Skip to main content
Better Blur DX is available on Gentoo through the xarblu-overlay repository, maintained by the project author xarblu.

​
Installation

1

Enable xarblu-overlay

Enable the overlay repository using eselect:
eselect repository enable xarblu-overlay
This adds the repository to your system’s overlay configuration.
2

Sync the Overlay

Synchronize the overlay to fetch the latest ebuilds:
emerge --sync xarblu-overlay
You can also sync all repositories:
emerge --sync
3

Install Better Blur DX

Install the package using emerge:
emerge --ask kde-misc/kwin-effects-better-blur-dx
This will install the Wayland version by default.
4

Enable the Effect

After installation:
  1. Open System Settings > Desktop Effects
  2. Disable any existing blur effects
  3. Enable Better Blur DX

​
USE Flags

The ebuild supports USE flags for customizing the build: 
# Enable X11 support (Wayland is default)
echo "kde-misc/kwin-effects-better-blur-dx X" >> /etc/portage/package.use/better-blur-dx
emerge --ask kde-misc/kwin-effects-better-blur-dx
The live version (9999) requires the ** keyword and will track the latest development changes from the main branch.

​
System Upgrades

Important: After upgrading Plasma or KWin, you must rebuild the package.The effect is compiled against a specific KWin version. After system upgrades that update KWin:
emerge --ask kde-misc/kwin-effects-better-blur-dx
Then restart KWin by logging out and back in.

​
Automatic Rebuilds

To automatically rebuild the effect when KWin is updated, you can use Portage’s preserved-rebuild feature: 
# After world update, rebuild preserved libraries
emerge @preserved-rebuild
Alternatively, add the package to your world set to ensure it’s always considered during updates: 
emerge --noreplace kde-misc/kwin-effects-better-blur-dx

​
Wayland vs X11

The default build is for Wayland, which is the recommended and actively tested display server:
emerge --ask kde-misc/kwin-effects-better-blur-dx

​
Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues:
  1. Effect not loading: Check if the plugin is installed: 
    ls /usr/lib64/qt6/plugins/kwin/effects/plugins/libbetterblur.so
  2. Build failures: Ensure you have the latest KWin development packages: 
    emerge --ask --oneshot kde-plasma/kwin
  3. Check dependencies: Verify all dependencies are satisfied: 
    emerge --pretend --verbose kde-misc/kwin-effects-better-blur-dx
  4. View logs: Check emerge logs for build errors: 
    cat /var/tmp/portage/kde-misc/kwin-effects-better-blur-dx-*/temp/build.log

​
Next Steps

Learn how to configure Better Blur DX in the Configuration section.

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get started for freeTalk to us