plasma-apply-colorscheme
Apply a Plasma color scheme
TLDR
List available color schemes
Apply a color scheme
Display help
SYNOPSIS
plasma-apply-colorscheme [schemename]
PARAMETERS
--help
Display usage information and exit
schemename
Name of color scheme to apply (without .colors extension)
DESCRIPTION
The plasma-apply-colorscheme command is a lightweight utility within the KDE Plasma desktop environment designed to dynamically apply a specified color scheme to the active Plasma session without requiring a logout or Plasma restart. This enables rapid previewing and switching of visual themes, making it invaluable for users customizing their desktop appearance.
Color schemes in Plasma define palettes for widgets, panels, windows, and applications, controlling colors for backgrounds, text, highlights, and more. By running this command, changes propagate immediately to supported components, offering real-time feedback during theme development or experimentation.
Schemes are typically stored as .colors files in user-specific (~/.local/share/color-schemes/) or system-wide directories (/usr/share/color-schemes/). The command searches these paths hierarchically. It updates the relevant KConfig settings via kwriteconfig5 internally and triggers a Plasma style refresh.
Ideal for scripting, automation, or quick tweaks, it integrates seamlessly with tools like Plasma's System Settings or lookandfeeltool. Note that not all applications respond instantly, as some cache styles or require restarts for full effect.
CAVEATS
Requires an active Plasma session; run as the user, not root. Scheme must exist in search paths; partial application if unsupported components exist. May not affect all Qt/GTK apps immediately.
SEARCH PATHS
~/.local/share/color-schemes/ (user)
/usr/share/color-schemes/ (system)
/usr/local/share/color-schemes/
EXAMPLE USAGE
plasma-apply-colorscheme BreezeDark
Applies the BreezeDark scheme immediately.
HISTORY
Introduced in KDE Plasma 5.0 (2014) as part of enhanced theming tools to improve user customization workflows. Evolved in Plasma 5.x/6.x with better integration for Wayland and config handling.
