KaOS Linux gets a modern makeover and a big under-the-hood upgrade
KaOS has released a brand new version of its popular Linux distro, delivering major visual updates, package changes, and the elimination of Qt5 in default installations
Unlike other Linux operating systems, KaOS is built from scratch and limits itself to one desktop environment, one toolkit, and one architecture, KDE Plasma, Qt, and x86_64 respectively.
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This new release continues the distribution’s focused approach to providing a streamlined KDE Plasma experience with a refined, rolling-release system. The most noteworthy change in KaOS 2025.07 is the complete removal of Qt5-based KDE Frameworks and applications from the default install.
Qt5 remains available in the repositories, but the team says the transition to Qt6 is now effectively complete. To support this shift, several KDE applications were upgraded to the upcoming 25.08 series to enable Qt6 builds.
Applications like KTouch, Okteta, and KQtQuickCharts are now built with Qt6 for consistency across the system.
Also new in this release is the inclusion of Plasma 6.4, which brings smoother visuals, smarter window tiling, and improved accessibility to the desktop.
The Wayland session supports new input features, including pointer control via the numeric keypad and three-finger pinch gestures to zoom. File transfer notifications now show a speed graph to better visualize progress and estimates.
Spectacle, the system’s screenshot and screen recording tool, has improved recording quality under Wayland, particularly when using fractional scaling or the WebM format.
Plasma-login-manager, a Qt-based replacement for SDDM, is now included in the repositories for a future move toward full Qt6 integration for login management.
The Midna visual theme gets a complete overhaul with new icons, a refreshed splash screen, a new wallpaper, and updated window decorations.
KaOS Linux updates
The base system has also seen a number of updates. The release includes Linux kernel 6.15.7, Glib2 2.84.3, Perl 5.40.2, Bash 5.3, and Systemd 254.27, among many others.
The graphical stack features Mesa 25.1.6 and Pipewire 1.4.6. KaOS also brings the latest KDE Gear 25.04.3 and KDE Frameworks 6.16.0, all compiled on Qt 6.9.1.
New package additions include the return of Amarok, now rewritten for Qt6 and Kf6. Plasma-keyboard, a virtual keyboard based on Qt Virtual Keyboard, has also been added.
Phonon now uses MPV as its default backend instead of VLC, which lacks a Qt6-compatible version.
Improvements to Calamares mean users can now choose among EXT4, XFS, BTRFS, or ZFS during installation without the need for manual partitioning. The default filesystem is XFS with CRC and finobt enabled, offering better crash recovery and metadata validation.
KaOS continues to use Systemd-boot for UEFI installations and includes early microcode updates directly in the kernel.
A new logging utility, Kjournald, is now included and provides a graphical view of system logs with easy-to-use filters, removing the need for manual journalctl commands.
As you might expect, there are some known issues. Installation on RAID is not supported, and users are advised not to use tools like Rufus or Unetbootin to write the ISO. In addition, DVDs should be burned at no more than 4x speed for reliability.
GPG signature verification is available for users who want to confirm the integrity of the ISO.
You can download the ISO for the new release here.
What do you think about the direction KaOS is taking? Let us know in the comments.