systemsettings

Open the settings GUI

$ systemsettings

$ systemsettings --list

$ systemsettings [[-h|--help]]

systemsettings [options] [<KCMID>]
systemsettings [--show <KCMID>]
systemsettings [--module <KCMID>]

--version
    Displays the version of the systemsettings application.

--help
    Shows a summary of the command's available options and their usage.

--list
    Lists all available KDE Control Modules (KCMs) that can be opened directly. This is useful for discovering valid <KCMID> values.

--show <KCMID> or --module <KCMID>
    Opens the specified KDE Control Module (KCM). The <KCMID> often corresponds to a .desktop file name for the module (e.g., kcm_lookandfeel, kcm_networkmanager) found by using --list.

<KCMID>
    When provided as a direct positional argument, it behaves identically to using --show <KCMID>, opening the specified KDE Control Module.

systemsettings is the primary graphical utility for managing and configuring the KDE Plasma desktop environment and the underlying system settings. It provides a centralized and user-friendly interface for users to customize a wide array of system and user-specific preferences. This includes deeply personalizing the appearance (themes, icons, fonts, splash screens), configuring workspace behavior (desktop effects, screen locking, multiple activities), managing network connections (Wi-Fi, Ethernet, VPNs), administering user accounts, setting privacy options, controlling sound output and input, configuring power management profiles, adjusting display and monitor settings, and much more. By organizing these settings into logical categories and sub-categories, systemsettings simplifies the process of navigating and adjusting system preferences, eliminating the need for users to manually edit complex configuration files. It is an indispensable tool for personalizing, maintaining, and troubleshooting a KDE Plasma system.

This command is specifically designed for the KDE Plasma desktop environment. While it might be installable on other Linux distributions, its full functionality is dependent on the presence and configuration of KDE libraries and components. It will not operate effectively as a system settings utility on desktop environments like GNOME, XFCE, or LXQt.

systemsettings organizes its diverse functionalities into modular components known as KDE Control Modules (KCMs). Each KCM is responsible for managing a specific category of settings (e.g., 'Appearance', 'Network', 'User Accounts'). This modular design facilitates easy extension of the system settings and allows developers to integrate new configuration options seamlessly. Users can directly launch specific KCMs from the command line using the --show or --module options, which is particularly useful for scripting or quickly navigating to a specific setting section.

systemsettings has been the central configuration utility for KDE since its early versions. It evolved from simpler configuration panels into a standalone, comprehensive application. With major releases like KDE 4 and later Plasma 5, it underwent significant redesigns to enhance user experience, improve organization, and ensure visual consistency, often adopting modern UI frameworks like QtQuick/QML. Despite these architectural and UI changes, its core purpose of providing a graphical interface for system and user settings has remained consistent.

kcmshell5(1), kwriteconfig5(1), krunner(1)