---
title: "How do I use push-to-talk on KDE Plasma or Wayland?"
description: "On Wayland, an optional setting lets Fluxer's desktop app detect your push-to-talk key from your keyboard device, and other apps still get the key as usual."
url: "https://fluxer.com/help/kde-push-to-talk"
language: "en"
last_updated: "2026-11-01"
category: "Features and apps"
---

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> Links to Fluxer pages go to their Markdown versions when they have one. For other Fluxer help, policy or blog links, remove any #section part and add .md to the end.

# How do I use push-to-talk on KDE Plasma or Wayland?

On Wayland, an optional setting lets Fluxer's desktop app detect your push-to-talk key from your keyboard device, and other apps still get the key as usual.

On Wayland, the Fluxer desktop app sets up system-wide keybinds and [push-to-talk](https://fluxer.com/help/voice-and-video.md) through your desktop, and your desktop then keeps those keys for Fluxer. If you want one push-to-talk key that still works in all your other apps, you can turn on "Use direct input device access", and Fluxer then detects that key from your keyboard device.

## How do I use push-to-talk on Linux with Wayland?

On KDE Plasma, GNOME and Hyprland, the desktop app sets up system-wide keybinds through your desktop under "System-wide keybinds" in the "Keybinds" settings. On KDE Plasma you choose the keys in KDE's own "System Settings" under "Keyboard" and "Shortcuts", where each key can run only one system-wide keybind.

## Why does my push-to-talk key stop working in other apps on KDE?

When your desktop runs a keybind for Fluxer, it keeps that key for Fluxer, and other apps on your computer don't get it. If you bind a letter such as C, it stops typing that letter everywhere, and Fluxer and another app can't share one key this way.

To get around this, give your Linux account permission to read input devices. On most distributions, you get it by joining the `input` group with `sudo usermod -aG input $USER` and signing out and back in. Then turn on "Use direct input device access" under "System-wide keybinds". The switch only shows up once you have that permission.

With direct input device access on, push-to-talk only uses the key you set in Fluxer's "Voice & video" settings, or voice activity if you haven't set one. Fluxer uses only the keybinds you set, and it doesn't save any other key or send it off your device, even though this setting lets it see every key you press. Other apps on your computer still get every key as usual.

## Is direct input device access safe?

Fluxer opens your input devices read-only, never takes a key away from other apps, and only uses them while your login session is the active one. The `input` group lets every program you run read your keyboard, not only Fluxer, and you should only join it if you're comfortable with that. You can turn the switch off at any time to go back to your desktop's keybinds, and you can check all of this yourself in the [desktop app's source code](https://github.com/fluxerapp/fluxer/tree/main/fluxer_desktop/native/linux-evdev).

---

Canonical page: https://fluxer.com/help/kde-push-to-talk

Last updated on November 1, 2026