Sometimes I want to run applications that I do not have pinned to the quick-launch bar of my choice’s operating system/desktop environment. To do that, I am used to pressing the Windows/Meta Key, begin typing a few characters, and hit Enter. This is muscle memory and hard to get rid of. Although it does not matter which UI opens, I do not need the full-blown KDE Application Launcher, Gnome Shell, or Windows Start Menu. The amount of UI that pops up and changes while searching for the app is distracting.
Therefore, I wondered whether I could remap the Meta/Windows key from opening the Application Launcher to opening KRunner. And you can, but only on the command line.
Remove the key mapping from the Application Launcher.
kwriteconfig5 --file kwinrc --group ModifierOnlyShortcuts --key Meta ""
Open KRunner instead.
kwriteconfig5 --file kwinrc --group ModifierOnlyShortcuts --key Meta "org.kde.krunner,/App,,toggleDisplay"
Apply the changes to the current session.
qdbus org.kde.KWin /KWin reconfigure
I hope this helps you. Thank you for reading.
How can i reverse this?
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I’m afraid I can’t test this anymore. But I found this: https://forum.manjaro.org/t/kde-application-launcher-doesnt-open-when-meta-key-is-pressed/34257/11
I suppose when you use kwriteconfig5 –file kwinrc –group ModifierOnlyShortcuts –key Meta “org.kde.plasmashell,/PlasmaShell,org.kde.PlasmaShell,activateLauncherMenu” it does the trick. If I recall correctly, the shortcut to KRunner can also be configured using the KDE Settings application. Maybe there you also find an option for the “start menu” where you can enable the Meta key again.
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