SUMMARY Sometimes auto hide panels break on some desktops after launching the Steam client or a game. Sometimes, only the desktop with Steam still has a working auto hide panel, sometimes every other desktop has a working auto hide panel. Sometimes it doesn't break. Sometimes it later switches which desktops are broken or starts working correctly. I have a 2x2 virtual desktop setup, and Steam and its games are on desktop 3 (lower left). Screen edge actions are unaffected and still work correctly when the auto hide panel is broken. STEPS TO REPRODUCE 1. Open Steam client or a Steam game OBSERVED RESULT The auto hide panel on some desktops is broken. EXPECTED RESULT The auto hide panels always works on all desktops. SOFTWARE/OS VERSIONS Operating System: CachyOS Linux KDE Plasma Version: 6.4.3 KDE Frameworks Version: 6.16.0 Qt Version: 6.9.1 Kernel Version: 6.15.7-3-cachyos (64-bit) Graphics Platform: Wayland Processors: 32 × AMD Ryzen 9 9950X 16-Core Processor Memory: 128 GiB of RAM (123.4 GiB usable) Graphics Processor 1: AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT Graphics Processor 2: AMD Radeon Graphics Manufacturer: System76 Product Name: Thelio Mira System Version: thelio-mira-r4 This has been happening inconsistently for months. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION I have two monitors: * 3840x1600 ultra wide for the main display, single output * 1920x515 bar monitor below it Scaling is at 100% for both. The auto hide panel is at the top edge of the main display. Changing panel settings doesn't change bug behavior, other than disabling auto hide. Dodge windows mode still has broken hiding. The second monitor has a fixed left panel with Icons and Text Task Manager and various desktop widgets.
I also regularly experience this issue. Sometimes, after playing a game (which I usually run in windowed borderless), persisting after closing the game, all virtual desktops besides the one I used for games (Desktop 1) experience strangeness, including the the panel (set to dodge windows) refusing to show itself when moving my mouse to its location on the bottom of my screen. More information in Additional Information. SOFTWARE/OS VERSIONS Operating System: EndeavourOS (Arch Linux) KDE Plasma Version: 6.4.4 KDE Frameworks Version: 6.17.0 Qt Version: 6.9.1 Kernel Version: 6.12.43-1-lts (64-bit) Graphics Platform: Wayland Processors: 16 × AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D 8-Core Processor Memory: 64 GiB of RAM (62.7 GiB usable) Graphics Processor: AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT Manufacturer: Micro-Star International Co., Ltd. Product Name: MS-7C56 System Version: 6.0 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION I am also using Wayland. My global animation speed is normally a bit higher than the default (also while writing this report I changed the global animation speed which seemed to fix every desktop, at least temporarily. I will attempt to more reliably break/unbreak the issue if possible.) Adams mentioned screen edge actions are unaffected, but that does not seem to be the case for me. My top-left corner action is "Present Windows - All Desktops", but moving my mouse into the corner only has an effect on Desktop 1, and works correctly, presenting windows from all desktops. However, when moving my mouse into the corner on an affected desktop (e.g. Desktop 6), nothing happens. This is similar for other Window Management settings that involve desktop effects, including Toggle Grid View, Toggle Overview, Toggle Tiles Editor, or Toggle Cube, as examples from a quick test. They work fine on Desktop 1, but not on Desktop 6 when the issue has occurred. Some other desktop effects don't seem to happen on affected desktops either, such as the "window minimize" animation, the "window open/close" animation, or the "Slide Back" effect if enabled. (Interestingly, if "Fall Apart" is enabled, when a window is closed, it will disappear immediately, and then the animation will play when switching back to an unaffected virtual desktop.) Additionally, I can "move" which desktop is unaffected by the issue: 1. After triggering the issue, identify an unaffected virtual desktop, and an affected virtual desktop. 2. Switch to the unaffected virtual desktop (e.g. Desktop 1). 3. Ensure "Overview" is enabled in Desktop Effects. 4. Activate "Toggle Overview" (I believe the default hotkey is Meta+W. "Toggle Grid View" should also work as an alternative). 5. Select an affected virtual desktop (e.g. Desktop 6). 6. The previously-affected virtual desktop now has normal effects and panels again, while the previously-unaffected virtual desktop is now affected. Repeat the process to move them back, if desired. Based on these observations I would be more inclined to believe the issue lies with kwin somewhere, and the panel problems are a side effect.
