kevinbudz

kevinbudz / quickbar

Public

A replacement for KDE 6+'s Global Menu widget.

19
0
100% credibility
Found May 24, 2026 at 19 stars -- GitGems finds repos before they trend. Get early access to the next one.
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AI Analysis
C++
AI Summary

QuickBar is a widget for the KDE Plasma 6 desktop that shows application menus in your panel with more customization options than the built-in menu. It displays the same menus you'd find inside applications, but lets you choose how they appear, whether as a full horizontal bar or a compact button, and adds helpful features like searching within menus. The widget works with any application that supports the standard application menu system, and lets you use keyboard shortcuts directly from the menu bar.

How It Works

1
💻 You use KDE Plasma desktop

You're already using the KDE Plasma desktop environment on your Linux computer.

2
✨ You want a better menu bar

You wish your application menus looked nicer or had more options for how they appear.

3
📦 You install QuickBar

You download and install QuickBar from your distribution's package manager or the install script.

4
🔄 You restart your desktop

You restart the Plasma shell so your computer recognizes the new widget.

5
You add QuickBar to your panel
🖥️
Full menu bar view

You choose to show the complete menu as a horizontal bar across your panel.

📋
Compact button view

You choose a small button that opens the menu when clicked.

6
⚙️ You customize your settings

You adjust how the menu looks, whether it shows on all screens, and enable features like menu search.

🎉 Your menus work beautifully

Now when you click on any app, its menu appears exactly how you want it, with keyboard shortcuts working and everything looking perfect.

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Star Growth

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AI-Generated Review

What is quickbar?

Quickbar is a panel widget for KDE Plasma 6 that displays the active application's menu bar directly in your panel, just like the macOS menu bar experience. It taps into the same DBus app-menu protocol that KDE's built-in Global Menu uses, but adds more customization options for how the menu appears and behaves. The project is written in C++ and integrates tightly with Plasma 6, KF6, and Qt6. You add it from the widget gallery under "Windows and Tasks" after installation.

Why is it gaining traction?

Power users love the global menu pattern, but KDE's stock version is fairly rigid. Quickbar offers more control over appearance and behavior while maintaining full compatibility with applications that support the DBus menu standard. The install script handles dependency detection across Arch, Debian, Fedora, and openSUSE, making compilation straightforward even for users unfamiliar with building KDE components. It also includes a generic menu fallback for applications that do not export their menus via DBus, plus a search feature on Wayland sessions.

Who should use this?

KDE Plasma 6 users who want a global menu bar with more configuration options than the default. It is particularly useful for those running minimal panel setups or ultrawide monitors where menu bars consume valuable horizontal space. Linux power users comfortable with compiling from source will get the most out of it, though Arch users can install from the AUR with a single command.

Verdict

At 19 stars, this is an early-stage project with a 1.0% credibility score, so expect limited documentation and no formal test suite. That said, the code is well-structured, dependencies are clearly documented, and packaging support across major distributions shows intentionality. If you are on Plasma 6 and want a more flexible global menu, quickbar is worth trying, but treat it as a hobby project and test it in a non-production environment first.

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