Setting up touchscreen keyboard in KDE Plasma

I currently use HP ProBook x360, it’s a small convertible laptop with a touchscreen. It runs OpenSuse Tumbleweed with KDE Plasma Desktop Environment. Tablet mode works well and it’s automatic, but there’s one thing I was missing by default: an On-Screen Keyboard. I found maliit, FOSS virtual keyboard that seems perfect for this purpose.

1. Installing Maliit

Installation is very simple on OpenSuse Tumbleweed, all I had to do was just run this command:

zypper install maliit-keyboard

There was no issues with the package installation.

2. Setting up a default virtual keyboard in KDE Plasma

After installation was done, all I had to do was go into System Settings > Keyboard > Virtual Keyboard and enable Maliit. After that, every time I convert my laptop into a tablet and I press on any text fields, the keyboard automatically pops up. It just works!

3. Final Thoughts

Setting up a virtual on-screen keyboard was easier than I expected it would be. This makes KDE’s Tablet Mode infinitely more usable. I’m pleased with the functionality of the keyboard, I haven’t tried customizing it yet, but I’m sure it’s possible. I might try that in the future.