KDE Plasma is signaling the end of X11 support with a named final release on the way.
KDE developer David Edmundson published guidance for both users and application maintainers on how to prepare for Plasma's last X11-supported release. The post marks a firm point in the project's long transition away from dual-protocol support, under which Plasma has run on both X11 and Wayland simultaneously. That parallel runway has let users defer the switch; it is now closing.
The shift matters because X11 was designed over four decades ago, well before modern security assumptions existed. Wayland replaces it with better application isolation and a cleaner architecture. Some X11-dependent tools still have rough Wayland edges — certain accessibility software, screen-capture setups, and older GPU drivers remain patchy. GNOME already dropped X11 support, leaving KDE as the last major Linux desktop holding the compatibility bridge open. Ending that bridge forces the broader ecosystem to finish the migration.
For anyone still relying on X11-only workflows, "last supported release" is the cue to start testing under Wayland now, not after the cutoff.