diff --git a/kioslave/desktop/CMakeLists.txt b/kioslave/desktop/CMakeLists.txt
--- a/kioslave/desktop/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/kioslave/desktop/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 add_library(kio_desktop MODULE kio_desktop.cpp)
 
-target_link_libraries(kio_desktop KF5::KIOCore KF5::KDELibs4Support)
+target_link_libraries(kio_desktop Qt5::DBus Qt5::Gui KF5::KIOCore)
 
 set_target_properties(kio_desktop PROPERTIES OUTPUT_NAME "desktop")
 
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@
 
 add_library(desktopnotifier MODULE desktopnotifier.cpp)
 kcoreaddons_desktop_to_json(desktopnotifier desktopnotifier.desktop)
-target_link_libraries(desktopnotifier KF5::KIOCore KF5::DBusAddons KF5::KDELibs4Support)
+target_link_libraries(desktopnotifier KF5::KIOCore KF5::DBusAddons)
 
 install(TARGETS desktopnotifier DESTINATION ${PLUGIN_INSTALL_DIR}/kf5/kded)
 
diff --git a/kioslave/desktop/desktopnotifier.cpp b/kioslave/desktop/desktopnotifier.cpp
--- a/kioslave/desktop/desktopnotifier.cpp
+++ b/kioslave/desktop/desktopnotifier.cpp
@@ -19,16 +19,13 @@
 #include "desktopnotifier.h"
 
 #include <KDirWatch>
-#include <KGlobal>
-#include <KGlobalSettings>
 #include <KPluginFactory>
 #include <KPluginLoader>
 
-#include <KUrl>
-
 #include <kdirnotify.h>
-#include <QStandardPaths>
 
+#include <QStandardPaths>
+#include <QUrl>
 
 K_PLUGIN_FACTORY_WITH_JSON(DesktopNotifierFactory,
                            "desktopnotifier.json",
@@ -72,9 +69,11 @@
         checkDesktopLocation();
     } else {
         // Emitting FilesAdded forces a re-read of the dir
-        KUrl url("desktop:/");
-        url.addPath(KUrl::relativePath(QStandardPaths::writableLocation(QStandardPaths::DesktopLocation), path));
-        url.cleanPath();
+        QUrl url;
+        url.setScheme(QStringLiteral("desktop"));
+        const auto relativePath = QDir(QStandardPaths::writableLocation(QStandardPaths::DesktopLocation)).relativeFilePath(path);
+        url.setPath(QStringLiteral("%1/%2").arg(url.path(), relativePath));
+        url.setPath(QDir::cleanPath(url.path()));
         org::kde::KDirNotify::emitFilesAdded(url);
     }
 }
diff --git a/kioslave/desktop/kio_desktop.cpp b/kioslave/desktop/kio_desktop.cpp
--- a/kioslave/desktop/kio_desktop.cpp
+++ b/kioslave/desktop/kio_desktop.cpp
@@ -19,20 +19,14 @@
 
 #include "kio_desktop.h"
 
-#include <KApplication>
-#include <KCmdLineArgs>
 #include <KConfigGroup>
 #include <KDesktopFile>
 #include <KDirNotify>
-#include <KGlobalSettings>
-#include <KStandardDirs>
-#include <KGlobal>
-#include <KUrl>
-#include <kdeversion.h>
 
 #include <kio/udsentry.h>
 #include <kio_version.h>
 
+#include <QCoreApplication>
 #include <QFile>
 #include <QDBusInterface>
 #include <QDesktopServices>
@@ -45,8 +39,7 @@
     {
         // necessary to use other kio slaves
         QCoreApplication app(argc, argv);
-        KComponentData("kio_desktop", "kdelibs4");
-        KLocale::global();
+        app.setApplicationName("kio_desktop");
 
         // start the slave
         DesktopProtocol slave(argv[1], argv[2], argv[3]);
@@ -97,12 +90,20 @@
                     desktopPath + "/trash.desktop");
  
