Plasma/Kickoff

    From KDE UserBase Wiki

    Kickoff Application Launcher

    Kickoff is the default application launcher of the Plasma desktop. In the default configuration it resides at the very left of the bottom panel. Besides its main purpose (providing access to your applications) it gives you access to some places on your computer, your recently used documents and options to end your Plasma session.

    Kickoff Application Launcher

    Opening Kickoff

    To open Kickoff, simply click its icon which is usually located furthest to the left in panel at the bottom of your Plasma Workspace. At the top of Kickoff you can see the search field, at the bottom you can see two tabs: Applications and Places as well as power and session options.

    The Applications Tab

    This tab offers you access to your applications and favorites

    The Favorites Section

    Add to Favorites
    Delete this favorite
    Drag to sort favorites via mouse

    There is a favorites section where you can "pin" your favorite apps. Drag and drop an entry around to sort it your way. Right clicking an entry gives you even more options: you can remove that entry (Remove From Favorites), copy it to the panel (Add to Panel) or the desktop (Add to Desktop).

    The Applications Section

    View all applications in alphabetical order
    Click on a letter to navigate to the first item in a specified section.


    This section gives you access to all installed applications, divided into several categories like Office or Internet. There is also an All Applications section. Hover over a category to see what applications are available in that category. Right clicking on an application entry brings you some options for the entry: Add to Favorites, Add to Panel or Add to Desktop.

    The Places Tab

    This tab offers you access to different places on your computer

    The Computer Section

    In the Computer section you will find some links to system applications (like System Settings), your favorite places (configured via Dolphin), and available storage media. Again, right-clicking those entries will bring you some options to add them to the desktop (Add to Desktop) or panel (Add to Panel).

    The History Section

    Your recently-used applications and documents are presented in this section. Note that only applications launched via Kickoff are taken into account for this list. A right-click on an entry brings you the usual context menu with copy options and additional options to clear the recently used history.

    The Frequently Used Section

    Your frequently-used applications and documents are presented in this section. Note that only applications launched via Kickoff are taken into account for this list. A right-click on an entry brings you the usual context menu with copy options and additional options to clear the frequently used history.

    Search Field

    Search name
    Search description

    Instead of browsing through all the tabs and categories you can simply enter a search term. The search field has focus when opening the menu, so you can simply start typing. The search will not only match against applications names, but also against their description. So if you need a browser, but don't know the name of the installed browsers, simply type "browser" in the search field. This should result in a list of all available browsers.


    Add to Desktop and Panel

    Program on desktop
    Program on panel


    All program items and categories can be added to desktop and panel, right click and select Add to ...

    Alternative Application Launchers

    Besides Kickoff, other application launchers - e.g. KRunner - are available which may fit your needs better. See the page Plasma application launchers for more details.

    You can change your launcher by right-clicking on the menu icon and selecting Show Alternatives...

    Using Show Alternatives... you can switch to any menu you want
    For example "Application Dashboard"!