The latest release of the KaOS Linux distribution, version 2026.02, marks a significant shift by abandoning KDE Plasma as its desktop environment. Developers are introducing niri and Noctalia instead, driven partly by plans to move away from systemd. The update maintains a focus on Qt-based applications while updating core system components.
KaOS 2026.02, released last week, represents a departure from its longstanding reliance on KDE Plasma, which had been the sole desktop environment since the distribution's inception. In the release announcement, developers stated: “You will not find Plasma or Kwin on this ISO, although KaOS has always been a pure KDE Plasma distribution. Instead, you will find a niri/Noctalia based system.”
This change stems from the team's interest in phasing out systemd, the init system currently in use. Plasma's heavy dependence on systemd, which developers anticipate becoming mandatory rather than optional, necessitates the switch. For now, however, KaOS still incorporates systemd version 255.22 on the ISO, with installations upgrading to 257.10 afterward. The team is exploring Dinit as a potential replacement.
The new setup features niri, a scrollable and tile-based Wayland compositor, paired with Noctalia, a minimalist shell built using Quickshell—a QtQuick toolkit for Wayland desktops. This allows KaOS to remain GTK-free and centered on Qt, including Qt/KDE-based applications. Additional tools like cliphist, ddcutil, pavucontrol-qt, and xwayland-satellite are pre-installed to aid setup.
Bootloader changes include adopting Limine as the default, supplanting systemd-boot, though Calamares still supports other UEFI options. The base system has been refreshed with components such as GCC 15.2.1, Glibc 2.42, Linux kernel 6.18.10, and Mesa 25.3.5. Historically, KaOS was known for early adoption of Plasma updates; for instance, its 2024.01 edition featured Plasma 6 during its preview phase.
ISO images are available for download on the project's site, preserving KaOS's independent, rolling-release model.
