KDE Plasma End of Life (EOL) Dates and End of Support (EOS) Dates

Wondering about KDE Plasma end of life for the release on your machine? This customizable, graphical desktop environment runs on most Linux distributions and FreeBSD, with panels, widgets and virtual desktops, and the KDE community supports each open-source release for a limited time only.

KDE Plasma End of Life Dates by Release

Every release moves through active support, then critical bug fixes, then it is unmaintained. As of 21 October 2026 the latest release is Plasma 6.8, and Plasma 6.6 holds the current LTS tag, so check which version you run.

Support Period for Each Plasma Release

The support period of a supported release depends on its slot. Regular feature releases stop getting updates when the next one ships: the 6.7 line lasted just 120 days, from 16 June to 14 October 2026. Between major releases, KDE ships security updates only for lines still inside their window, and that support is why upgrading matters.

Release Cadence and the Bugfix Release Rhythm

KDE publishes roughly three feature releases a year. Each one is followed by a bugfix release on a Tuesday, spaced in a Fibonacci sequence of weeks (1, 1, 2, 3, 5), so the final fix for a line arrives about three months after launch.

Long-Term Support Releases Explained

A long-term support line suits you if you prefer fewer upgrades. One arrives about every other year, and it stays stable long after ordinary lines end: counting from 27 October 2026, the 6.6 line has 1,039 days of fixes left, while the 5.27 line received fixes for 692 days.

Plasma 5 Lifecycle and Its Final Release

The lifecycle of Plasma 5 closed with 5.27, the final long-term line, whose last fix, 5.27.12, landed on 6 January 2025. Any distribution or system still shipping it now runs desktop software with no upstream fixes, so plan a move to the 6 series.

Lifecycle of the Plasma 6 Series

Each Plasma 6 release follows the roadmap: an alpha, a beta, then the final release, built on KDE Frameworks and the Qt toolkit. Beta users should expect rough edges: betas get no long-term fixes, and each final release follows the support windows in the table above.

End-of-Life Policy for KDE Linux

The end-of-life policy for KDE Linux is simple: each version is supported until the next one appears, so users are expected to update regularly. If the KDE project ever stops, a final update turns the system into another distribution, and KDE applications keep working there.

KDE Neon Lifecycle and the User Edition

Since 1 July 2021 the older edition of neon has had no upstream fixes, and machines on it no longer receive updates, security fixes included. The KDE team recommends the regular edition instead, because it is the only neon software still maintained.

Switching to KDE Neon User Edition

Add a pin file, point the repository entry at the regular edition, then run pkcon refresh, pkcon update --only-download and pkcon offline-trigger. Restart and your machine will migrate itself. Third-party packages can block this, so remove them first. If it fails, keep an installation medium ready for a new installation, because an in-place upgrade is not guaranteed.

Backing Up Before You Migrate

Because the older neon edition no longer gets fixes, protect your data before moving to the supported one:

• Make a full backup of your home folder.
• Copy your KDE settings and custom themes.
• Note every extra repository you added.

Lifecycle Shift: X11 Retirement and Wayland

Plasma 6.8 retires starting X11 sessions after 42 years of the X Window System. Wayland takes over for modern screens and graphics cards, which matters when choosing a release because X sessions lose upstream support from 6.8, while the few apps that still need the old protocol run through XWayland.

Lifecycle Planning: Moving to a Supported Release

Once your release loses support, pick the route that gets you to a supported one. Most people should take package downloads from their own distribution, while experienced builders can use source downloads and compile the software themselves. A live image is a safe way to download and test the newer line first, and the changelog lists what changed since your release.

Checking Your Installed Version

Run plasmashell -v in a terminal and compare the number against the table above. If your line shows its critical fixes as ended, upgrade now; KDE tends to reward early movers with fewer bugs.

Lifecycle Questions and Community Feedback

KDE is free software, and every open-source project improves with your feedback. To confirm a release is unsupported, compare your version with the table above and watch KDE announcements for schedule changes to Plasma and its applications, then report anything that looks wrong.