Regarding edge effects, the auto hide panel is the only one I normally have, and tested others after the break occurred. So it looks like currently enabled edge effects break with this. I've added one to test next time it happens, and will check animation speed changes as well.
It finally happened for me again. Existing edge effects are broken on affected desktops and work fine on the one the panel still works on. Changing animation speed does nothing for me.
My bad on that one. Upon further investigation, changing the "Window open/close" animation (and I think you can also change the "Virtual desktop switching" animation) seemed to be what actually unbroke the panels/animations. Unfortunately I still don't have a consistent way to reproduce the issue.
Confirmed. Changing Window open/close animation provides a (temporary?) fix. I don't have a consistent way either. It took several weeks to be able to make that earlier comment.
It's happened a few more times and I've noticed that it breaks the Blur desktop effect as well. Blur starts working immediately once I reset window open/close animation.
Still happening in 6.5.1. I did notice something with activities. If I'm on a virtual desktop with the break on the main activity, all virtual desktops on a second activity are broken. But if I switch to a working virtual desktop on the main activity, all virtual desktops on the second activity work. This was in the one broken virtual desktop variant. I can't say how it behaves in the one working virtual desktop variant.
I feel like this other issue is connected to this one: https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=503615 I shall post my findings in both threads and would like to thank previous commenters on delivering vital info and hints. Those quickly lead to this conclusion: # Findings: (see testing setup and steps below) - Animation speed does not matter when it comes to triggering the issue - "Fade" effect for "Virtual desktop switching" seems to be central - Nothing showing up in the logs (via journalctl -f) when things break down _____________ # Base setup Operating System: Kubuntu 25.10 KDE Plasma Version: 6.5.1 KDE Frameworks Version: 6.19.0 Qt Version: 6.9.2 Wayland - Nvidia proprietary driver in use (580.95.05) on RTX4080 - single screen - Two active (virtual) desktops, both with windows spanning the whole vertical screen space (in order to force the taskbar into hiding, if set to autohide or "dodge windows) - Default window effects and animations - Using "Overview" effect via Meta-W - Behaviour: Switching between desktops, using browser (Firefox), file manager (Dolphin) and the like - running "journalctl -f" in terminal to check for events Note: Altered settings take place on the System Settings: "Animations" page only # Baseline config - all animations at default (re: actual effects and speed) Results: No problems ## Increased animation speed (two notches below max.) Results: No problems ## Back to default speeds and settings, except for the "Virtual desktop switching" effect, going from (default) "slide" to "fade" Results: Almost instant breaking of second desktop (first desktop remains intact, including its window effects) Symptoms: - Only one of the two desktops is affect, the other remains intact On the affected desktop: - "Blur" effect not working any more - the auto-hide feature of the taskbar breaking, leading to the taskbar to never appear via mouse movements, only via keyboard commads - pressing Meta+W doesn't work any more Remedy: - Alter "Virtual desktop switching" effect in System Settings to anything other than the current setting # Sanity check (trying to revert the issue and then cause it again) All settings to default Results: Working again, both desktops # Same as above, only changed from "slide" to "fade" for the "Virtual desktop switching" effect Results: Second desktop breaks again, with the symptoms mentioned before
Small update: Still happens on 6.5.2. Same symptoms, same remedy as before.
Update: Still happens in 6.5.4 (and 6.5.3 for that matter).
Plasma 6.5.3 Wayland here, and With the Fade animation when switching Workspaces, I see this behavior, if I switch to "Slide" the autohide works as expected on all Workspaces. Can reproduce, *every* time, just by enabling the fade animation when switching workspaces