KDE Plasma 6 · v1.7.9

Application launcher built for KDE Plasma 6

A modern alternative to Kickoff and Kicker. A grid launcher for KDE Plasma 6 — unified search, KRunner integration, animations. Packaged for Arch, Fedora, Ubuntu, Debian, and openSUSE.

Install AppGrid View on GitHub
Wayland-first Free & open source GPL-2.0
AppGrid launcher (dark theme) AppGrid launcher (light theme)

Everything you need. Nothing you don't.

Polished, fast, and respectful of your Plasma theme. AppGrid feels native because it is.

Unified search

App results and KRunner results merged into one list with Alt+1–9 shortcuts.

Two variants

Standalone centered popup or native Plasma panel popup. Pick what fits your workflow.

Favorites & categories

Reorderable favorites with edit mode. Categories with Alt+key mnemonics or KDE Menu Editor.

Quick commands

Terminal (t:), shell (:), file browser (/), system info (i:), hidden apps (h:), help (?).

Smart ranking

Name prefix > substring > generic name > keyword. Search keywords like "browser" find Firefox.

Install source detection

Search by "flatpak", "snap", or "web app". Source badges in results and tooltips.

Application actions

Right-click any app for jumplist actions (e.g., New Private Window).

Animations

Open/close: Fade, Scale, Pop, Slide, Glide, Buzz, Twist, Slam. Icon: shake, grow, bounce, spin.

Multi-monitor

Open on active screen or panel screen. LayerShellQt 6.6+ for best results.

Customizable

Grid size, icon size, blur, opacity, corner radius, dividers, session buttons.

Plasma-native

Respects system animation speed, font size, and Plasma theme corner radius.

Drop-in replacement

Replace Kickoff or Kicker via Plasma's Show Alternatives. Session management included.

See it in action

Click any screenshot to enlarge. Arrow keys to navigate.

Keyboard-first

Built for power users. Never reach for the mouse.

Navigation

  • Toggle AppGrid Super
  • Close Esc
  • Navigate results ↑ ↓ ← →
  • Launch top result Enter
  • Cycle apps + KRunner results Tab
  • Launch numbered result Alt +1-9
  • Jump to category by mnemonic Alt +letter

Quick commands

Type these in the search bar to switch modes.

  • Run in terminal t:command
  • Run shell command :command
  • Browse files /path
  • Browse home ~/path
  • System info (copyable) i:
  • Hidden apps manager h:
  • Show quick commands help ?

Install AppGrid

Pre-built packages for the major distros. Or build from source.

Latest release · v1.7.9

Available on

Arch Fedora Ubuntu Debian openSUSE Gentoo EndeavourOS CachyOS Manjaro
Install via yay
yay -S plasma6-applets-appgrid
Or via paru
paru -S plasma6-applets-appgrid

Maintained by the author. Works on EndeavourOS, CachyOS, Manjaro, Garuda.

After installing, right-click your panel launcher → Show Alternatives → AppGrid.

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers. Open an issue on GitHub if you don't see yours.

Is AppGrid free?
Yes. AppGrid is Free and Open Source Software released under the GPL-2.0-or-later license. No ads, no telemetry, no donations required.
Does AppGrid replace Kickoff or Kicker?
Yes. Right-click your existing panel launcher → Show Alternatives → AppGrid. You can also add it as a new widget without removing the others.
Center variant vs. Panel variant — which should I pick?
AppGrid (Center) is a standalone window that opens centered on screen with its own blur, opacity, and corner radius settings. AppGrid (Panel) is a native Plasma popup anchored to the panel icon, like Kickoff — same grid, same search, no separate window settings. Pick whichever fits your workflow; both ship in the same package.
Does it work on Wayland and X11?
AppGrid is Wayland-first and primarily tested there. X11 is supported but less polished — the Center variant uses frameless window flags and manual positioning on X11 instead of LayerShellQt. The Panel variant uses Plasma's native popup and works equally on both.
Does it work on KDE Plasma 5?
No. AppGrid targets KDE Plasma 6.0 and later. Plasma 5 uses Qt 5 / KF5 APIs that AppGrid no longer supports.
Why is there no .plasmoid file on the KDE Store?
AppGrid uses a C++ backend for app discovery, window management, blur effects, and session actions. The .plasmoid format only supports pure-QML plasmoids — it has no way to install the compiled plugin (.so) to the system plugin path Plasma expects. That's why AppGrid ships as distro packages (Arch, Fedora, Ubuntu, Debian) and via the OBS community build for openSUSE.
How do I reorder my favorites?
Open the Favorites tab, click the pencil icon in the bottom-right corner — icons start wiggling. Click an icon to select it, then click another to swap their positions. You can also remove a favorite via the remove button on its icon. Click the checkmark when done; order saves automatically.
How does "Recently Used" work?
Where the section appears depends on your settings. Start with Favorites OFF: shown in the All tab (Alphabetical sort only). Start with Favorites ON: shown in the Favorites tab. By Category sort: shown at the top of the category view. Turning the setting off clears the recent list; turning it back on starts fresh.
What are the two category modes?
By default AppGrid uses a simplified built-in mapping (Development, Graphics, Internet, Multimedia, Office, System, Utilities). Enable "Use system categories" in settings to read categories directly from KDE — changes you make in KDE Menu Editor (rename, reorganize, create custom categories) are reflected automatically. Right-click any category to open the Menu Editor.
Does AppGrid collect any data?
No. AppGrid runs locally on your machine. No telemetry, no analytics, no network calls. The website itself uses no cookies, no tracking, and no third-party scripts — see the privacy notice for hosting details.
Install