/Shutdown Dialogs Have Unreadable White Text—How to Change Font Color or Improve Visibility?

Hi everyone,

After the most recent Manjaro update (using KDE Plasma), I’ve run into a visibility issue with system dialogs that require authentication or confirmation. Whenever I need to use sudo in a GUI app (for example, installing software or changing system settings), or when I try to shut down or restart the computer, a dialog window appears. The problem is:

  • The text in these dialogs (e.g., password prompt, shutdown/restart/cancel options) is in white font.
  • If another window with white text is in the background, I can barely see or read the dialog options.
  • This affects both the password prompt and the shutdown/restart confirmation window.

My questions:

  • How can I change the font color of these dialogs to something more visible?
  • Alternatively, is there a way to make these windows more distinguishable (e.g., change their background color, add a border, or make them stand out more)?
  • Is this a theme issue, and if so, how can I adjust the theme or color scheme for these specific dialogs?

I’ve checked my system theme settings, but changing the global theme doesn’t seem to affect these particular windows. Any advice or pointers on where to look (KDE settings, GTK settings, or config files) would be much appreciated!

Thanks in advance for your help!

Perhaps this is just a misunderstanding on my part or incorrect wording, but:
you never need to use sudo in GUI apps.

Don’t start graphical tools as root or with sudo.

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Welcome to the forum! :vulcan_salute:

The following is untested, but in theory, it should work…

  • Open up a terminal window and type the following command… :point_down:

    run0 su -
    
  • Now enter the following command… :point_down:

    kcmshell6 --kcm_colors 
    

    … or… :point_down:

    kcmshell6 --kcm_lookandfeel
    

The first of those two will let you choose a different color scheme for the root account, and the second will let you choose a different theme for the root account.

Try to enable one or both of these two effects:

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