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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesPlasma’s Overview is useful if you want one place to scan open windows and virtual desktops, then move between them or search. It is not new: KDE announced the feature in Plasma 5.24 in February 2022 and highlighted it again in Plasma 5.25 that June. Its workflow overlaps with GNOME’s Activities overview, but the documented features are not identical—and official feature descriptions cannot establish which one feels better to use.
What Plasma’s Overview does
KDE describes Overview as a view of open windows and virtual desktops. In its Plasma 5.24 announcement, KDE said users could activate windows, drag them between desktops, and use KRunner there to search, calculate, or run tasks. The Plasma 5.24 announcement introduced the effect as a beta feature.
In Plasma 5.25, KDE documented searching for apps, documents, and browser tabs through KRunner and the Application Launcher, as well as adding, removing, or renaming virtual desktops. KDE listed Meta+W as a keyboard shortcut and a four-finger pinch as a trackpad gesture. These are controls documented for those releases; shortcuts, gestures, defaults, and packaging can vary by desktop version and distribution. See the Plasma 5.25 announcement.
How the workflow compares with GNOME Activities
Both desktops let you step back from individual windows, find applications, and navigate workspaces. The difference is how their documented views bring those tools together.
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| Workflow | Plasma Overview | GNOME Activities |
|---|---|---|
| What appears | KDE says Overview shows open windows and virtual desktops. | GNOME documents an initial window view with live thumbnails for the current workspace; apps and workspaces are available in the broader Activities flow. |
| Search | KDE’s Plasma 5.25 announcement describes searching for apps, documents, and browser tabs using KRunner and the Application Launcher. | GNOME Help says typing in Activities searches applications, files, folders, and the web. |
| Favorites and app launch | The Plasma Handbook documents favorites and recently opened files in the separate Application Launcher. That does not establish an equivalent launcher dash inside Overview. | GNOME documents a dash in Activities with favorite and running apps, plus a grid button to open the applications overview. |
| Opening the view | KDE documented Meta+W and a four-finger trackpad pinch for Plasma 5.25. | GNOME documents the Activities button, the top-left hot corner, or the Super key. |
| Moving around desktops | KDE documented dragging windows between desktops in Plasma 5.24. A 2026-02-21 KDE post describes switching desktops within Overview by scrolling or pressing Page Up/Page Down in Plasma 6.7.0. | GNOME Help documents dragging apps to a workspace or the favorite dash; it does not describe the same Overview desktop-switching controls in the cited page. |
Sources: KDE Plasma 5.24, KDE Plasma 5.25, GNOME Help, the Plasma Handbook, and KDE’s 2026-02-21 Plasma update.
When Plasma’s approach may suit you
- You manage several virtual desktops: Overview puts desktops and open windows in the same view, and KDE’s documented actions include moving windows between desktops.
- You prefer keyboard or touchpad access: Meta+W and the four-finger pinch are documented Plasma 5.25 options, subject to version and configuration.
- You rely on search: KDE describes KRunner and Application Launcher search from Overview, including browser tabs in Plasma 5.25.
- You want GNOME’s integrated Activities dash: GNOME explicitly documents favorites and running apps in its dash. Plasma’s Handbook places favorites in its Application Launcher, so do not assume the two launch experiences match.
So, is it good?
It is a sensible fit if your priority is seeing windows and desktops together and navigating them with a shortcut, gesture, or search. GNOME’s documented Activities flow may appeal more if you want the overview itself to include a visible favorites-and-running-apps dash. Those are workflow distinctions, not proof of superior speed, ease, or satisfaction: the cited documentation offers no head-to-head usability study.
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How to try it
KDE says the easiest way to try Plasma is to boot a live image from a USB disk. You can test the desktop without installing it, though the exact image and available Plasma version depend on the distribution. Existing Linux users may already have another way to try Plasma. See KDE’s Plasma 5.25 announcement for its live-image advice.
For the Plasma 6.7.0 desktop-switching behavior, the dated KDE post establishes that it was described as a change for that version; it does not establish that every distribution has shipped it. Check the version and configuration provided by your distribution.
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