diff --git a/desktoppackage/contents/explorer/AppletDelegate.qml b/desktoppackage/contents/explorer/AppletDelegate.qml
--- a/desktoppackage/contents/explorer/AppletDelegate.qml
+++ b/desktoppackage/contents/explorer/AppletDelegate.qml
@@ -48,10 +48,10 @@
 
         onDragStarted: {
             kwindowsystem.showingDesktop = true;
-            main.preventWindowHide = true;
+            main.draggingWidget = true;
         }
         onDrop: {
-            main.preventWindowHide = false;
+            main.draggingWidget = false;
         }
 
         MouseArea {
diff --git a/desktoppackage/contents/explorer/WidgetExplorer.qml b/desktoppackage/contents/explorer/WidgetExplorer.qml
--- a/desktoppackage/contents/explorer/WidgetExplorer.qml
+++ b/desktoppackage/contents/explorer/WidgetExplorer.qml
@@ -37,16 +37,23 @@
     width: Math.max(heading.paintedWidth, units.iconSizes.enormous * 2 + units.smallSpacing * 4 + units.gridUnit * 2)
     height: 800//Screen.height
 
+    opacity: draggingWidget ? 0.3 : 1
+
     property QtObject containment
 
     //external drop events can cause a raise event causing us to lose focus and
     //therefore get deleted whilst we are still in a drag exec()
     //this is a clue to the owning dialog that hideOnWindowDeactivate should be deleted
     //See https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=332733
-    property bool preventWindowHide: false
+    property bool preventWindowHide: draggingWidget || categoriesDialog.status !== PlasmaComponents.DialogStatus.Closed
+                                  || getWidgetsDialog.status !== PlasmaComponents.DialogStatus.Closed
+
+    property bool outputOnly: draggingWidget
 
     property Item categoryButton
 
+    property bool draggingWidget: false
+
     signal closed()
 
     onVisibleChanged: {
@@ -136,27 +143,13 @@
             widgetExplorer.widgetsModel.filterQuery = model.filterData
             widgetExplorer.widgetsModel.filterType = model.filterType
         }
-        onStatusChanged: {
-            if (status == PlasmaComponents.DialogStatus.Opening) {
-                main.preventWindowHide = true;
-            } else if (status == PlasmaComponents.DialogStatus.Closed) {
-                main.preventWindowHide = false;
-            }
-        }
     }
 
     PlasmaComponents.ModelContextMenu {
         id: getWidgetsDialog
         visualParent: getWidgetsButton
         // model set on first invocation
         onClicked: model.trigger()
-        onStatusChanged: {
-            if (status == PlasmaComponents.DialogStatus.Opening) {
-                main.preventWindowHide = true;
-            } else if (status == PlasmaComponents.DialogStatus.Closed) {
-                main.preventWindowHide = false;
-            }
-        }
     }
     /*
     PlasmaCore.Dialog {
@@ -245,7 +238,6 @@
             id: categoryButton
             text: i18nd("plasma_shell_org.kde.plasma.desktop", "Categories")
             onClicked: {
-                main.preventWindowHide = true;
                 categoriesDialog.model = widgetExplorer.filterModel
                 categoriesDialog.open(0, categoryButton.height)
             }
@@ -349,7 +341,6 @@
             iconSource: "get-hot-new-stuff"
             text: i18nd("plasma_shell_org.kde.plasma.desktop", "Get new widgets")
             onClicked: {
-                main.preventWindowHide = true;
                 getWidgetsDialog.model = widgetExplorer.widgetsMenuActions
                 getWidgetsDialog.open()
             }
diff --git a/desktoppackage/contents/views/Desktop.qml b/desktoppackage/contents/views/Desktop.qml
--- a/desktoppackage/contents/views/Desktop.qml
+++ b/desktoppackage/contents/views/Desktop.qml
@@ -146,6 +146,8 @@
                         sidePanelStack.item.forceActiveFocus();
                     } else if (sidePanelStack.state == "widgetExplorer"){
                         sidePanel.hideOnWindowDeactivate = Qt.binding(function() { return sidePanelStack.item && !sidePanelStack.item.preventWindowHide; })
+                        sidePanel.opacity = Qt.binding(function() { return sidePanelStack.item ? sidePanelStack.item.opacity : 1 })
+                        sidePanel.outputOnly = Qt.binding(function() { return sidePanelStack.item && sidePanelStack.item.outputOnly })
                     } else {
                         sidePanel.hideOnWindowDeactivate = true;
                     }