diff --git a/applets/taskmanager/package/contents/code/layout.js b/applets/taskmanager/package/contents/code/layout.js
--- a/applets/taskmanager/package/contents/code/layout.js
+++ b/applets/taskmanager/package/contents/code/layout.js
@@ -191,7 +191,7 @@
 
         adjustedWidth = width;
 
-        if (!tasks.vertical && !tasks.iconsOnly) {
+        if (!tasks.vertical && !tasks.iconsOnly && (plasmoid.configuration.separateLaunchers || stripes == 1)) {
             if (item.isLauncher) {
                 adjustedWidth = launcherWidth();
             } else if (stripes > 1 && i == tasksModel.launcherCount) {
diff --git a/applets/taskmanager/package/contents/config/main.xml b/applets/taskmanager/package/contents/config/main.xml
--- a/applets/taskmanager/package/contents/config/main.xml
+++ b/applets/taskmanager/package/contents/config/main.xml
@@ -36,6 +36,9 @@
     <entry name="sortingStrategy" type="Int">
       <default>2</default>
     </entry>
+    <entry name="separateLaunchers" type="Bool">
+      <default>true</default>
+    </entry>
     <entry name="maxStripes" type="Int">
       <default>2</default>
       <min>1</min>
diff --git a/applets/taskmanager/package/contents/ui/ConfigGeneral.qml b/applets/taskmanager/package/contents/ui/ConfigGeneral.qml
--- a/applets/taskmanager/package/contents/ui/ConfigGeneral.qml
+++ b/applets/taskmanager/package/contents/ui/ConfigGeneral.qml
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@
     property alias cfg_groupPopups: groupPopups.checked
     property alias cfg_onlyGroupWhenFull: onlyGroupWhenFull.checked
     property alias cfg_sortingStrategy: sortingStrategy.currentIndex
+    property alias cfg_separateLaunchers: separateLaunchers.checked
     property alias cfg_showOnlyCurrentScreen: showOnlyCurrentScreen.checked
     property alias cfg_showOnlyCurrentDesktop: showOnlyCurrentDesktop.checked
     property alias cfg_showOnlyCurrentActivity: showOnlyCurrentActivity.checked
@@ -142,27 +143,35 @@
                         model: [i18n("Do Not Sort"), i18n("Manually"), i18n("Alphabetically"), i18n("By Desktop"), i18n("By Activity")]
                     }
 
+                    CheckBox {
+                        id: separateLaunchers
+                        Layout.column: 1
+                        Layout.row: 1
+                        Layout.columnSpan: 2
+                        text: i18n("Keep launchers separate")
+                        enabled: sortingStrategy.currentIndex == 1
+                    }
 
                     Label {
                         Layout.fillWidth: true
-                        Layout.row: 1
+                        Layout.row: 2
                         Layout.column: 0
                         text: i18n("Grouping:")
                         horizontalAlignment: Text.AlignRight
                     }
 
                     ComboBox {
                         id: groupingStrategy
-                        Layout.row: 1
+                        Layout.row: 2
                         Layout.column: 1
                         Layout.fillWidth: true
                         model: [i18n("Do Not Group"), i18n("By Program Name")]
                     }
 
                     CheckBox {
                         id: groupPopups
                         Layout.column: 1
-                        Layout.row: 2
+                        Layout.row: 3
                         Layout.columnSpan: 2
                         text: i18n("Open groups in popups")
                         enabled: groupingStrategy.currentIndex > 0
@@ -173,7 +182,7 @@
                         height: childrenRect.height
 
                         Layout.column: 1
-                        Layout.row: 3
+                        Layout.row: 4
                         Layout.columnSpan: 2
 
                         CheckBox {
diff --git a/applets/taskmanager/package/contents/ui/MouseHandler.qml b/applets/taskmanager/package/contents/ui/MouseHandler.qml
--- a/applets/taskmanager/package/contents/ui/MouseHandler.qml
+++ b/applets/taskmanager/package/contents/ui/MouseHandler.qml
@@ -30,6 +30,30 @@
     signal urlDropped(url url)
 
     property Item target
+    property Item ignoredItem
+    property bool moved: false
+
+    Timer {
+        id: ignoreItemTimer
+
+        repeat: false
+        interval: 750
+
+        onTriggered: {
+            ignoredItem = null;
+        }
+    }
+
+    Connections {
+        target: tasks
+
+        onDragSourceChanged: {
+            if (!dragSource) {
+                ignoredItem = null;
+                ignoreItemTimer.stop();
+            }
+        }
+    }
 
     DropArea {
         id: dropHandler
@@ -47,11 +71,30 @@
 
             var above = target.childAt(event.x, event.y);
 
+            // If we're mixing launcher tasks with other tasks and are moving
+            // a (small) launcher task across a non-launcher task, don't allow
+            // the latter to be the move target twice in a row for a while, as
+            // it will naturally be moved underneath the cursor as result of the
+            // initial move, due to being far larger than the launcher delegate.
+            // TODO: This restriction (minus the timer, which improves things)
+            // has been proven out in the EITM fork, but could be improved later
+            // by tracking the cursor movement vector and allowing the drag if
+            // the movement direction has reversed, etablishing user intent to
+            // move back.
+            if (!plasmoid.configuration.separateLaunchers && tasks.dragSource.isLauncher
+                 && above != null && !above.isLauncher && above == ignoredItem) {
+                return;
+            } else {
+                ignoredItem = null;
+            }
+
             if (tasksModel.sortMode == TaskManager.TasksModel.SortManual && tasks.dragSource) {
                 var insertAt = TaskTools.insertIndexAt(above, event.x, event.y);
 
                 if (!groupDialog.visible && tasks.dragSource != above && tasks.dragSource.itemIndex != insertAt) {
                     tasksModel.move(tasks.dragSource.itemIndex, insertAt);
+                    ignoredItem = above;
+                    ignoreItemTimer.restart();
                 }
             } else if (!tasks.dragSource && above && hoveredItem != above) {
                 hoveredItem = above;
diff --git a/applets/taskmanager/package/contents/ui/Task.qml b/applets/taskmanager/package/contents/ui/Task.qml
--- a/applets/taskmanager/package/contents/ui/Task.qml
+++ b/applets/taskmanager/package/contents/ui/Task.qml
@@ -104,7 +104,14 @@
     }
 
     onItemIndexChanged: {
-        if (!inPopup && !tasks.vertical && LayoutManager.calculateStripes() > 1) {
+        if (!inPopup && !tasks.vertical
+            && (LayoutManager.calculateStripes() > 1 || !plasmoid.configuration.separateLaunchers)) {
+            tasks.requestLayout();
+        }
+    }
+
+    onIsLauncherChanged: {
+        if (!plasmoid.configuration.separateLaunchers) {
             tasks.requestLayout();
         }
     }
diff --git a/applets/taskmanager/package/contents/ui/main.qml b/applets/taskmanager/package/contents/ui/main.qml
--- a/applets/taskmanager/package/contents/ui/main.qml
+++ b/applets/taskmanager/package/contents/ui/main.qml
@@ -94,6 +94,8 @@
         sortMode: iconsOnly ? TaskManager.TasksModel.SortManual
             : sortModeEnumValue(plasmoid.configuration.sortingStrategy)
         launchInPlace: iconsOnly
+        separateLaunchers: (!iconsOnly
+            && plasmoid.configuration.sortingStrategy.currentIndex != 1 && plasmoid.configuration.separateLaunchers)
 
         groupMode: iconsOnly ? TaskManager.TasksModel.GroupApplication
             : sortModeEnumValue(plasmoid.configuration.groupingStrategy)