plasma-apply-lookandfeel

List available global themes

$ plasma-apply-lookandfeel --list

$ plasma-apply-lookandfeel --apply [org.example.theme.desktop]

$ plasma-apply-lookandfeel --platform offscreen

$ plasma-apply-lookandfeel --help

plasma-apply-lookandfeel [OPTIONS] <theme_name>

<theme_name>
    The unique identifier or directory name of the 'Look and Feel' theme to be applied. This name corresponds to the directory where the theme is installed (e.g., 'Breeze', 'Lightly', 'Oxygen').

--help
    Displays a short help message showing usage information and exits.

--version
    Outputs the application's version information and exits.

The plasma-apply-lookandfeel command is a command-line utility used to apply a complete 'Look and Feel' theme to the KDE Plasma desktop environment.

A Plasma Look and Feel theme is a bundled collection of various visual elements, including the Plasma style, application style (for both Qt and GTK applications), color scheme, window decorations, icon set, fonts, cursor theme, splash screen, and desktop layout.

This command provides a programmatic way to switch between these comprehensive themes, making it useful for scripting, automating desktop setup, or quickly changing the entire visual appearance of a Plasma session without using the graphical settings interface.

Requires an active KDE Plasma desktop session to function correctly.
The specified <theme_name> must exactly match an installed 'Look and Feel' theme. If the theme is not found, the command will fail or revert to a default.
Applying a new theme might override individual user customizations to specific components (e.g., custom icon sets or fonts) if the new theme defines its own for those components.
While most changes are applied immediately, some elements (like the splash screen) might only take full effect after a user logs out and logs back into the Plasma session.

KDE Plasma 'Look and Feel' themes are typically stored in the following directories:
- System-wide themes: /usr/share/plasma/look-and-feel/
- User-installed themes: ~/.local/share/plasma/look-and-feel/
Each theme is usually represented by a subdirectory containing its configuration files and assets.

To list the names of currently installed 'Look and Feel' themes, you can either inspect the directories mentioned above or use the graphical 'System Settings' application by navigating to 'Appearance' -> 'Global Theme'. For command-line users, launching the relevant KCM module with kcmshell5 kcm_lookandfeel can display the available themes.

The 'Look and Feel' theming concept, along with the plasma-apply-lookandfeel command, was introduced as a significant feature within the KDE Plasma 5 series. It was designed to simplify and unify the management of various desktop visual elements into cohesive bundles, offering a more streamlined approach to desktop customization compared to the separate configuration of individual components in earlier KDE versions. The command provides a direct, non-GUI method to leverage this unified theming system.

kcmshell5(1), kwriteconfig5(1), plasmashell(1)