KDE settings to avoid showing app icons when an app opens.
KDE settings to avoid showing app icons when an app opens.
In KDE both Debian 13 and MX Linux you can adjust how apps appear in the taskbar. Look for options to customize icons or disable secondary ones, similar to Windows settings. This will ensure only one icon remains visible even when an app is opened.
Click the shortcut, select "Configure Icons-Only Task Manager," in the "Behavior Tab," adjust the "Group" setting to "By program name." When grouping is off: When grouping is enabled:
It was already configured as "program name." However, Chrome is the only one acting strangely. Firefox and the other pinned applications function normally (just a single icon each). I noticed there might be an issue if multiple Chrome versions are installed—like flatpack and repo versions. But I only have Chrome in flatpack (Debian doesn’t include it in the repository). Could this flatpack version be the cause? Clearly, the problem seems linked to the Chrome installation itself.
It seems the Chrome Flatpak is behaving unexpectedly. On my system (Gentoo Linux with KDE Plasma), installing it produces identical results. The shortcut in Task Manager opens Chrome multiple times, and clicking it launches a new window repeatedly. I’m unsure why this happens since I have BOINC manager and Vesktop installed as flatpaks—they work just like native apps. Another curious point is that I can’t add the Chrome window to the taskbar; only the app icon from the tray appears. It starts with nearly the same command as Vesktop: the Vesktop command is for reference. It might be related to how Chrome is flagged in Wayland, which could cause it to open a process Kwin treats separately. I don’t recall any other flatpak on other platforms or even different desktop environments (XFCE) acting this way. Since I don’t use Chrome myself, I haven’t encountered this issue before. It appears to stem from a build quirk in the flatpak, and I’m not fully familiar with its inner workings. This seems to be a reported problem linked to a Wayland flag in Chrome settings: https://github.com/flathub/com.google.Chrome/issues/396.
I'm not sure if I should feel relieved it's not just my own mistakes. Maybe try the snap version? But I turned off the snap repo for some reason, and I read that snaps are slower. Chrome also has a .deb package I could install. Does adding the .deb version still let it update automatically via discover? The flatpack seems to update on its own.
The guide mentions that the .deb package will include Chrome’s repository, so it should be included automatically during updates like any other package. You can verify the added repositories in Discover by checking the settings section there.
The pinned .desktop file includes another executable, which means the current process is active. Examples like "thunderbird" and "thunderbird-bin" are used for illustration.
This worked! I excluded the flatpack edition of Chrome. I downloaded and installed the .deb package, and now the icon no longer repeats on the task bar. Initially, I didn’t notice the new Chrome repository appearing after a restart. The script from the article helped, but it generated many errors. After a restart, two Google repositories showed up. It’s unclear if the .deb version introduced them or the script itself. I’ll need to monitor whether Chrome updates automatically in the coming weeks. Is the .deb version of Chrome just slightly different from the flatpack one? I hoped the provider would ensure consistency across formats like rpm, snap, deb, and flatpack. I understand default Debian repos might use older versions since maintainers could prefer stability over the latest release. Why would Google release different versions when they usually push the newest? This seems like another peculiar quirk in Linux.
A flatpak functions like a restricted environment for an app, bundling its dependencies internally. Flathub points out that the Chrome flatpak isn’t officially sanctioned, meaning you’re relying on the creator to avoid hidden threats and set up correctly. During my search, I found discussions on Reddit about duplicate icons causing problems, suggesting these flatpaks can interfere with Chrome’s security model, making them less safe. Google only releases it as a standard package (deb or rpm), not through a Snap version, so they aren’t accountable for its performance issues.
It's possible the flatpack might have been made by anyone, even with potential malware included. I initially thought it was only from the original creator, but I realize others could have contributed. FOSS advocates often prefer avoiding extra malicious code.