Released version AppGrid 1.8.0 — a third-party application launcher for KDE Plasma 6, designed as a grid of applications and positioned as an alternative to standard menus Kickoff and Kicker. The release is available on GitHub May 25, 2026; the project description states that AppGrid is distributed under the GPL-2.0-or-later.
AppGrid is available in two plasmoid options: as a standalone centered pop-up window and as a native pop-up menu on the Plasma panel. Both options utilize a common application grid, search, categories, and settings. For installation, the developer points to official channels: AUR for Arch Linux and derivatives, PPA for Ubuntu 25.10+, Copr for Fedora, a universal tarball for installation in ~/local on immutable systems, as well as Nix/NixOS Flake.
The developer calls AppGrid 1.8.0 the largest update since the project's inception. The release revamps the favorites system, enhances application drag-and-drop, improves search ranking, adds closer integration with KDE Plasma mechanisms, and optimizes performance.
Key changes in AppGrid 1.8.0
Redesigned favorites system based on KActivities.
Favorites now use KAStatsFavoritesModel — the same mechanism employed in Kickoff. On the first launch, existing favorites are automatically transferred to the new system. Meanwhile, AppGrid retains its own namespace for favorites, meaning it does not simply replace Kickoff's favorites entirely.Drag-and-drop for favorites and order management.
Favorites can now be dragged to reorder them. Auto-scrolling works at the edge of the list while dragging, and keyboard shortcuts have been added with Ctrl+Shift+Arrow. You can also drag an external .desktop file into AppGrid to pin the application in the launcher.Dragging applications out of AppGrid.
Applications can now be dragged from AppGrid to the taskbar, Plasma panel, desktop, or Dolphin. Multiple selection can be performed with Ctrl+click, allowing several applications to be dragged simultaneously. For group operations, the context menu offers pinning, unpinning, hiding, launching, and copying.Smarter search.
The ranking of search results has been changed: frequently used applications and default applications for MIME types receive higher priority. The idea is for applications that users are most likely to want to open to be at the top, rather than just formally matching items.Updated search results interface.
Search results now feature section headers, placeholders for empty states, and display the icon of the selected result directly in the search bar. This makes the search closer to a full navigation interface rather than just a filter through the list of applications.Integration with Discover for Flatpak applications.
A new item has been added to the context menu for Flatpak applications. Manage in Discover. This allows switching to application management through KDE Discover. Support for system packages for this feature is expected to be added later, according to the developer.Passing launch information to KActivities.
AppGrid now reports application launches to KActivities. This allows other Plasma components, including Kickoff and related views like 'frequently used' applications and recent documents, to consider activity performed through AppGrid.Customizable power and session buttons.
Shutdown, log out, and other system action buttons can now be configured separately: each button can be shown or hidden and their order changed by dragging. This is helpful for users who want to keep only the actions they actually need in the launcher.Category navigation via keyboard.
Alt+Left and Alt+Right shortcuts have been added to navigate between categories. This is a small but important improvement for those who primarily manage the launcher using the keyboard.New visual settings.
An optional light shadow has been added for application icons. The centered version of the launcher now has a vertical offset parameter, allowing for more precise positioning of the window on the screen. Also, a new launcher icon is now used by default for fresh installations, but when upgrading from the 1.7.x branch, the old icon is retained.Official distribution channels.
The release highlights the introduction of official packaging for Ubuntu via Launchpad PPA, Fedora through Copr, Arch Linux through AUR, and a universal package meant for installation in the user directory. The universal package includes an optional built-in update checking mechanism; the channel is currently marked as beta.
Performance and Fixes
AppGrid 1.8.0 has undergone several rounds of profiling. The launcher window is now pre-prepared for opening, frequently used search and filter operations are cached, and the favorites pipeline initializes only the necessary parts. As a result, the developer claims faster opening, smoother category switching, and less CPU load while scrolling, especially on weaker hardware and systems with many installed applications.
Fixes include: immediate icon updates when changing system icon themes, resolution of the issue with rearranging favorites, addition of alphabetical sorting, correction of the panel variant freeze during resizing, redesign of the scrollbar as an automatically hidden overlay, restoration of mouse wheel scrolling step, improvement of page-by-page scrolling in the categories panel, and elimination of unwanted auto-scrolling in certain scenarios with truncated search result lines.
Overall, AppGrid 1.8.0 is an attempt to elevate the third-party Plasma launcher to be a full replacement for Kickoff: featuring normal favorites migration, drag-and-drop, integration with KActivities, more predictable searching, and official packages for popular distributions.
Source: linux.org.ru