         // Copy the desktop links
-        const QStringList links = KGlobal::dirs()->findAllResources("data", QStringLiteral("kio_desktop/DesktopLinks/*"),
-                                                                    KStandardDirs::NoDuplicates);
+        QSet<QString> links;
+        const auto dirs = QStandardPaths::locateAll(QStandardPaths::GenericDataLocation, QStringLiteral("kio_desktop/DesktopLinks"), QStandardPaths::LocateDirectory);
+        for (const auto &dir : dirs) {
+            const auto fileNames = QDir(dir).entryList({QStringLiteral("*.desktop")});
+            for (const auto &file : fileNames) {
+                links += file;
+            }
+        }
+
         foreach (const QString &link, links) {
-            KDesktopFile file(link);
+            const auto fullPath = QStandardPaths::locate(QStandardPaths::GenericDataLocation, QStringLiteral("kio_desktop/DesktopLinks/%1").arg(link));
+            KDesktopFile file(fullPath);
             if (!file.desktopGroup().readEntry("Hidden", false))
-                QFile::copy(link, desktopPath + link.mid(link.lastIndexOf('/')));
+                QFile::copy(fullPath, QStringLiteral("%1/%2").arg(desktopPath, link));
         }
     }
 #endif
@@ -119,7 +120,7 @@
 {
     KIO::ForwardingSlaveBase::listDir(url);
 
-    KUrl actual;
+    QUrl actual;
     rewriteUrl(url, actual);
 
     QDBusInterface kded(QStringLiteral("org.kde.kded5"), QStringLiteral("/modules/desktopnotifier"), QStringLiteral("org.kde.DesktopNotifier"));
@@ -132,12 +133,12 @@
     if (name == QLatin1String(".") || name == QLatin1String(".."))
         return QString();
 
-    KUrl url = processedUrl();
-    url.addPath(name);
+    QUrl url = processedUrl();
+    url.setPath(QStringLiteral("%1/%2").arg(url.path(), name));
 
     if (entry.isDir()) {
-        url.addPath(QStringLiteral(".directory"));
-        if (!KStandardDirs::exists(url.path()))
+        url.setPath(QStringLiteral("%1/.directory").arg(url.path()));
+        if (!QFileInfo::exists(url.path()))
             return QString();
 
         return url.path();
diff --git a/kioslave/desktop/tests/CMakeLists.txt b/kioslave/desktop/tests/CMakeLists.txt
--- a/kioslave/desktop/tests/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/kioslave/desktop/tests/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 add_executable(testdesktop kio_desktop_test.cpp)
-target_link_libraries(testdesktop KF5::KIOWidgets KF5::Solid Qt5::Test KF5::KDELibs4Support)
+target_link_libraries(testdesktop KF5::KIOWidgets KF5::Solid Qt5::Test)
 
 ecm_mark_as_test(testdesktop)
 add_test(testdesktop testdesktop)
diff --git a/kioslave/desktop/tests/kio_desktop_test.cpp b/kioslave/desktop/tests/kio_desktop_test.cpp
--- a/kioslave/desktop/tests/kio_desktop_test.cpp
+++ b/kioslave/desktop/tests/kio_desktop_test.cpp
@@ -18,12 +18,10 @@
 */
 
 #include <kdirlister.h>
-#include <ktemporaryfile.h>
-#include <kdebug.h>
 #include <QDesktopServices>
 #include <QStandardPaths>
-#include <QObject>
-#include <qtest_kde.h>
+#include <QTemporaryFile>
+#include <QTest>
 #include <kio/job.h>
 #include <kio/copyjob.h>
 
@@ -54,7 +52,7 @@
 
     void testCopyToDesktop()
     {
-        KTemporaryFile tempFile;
+        QTemporaryFile tempFile;
         QVERIFY(tempFile.open());
         tempFile.write( "Hello world\n", 12 );
         QString fileName = tempFile.fileName();
@@ -128,6 +126,6 @@
     QString m_testFileName;
 };
 
-QTEST_KDEMAIN(TestDesktop, NoGUI)
+QTEST_GUILESS_MAIN(TestDesktop)
 
 #include "kio_desktop_test.moc"