KaOS has officially transitioned from using KDE Plasma, which it had for over a decade, to adopting Niri with a Noctalia shell as its new default desktop environment. This shift comes as part of the distribution's strategy to move away from Systemd, a core requirement of Plasma. The latest release, 2026.02, still operates on Systemd, but the team is exploring the viability of Dinit for future updates.
The new system features Niri version 25.11, Noctalia version 4.4, and Quickshell 0.2.1, along with the Limine bootloader. Users accustomed to KDE Plasma may need to adjust to the new interface and functionalities. Although Plasma will no longer be included in the ISO, users can still access it through the repositories if they prefer.
This significant change marks a departure from KaOS's previous identity as a KDE/Plasma only distribution, reflecting the team's commitment to maintaining a Qt-focused environment while eliminating the complexities associated with Plasma's requirements.