commands/kde/reset-plasma-config.md

Reset Plasma Configuration

You are helping the user reset corrupted or problematic KDE Plasma settings back to defaults.

Task

WARNING: This will reset KDE customizations. Back up first if you want to preserve any settings.

1. Ask user what to reset:

   • Full Plasma reset (panels, desktop, all settings)
   • Plasma desktop and panels only
   • Specific application (Dolphin, Konsole, etc.)
   • Window manager (KWin) only
   • Shortcuts only

2. Backup current configuration (recommended):

   # Create backup before reset
   BACKUP_DIR=~/.kde-backups/pre-reset-$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S)
   mkdir -p "$BACKUP_DIR"
   cp -r ~/.config/plasma* ~/.config/k* "$BACKUP_DIR/" 2>/dev/null
   echo "Backup created: $BACKUP_DIR"
   

3. Full Plasma Reset:

   # Stop Plasma
   kquitapp6 plasmashell
   
   # Remove Plasma configuration
   rm -rf ~/.config/plasma*
   rm ~/.config/plasmarc
   rm ~/.config/plasmashellrc
   
   # Remove desktop and panel configs
   rm -rf ~/.local/share/plasma
   rm -rf ~/.local/share/plasmashell
   
   # Optional: Reset KDE globals
   rm ~/.config/kdeglobals
   
   # Restart Plasma
   kstart plasmashell
   

4. Reset Panels and Desktop Only:

   # Stop Plasma
   kquitapp6 plasmashell
   
   # Remove panel and desktop layouts
   rm -rf ~/.config/plasma-org.kde.plasma.desktop-appletsrc
   rm -rf ~/.local/share/plasma/plasmoids
   rm -rf ~/.local/share/plasma/layout-templates
   
   # Restart Plasma
   kstart plasmashell
   

5. Reset Window Manager (KWin):

   # Stop KWin (will restart automatically)
   kwin_x11 --replace &  # For X11
   # OR
   kwin_wayland --replace &  # For Wayland
   
   # Or reset KWin config
   mv ~/.config/kwinrc ~/.config/kwinrc.backup
   kquitapp6 kwin_wayland && kstart kwin_wayland
   

6. Reset Keyboard Shortcuts:

   # Backup then remove shortcuts
   cp ~/.config/kglobalshortcutsrc ~/.config/kglobalshortcutsrc.backup
   rm ~/.config/kglobalshortcutsrc
   
   # Restart to apply
   kquitapp6 plasmashell && kstart plasmashell
   

7. Reset Specific Applications:

   Dolphin:

   rm ~/.config/dolphinrc
   rm -rf ~/.local/share/dolphin
   

   Konsole:

   rm ~/.config/konsolerc
   rm -rf ~/.local/share/konsole  # Removes custom profiles
   

   Kate:

   rm ~/.config/katerc
   rm ~/.config/kateschemarc
   rm -rf ~/.local/share/kate
   

   Spectacle (screenshots):

   rm ~/.config/spectaclerc
   

   System Settings:

   rm ~/.config/systemsettingsrc
   

8. Reset Theme and Appearance:

   # Remove theme configs
   rm ~/.config/plasmarc
   rm ~/.config/kcmfonts
   rm ~/.config/kcminputrc
   
   # Remove custom color schemes
   rm -rf ~/.local/share/color-schemes
   
   # Reset to default theme
   kwriteconfig6 --file plasmarc --group Theme --key name breeze
   

9. Clear Plasma Cache:

   # Remove cached data
   rm -rf ~/.cache/plasma*
   rm -rf ~/.cache/kwin
   rm -rf ~/.cache/icon-cache.kcache
   
   # Rebuild icon cache
   kbuildsycoca6 --noincremental
   

10. Nuclear Option - Complete KDE Reset:

    # ONLY if really needed - this resets EVERYTHING
    kquitapp6 plasmashell
    
    # Move all KDE configs (preserves them for recovery)
    mkdir -p ~/kde-config-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d)
    mv ~/.config/k* ~/kde-config-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d)/ 2>/dev/null
    mv ~/.config/plasma* ~/kde-config-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d)/ 2>/dev/null
    mv ~/.local/share/k* ~/kde-config-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d)/ 2>/dev/null
    mv ~/.local/share/plasma* ~/kde-config-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d)/ 2>/dev/null
    
    # Log out and back in to regenerate all configs
    qdbus org.kde.ksmserver /KSMServer logout 0 0 0
    

Verification Steps

After reset:

1. Check if Plasma is running: pgrep plasmashell
2. Verify panels appeared: Look at screen
3. Check System Settings opens: systemsettings
4. Test application launches
5. Check for error logs: journalctl --user -xe | grep -i plasma

Common Issues & Solutions

Plasma doesn't restart:

# Force start
plasmashell &

# Or from TTY (Ctrl+Alt+F2)
export DISPLAY=:0
plasmashell &

Black screen after reset:

# Check if running
pgrep plasmashell || plasmashell &

# Restart display manager
sudo systemctl restart sddm

Settings not actually reset:

# Make sure Plasma was stopped first
killall plasmashell
sleep 2
rm ~/.config/plasmarc
plasmashell &

Want to undo reset:

# Restore from backup
kquitapp6 plasmashell
cp -r $BACKUP_DIR/* ~/.config/
kstart plasmashell

Selective Config Removal

Remove only problematic configs:

# List all KDE configs with sizes
ls -lhS ~/.config/k* ~/.config/plasma* 2>/dev/null

# Check modification dates to find recently changed
ls -lt ~/.config/k* ~/.config/plasma* 2>/dev/null | head -20

# Move suspect config instead of deleting
mv ~/.config/problematic-file ~/.config/problematic-file.old

When to Use Each Reset

• Panel disappeared: Reset panels only
• Widgets broken: Clear Plasma cache + restart
• Shortcuts not working: Reset kglobalshortcutsrc
• Window effects glitching: Reset KWin config
• Dolphin crashes: Reset Dolphin config only
• Everything broken: Full Plasma reset
• Fresh start needed: Nuclear option

Recovery Tools

# View current Plasma errors
journalctl --user -xe | grep -iE "plasma|kwin"

# Check config file syntax
kreadconfig6 --file plasmarc --group Theme --key name

# Rebuild KDE config cache
kbuildsycoca6

# Check for corrupt databases
rm ~/.local/share/kactivitymanagerd/resources/database*

Notes

• Always backup before resetting
• Some settings are in ~/.local/share/ not ~/.config/
• Plasma 6 uses different file locations than Plasma 5
• Window rules are stored in ~/.config/kwinrulesrc
• Desktop effects settings in ~/.config/kwinrc
• After major resets, you may need to log out/in instead of just restarting Plasma
• Custom installed widgets/plasmoids may need to be reinstalled