KDE Install on WSL2

installation.md

Installing KDE on WSL2

Inspiration: https://www.most-useful.com/kde-plasma-on-wsl.html

Setup

1. Update WSL
   • In windows command prompt run: wsl --update
2. Add systemd to ubuntu
   • In ubuntu prompt run: sudo nano /etc/wsl.conf
   • Add the following to the file:

     [boot]
     systemd=true
     

   • Save and exit by pressing ctrl + o and then ctrl + x
   • Shutdown WSL by running the following in the windows command prompt: wsl --shutdown
   • Restart WSL by opening a new terminal session for Ubuntu

Installing KDE

sudo apt update

sudo apt install kubuntu-desktop

Select SDDM as display manager during setup

sudo apt install lightdm

During installation, select lightdm as default display manager using arrow keys

Edit the lightdm configuration as follows:

sudo nano /etc/lightdm/lightdm.conf

Add the following text

[Seat:*]
user-session=plasma

[LightDM]
start-default-seat=false

[XDMCPServer]
enabled=true
port=177

Save and exit by pressing ctrl + o and then ctrl + x

Setting up x server

Download and install this software for windows:

https://sourceforge.net/projects/vcxsrv/

Launch Desktop

• From windows open the XLaunch program
• Select the One window without titlebar option and click Next
• Selct Open session via XDMCP and click next
• In your ubuntu terminal you need to get the ip address of the wsl2 instance:
  • Run: sudo apt install net-tools
  • Run: ifconfig eth0 | grep inet
  • The ip address will be listed after the inet item and usually looks like 172.xxx.xxx.xxx
• Copy the ip address above and paste into the text box next to Connect to host in the XLaunch window and click next
• Modify the default settings to uncheck Native opengl and check Disable access control
• Click Next
• Click Save configuration and save the file to your desktop and name the file whatever you want
• VITALLY IMPORTANT: When you first run VcXSrv (or XLaunch) you’ll get a Windows Firewall popup. You will need to allow it to accept connections on both the PRIVATE and PUBLIC networks. If you don’t allow PUBLIC networks you will not get a connection as the WSL Virtual Network is considered to be PUBLIC
• Click Finish

Speeding up KDE

Fixing rendering

• From the KDE desktop, click the start menu, go to Computer then click System Settings
• Underneath Hardware in the left panel, click Display and Monitor
• Select Compositor from the left panel
• Change the rendering backend to XRender
• Check Enable compositor on startup
• Click Apply

Thanks, it works.

But XRender was removed, and rendering backend option is deprecated. Seems Plasma 6 will shift to Wayland. Are there alternative methods to get KDE speed up for now(Plasma 5.24.7)?

What works? I have tried hundred times and still not able to see the desktop environment in any way!