.
