I can’t log into my KDE-Plasma-Desktop on my Debian 12.x after deleting some KDE-specific packages.
The login screen appears, but nothing happens when I enter my password.
I was trying to delete some packages to make the system leaner.
What should I do?
Switch to a console (tty)
Press Ctrl + Alt + F2 (or another function key between F2 and F6) to switch to a text console.
sudo apt update
All available Debian 12 repository entries for /etc/apt/sources.list from official Debian servers
Is it safe to install programs other than with a distro's package manager?
sudo apt install --reinstall kde-plasma-desktop
sudo apt install -f
sudo reboot
If no system-specific data has been deleted or damaged, you should be able to log in normally again.
Will my settings be overwritten if I do this?
No, your personal settings should not be overwritten in /home/USER.
Reinstalling KDE Plasma only affects system files, not your user-specific settings stored in your home directory.
Be cautious with configuration files for system applications, especially in /etc, they maybe overwritten if no prompt appears.
If you asked about configuration files during reinstallation, you can usually keep your existing ones.
You should always do a backup of your important configuration files and data.
