KDE Plasma 5.17 Released! How to Install it in (K)Ubuntu 19.10

Last updated: October 16, 2019

KDE Plasma 5.16

KDE Plasma desktop 5.17 was released yesterday. Now you can install it in (K)Ubuntu 19.10 via KUbuntu Backports PPA.

Plasma 5.17 release highlights:

  • Night Color for X11.
  • Fractional scaling support on Wayland.
  • Faster startup performance.
  • New panel in System Settings for configuring Thunderbolt devices
  • Improved widget resizing, settings panels, and many other small feature additions.
  • For more details, see the release note.

How to Install Plasma 5.17 in (K)Ubuntu 19.10:

Open terminal either via Ctrl+Alt+T keyboard shortcut or by searching for ‘terminal’ from application menu. When it opens, do:

1. Add Kubuntu Backports PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:kubuntu-ppa/backports

Type user password (no asterisk feedback) when it prompts and hit Enter to continue.

2. Install Plasma 5.17 in Kubuntu 19.10:

Either install all system update via Update Manager, or run command in terminal:

sudo apt update && sudo apt full-upgrade

3. For non-Kubuntu user:

Run command to install Plasma desktop:

sudo apt update && sudo apt install plasma-desktop

or install full KDE desktop environment via command:

sudo apt update && sudo apt install kubuntu-desktop

Uninstall:

You can purge the Kubuntu Backports PPA, which also downgrade Plasma desktop to the stock version (5.16.5) in Ubuntu 19.10 repository.

sudo apt install ppa-purge && sudo ppa-purge ppa:kubuntu-ppa/backports

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5 responses to KDE Plasma 5.17 Released! How to Install it in (K)Ubuntu 19.10

  1. Thank you for the help!

  2. Can not update to 5.15.17
    For some reason after adding ppa:kubuntu-ppa/backports (I’m on Kubuntu 19.10)
    it only upgrades to 5.16.5

    And list command bellow shows that latest available version is 5.16.5
    $ sudo apt list plasma-desktop
    Listing… Done
    plasma-desktop/disco 4:5.16.5-0ubuntu1~ubuntu19.04~ppa1 amd64 [upgradable from: 4:5.15.4-0ubuntu1]
    plasma-desktop/disco 4:5.16.5-0ubuntu1~ubuntu19.04~ppa1 i386

    What’s wrong?

  3. I have installed Ubuntu 19.10 along with Plasma 5.17.1 (from Kubuntu ppa backports).

    Now i want to upgrade to Plasma 5.17.2, do i use the same command as Kubuntu :
    sudo apt update && sudo apt full-upgrade ?