Void Linux: How to Install KDE Plasma Desktop

April 16, 2022 by Chani

There’s no official KDE ISO available for Void Linux; however, Void Builds created an unofficial version.

But if you’ve already installed Void Linux and prefer installing KDE Plasma Desktop from there on, here’s what you can do:

1. Update the package manager XBPS:

sudo xbps-install -u xbps

2. Sync and update the XBPS repository:

sudo xbps-install -Su

3. Install KDE Plasma Desktop, its base applications, and Xorg:

sudo xbps-install kde5 kde5-baseapps xorg

4. Enable KDE Plasma:

sudo ln -s /etc/sv/sddm /var/service

5. Reconfigure KDE Plasma:

sudo xbps-reconfigure -f plasma-workspace

6. Reboot Void Linux:

sudo reboot

NOTE: After rebooting, I was able to choose KDE Plasma. But I had only been met with a black screen and a cursor. So I had to reboot again; maybe because I wasn’t able to reconfigure it, which is step 5.

After the second reboot and logging into KDE Plasma, I was met with a wallpaper and a cursor. I figured I had to make the panel and the widgets, which is not a problem at all. Then I did Step 5.

TIP: If there’s still a problem running KDE Plasma, you might want to disable elogind.