KDE Plasma 6.9 will add Wayland picture-in-picture by default

KDE Plasma 6.9 is set to make Wayland picture-in-picture a default feature after the KWin implementation was judged stable enough for everyday use. The change is part of a wider round of desktop improvements discussed by KDE contributor Nate Graham and colleagues, including better handling of windows when monitors are connected or disconnected.¹²

Picture-in-picture becomes a normal part of Plasma

KDE’s official weekly development report says KWin’s support for the Wayland picture-in-picture protocol has passed extended testing and will be enabled by default in Plasma 6.9. Picture-in-picture keeps a video in a floating window while the user reads, works or browses elsewhere, making it one of those small desktop features that can have an outsized effect on daily multitasking.¹

The change matters because Wayland has been replacing the older X11 display architecture across Linux desktops, but feature parity has not always arrived at the same speed. A default PiP implementation gives users a more predictable experience without requiring them to discover an experimental setting or manually enable a compositor-specific workaround.¹

Plasma will remember monitor arrangements

The same Plasma 6.9 work also improves how open windows behave when a display setup changes. KDE says window sizes and positions will be remembered for each screen arrangement. If a user disconnects a monitor, rearranges the remaining windows and later reconnects the monitor, the open windows can return to the arrangement associated with that display layout.¹

There is an important limitation: the current improvement applies to windows that remain open in the running session. Closed applications that are launched again still use the old behaviour, although KDE says work is continuing. That distinction makes the feature less magical than a simple “Plasma remembers everything” headline, but it should still remove a familiar source of friction for multi-monitor users.¹

More controls for XWayland applications

Plasma 6.9 will also let users permanently deny XWayland applications from asking to control the pointer and keyboard. KDE says users will be able to see which applications have been denied and revoke those denials. That is a useful security and privacy improvement for a compatibility layer that lets older X11 software run in a Wayland session.¹

The update is not only about new features. KDE’s report also covers a large set of Plasma 6.8 bug fixes, improvements to Plasma Browser Integration and support for the Brave browser. The Plasma team is continuing to polish the current release while building the next major version, so 6.9 is still some way from a final release.¹²

What this means for Linux users

For most people, the headline feature will not require learning a new workflow. A floating video window is useful precisely because it stays out of the way, while per-layout window memory targets the repeated annoyance of reconnecting a dock or second screen. The XWayland permission controls are more explicit: they give users a durable choice rather than a one-off prompt.¹

Our opinion

Plasma 6.9’s most interesting improvements are not flashy redesigns; they are repairs to the little points where a modern desktop can still feel unpredictable. Default Wayland PiP makes the platform feel more complete, monitor-layout memory acknowledges how people actually use laptops with docks, and the XWayland controls put a clearer boundary around legacy applications. None of these features alone will make someone switch desktops, but together they show KDE working on the connective tissue that determines whether a desktop feels dependable. The caveat is timing: Plasma 6.9 is still in development, so users should treat these announcements as a preview rather than a promise that every detail is already final.