startplasma-wayland
TLDR
Start KDE Plasma on Wayland from console
SYNOPSIS
startplasma-wayland [options]
DESCRIPTION
startplasma-wayland starts the KDE Plasma desktop environment using the Wayland display protocol. It initializes the KWin Wayland compositor, Plasma shell, and associated desktop services.
This command is typically invoked automatically by display managers (SDDM, GDM) when selecting the "Plasma (Wayland)" session, but can also be started manually from a virtual console (TTY) for debugging or minimal setups.
Wayland provides improved security, better HiDPI support, and smoother graphics compared to X11. Legacy X11 applications run through XWayland compatibility layer automatically.
CAVEATS
Starting from a console may require the DBus session wrapper depending on your system configuration. Some X11-only features like global keyboard shortcuts from certain applications may not work. Screen recording and remote desktop require portal support. GPU drivers must have proper Wayland support. Not all applications support Wayland natively; they run via XWayland.
HISTORY
startplasma-wayland was introduced as KDE Plasma gained Wayland support. KDE began Wayland development in 2014 with the KWin compositor, reaching production-ready status around KDE Plasma 5.20 in 2020. Plasma 6, released in 2024, made Wayland the default session. The command replaced older X11-only startup methods as part of KDE's transition to Wayland.
SEE ALSO
startplasma-x11(1), kwin_wayland(1), plasmashell(1), dbus-run-session(1)
