I used KDE Plasma for a month and realized Windows 11 is still years behind on the features that matter

Published Aug 9, 2026, 11:00 AM EDT Abhishek is an author at XDA who covers computing. He has loved computers since he got the Lenovo G570 in 2012. Abhishek holds a master's degree in computer applications and began his writing career in 2018. He loves writing how-to articles, listicles, and informational posts on popular operating systems and web services. He closely follows the Windows Insider program and tests new Insider builds to discover upcoming experimental features and upgrades. His past work includes long-term collaborations with reputed publications like Tom's Hardware, and Windows Latest. When not writing anything, he is busy watching new episodes of One Piece or searching for something binge-worthy. Linux has no dearth of good-looking, more functional desktop environments. If I had to name my favorites, KDE Plasma and COSMIC would be the top two on my list. Windows 11 underwent many cosmetic and design changes to create the look and feel of a modern OS. However, when you use something like KDE Plasma, you’ll realize that there are several missing or half-baked elements on Windows. Due to this, the OS feels a bit behind compared to this exceptionally useful Linux desktop environment. Let’s look at the features of KDE Plasma that make it a stellar DE choice and should have been there (or been better) in Windows 11. KDE Plasma desktop is visually appealing But equally customizable When you think of a desktop, it should follow a basic design approach: a taskbar at the bottom, an application launcher on one side, and useful system settings icons on the other. Both desktops have these elements, but Windows 11 is extremely rigid. Microsoft made so many controversial changes to the desktop, and removing the ability to change taskbar positions is one of them. It’s anchored at the bottom with no native options to change it. KDE Plasma desktop calls these elements “panels,” and you can add as many as you like, along with the ability to change the position of the existing ones. There are so many customization options for the panels that I was honestly confused about which to try. But your imagination is the only limit in KDE Plasma, as you can do anything from doubling the panel height to adding or removing a floating effect, duplicating the panel (because two of them are better than one!), and more. I can play around with system clock designs, adjust the tray icon’s appearance and other attributes, and do this for multiple desktops with ease. Windows 11 can do half of these things natively and needs apps like Windhawk or Start 11 to make the desktop usable. Windows 11 also doesn’t have the old widgets I liked, and the only option is the horrible Widgets board, which is a cover-up for a useless MSN feed. In KDE, there is a horde of widgets you can choose from, ranging from simple clock designs to hardware monitoring and media elements. I even found one for comics, but had little success with that one. Advanced tiling and stacking Much more than Snap Layouts KDE Plasma exceeds Windows 11 Snap Layouts by a huge margin with its tiling and stacking mechanism. If you use multiple displays, ultra-wide monitors, and prefer multiple app windows open on your screen, a feature like Snap Layouts or tiling can help. In Windows 11, if you have multiple windows open, you can hover over the maximize button and click from a pre-designed window layout. It arranges, or rather “snaps,” the windows in specific portions of the screen. It's not bad, but it certainly lacks control. In KDE Plasma, I can create a custom desktop layout and adjust it to fit each app window. There's no compulsion to stick with the default layouts. Windows 11 doesn't have a stacking mechanism either, and it's honestly a big deal for me. It can group windows into a single tabbed window. Doing so reduces window clutter, especially if you have multiple apps open. I can stack tabs within a tiling area, which is a feature I miss in Windows 11. The virtual desktop strategy is also smarter in KDE Plasma. It can help you isolate your work, home, and other roles, and you can use separate apps inside them. KDE’s Activities are more customizable, and you can add distinct wallpapers, widgets, and other elements to make each workspace look more personalized. Windows 11 offers basic virtual desktops where you share the same desktop and cannot make any cosmetic or permanent changes to it. KDE Plasma has better apps Launcher, file manager, and more Windows 11 doesn’t have the best file manager, and it is no secret by now. It suffers from design flaws, is very slow to adopt trivial features, and feels sluggish. KDE Plasma offers Dolphin, which feels more fluid and has multiple tab-related features. I can split an open tab, which is very useful when I want to compare or move around files in the same location but in different folders. Another great feature in Dolphin is the ability to choose which options appear in the context menu. The default design might not work for everyone, so I can choose the options relevant to my use case. In Windows 11, you have to edit the registry to use a third-party tool for such basic tasks. I can even download new services and add them to the context menu. For example, you might need an option to mount an ISO file, and you can download and add a service for that. KDE Plasma also has a floating app launcher, KRunner, similar to Raycast. It’s an extremely lightweight tool, much faster than the app finder or Windows 11’s Start menu, and can locate settings, launch apps, run commands, browse the web, do calculations, and more. There’s no way Windows will even ship a launcher tool, even though it offers one via PowerToys called Command Palette. Having a launcher tool is useful if you prefer using your keyboard to your mouse. Similarly, there are additional tools such as Kate for text editing, Spectacle for screen capture, and Konsole for terminal tasks. KDE Connect is inarguably the most popular tool for connecting your phone to your computer, and it even works on Windows. Windows should take notes Windows 11 might be the best OS offering in Microsoft’s eyes, but there’s a lot of scope for improvement. Compared to a Linux DE, Windows 11’s desktop looks significantly weaker and unfinished. Windows 11 doesn’t try to offer anything beyond the basic experience, while KDE Plasma manages the expectations of both basic and advanced users. I don’t need to use a third-party tool to add trivial features because the OS offers them natively. KDE Plasma KDE Plasma is one of the prettiest Linux desktop environments.