diff --git a/kcontrol/workspaceoptions/mainpage.ui b/kcontrol/workspaceoptions/mainpage.ui
index 39ff1d36..df7d68df 100644
--- a/kcontrol/workspaceoptions/mainpage.ui
+++ b/kcontrol/workspaceoptions/mainpage.ui
@@ -95,7 +95,27 @@
       </property>
     </widget>
    </item>
+   <item row="4" column="0">
+    <widget class="QLabel" name="sessionManagementLabel">
+     <property name="text">
+      <string>Session Management:</string>
+     </property>
+     <property name="alignment">
+      <set>Qt::AlignRight|Qt::AlignTrailing|Qt::AlignVCenter</set>
+     </property>
+    </widget>
+   </item>
    <item row="4" column="1">
+    <widget class="QCheckBox" name="sessionManagement">
+     <property name="text">
+      <string/>
+     </property>
+     <property name="checked">
+      <bool>true</bool>
+     </property>
+    </widget>
+   </item>
+   <item row="5" column="1">
     <spacer name="verticalSpacer">
      <property name="orientation">
       <enum>Qt::Vertical</enum>
diff --git a/kcontrol/workspaceoptions/workspaceoptions.cpp b/kcontrol/workspaceoptions/workspaceoptions.cpp
index ff1096ce..da5a2e2a 100644
--- a/kcontrol/workspaceoptions/workspaceoptions.cpp
+++ b/kcontrol/workspaceoptions/workspaceoptions.cpp
@@ -66,11 +66,13 @@ WorkspaceOptionsModule::WorkspaceOptionsModule(QWidget *parent, const QVariantLi
     connect(m_ui->cacheTheme, SIGNAL(toggled(bool)), this, SLOT(changed()));
     connect(m_ui->cacheTheme, SIGNAL(toggled(bool)), this, SLOT(cacheThemeChanged(bool)));
     connect(m_ui->themeCacheSize, SIGNAL(valueChanged(int)), this, SLOT(changed()));
+    connect(m_ui->sessionManagement, SIGNAL(toggled(bool)), this, SLOT(changed()));
 
     if (!m_plasmaFound) {
         m_ui->formFactor->setEnabled(false);
         m_ui->cacheTheme->setEnabled(false);
         m_ui->themeCacheSize->setEnabled(false);
+        m_ui->sessionManagement->setEnabled(false);
     }
 }
 
@@ -88,6 +90,8 @@ void WorkspaceOptionsModule::save()
         KConfigGroup cg2(&config, "CachePolicies");
         cg2.writeEntry("CacheTheme", m_ui->cacheTheme->isChecked());
         cg2.writeEntry("ThemeCacheKb", m_ui->themeCacheSize->value() * 1024);
+        KConfigGroup cg3(&config, "General");
+        cg3.writeEntry("SessionManagement", m_ui->sessionManagement->isChecked());
     }
 
     const bool isDesktop = (m_ui->formFactor->currentIndex() == 0);
@@ -160,6 +164,8 @@ void WorkspaceOptionsModule::load()
     m_ui->cacheTheme->setChecked(cg2.readEntry("CacheTheme", true));
     const int themeCacheKb = cg2.readEntry("ThemeCacheKb", 81920);
     m_ui->themeCacheSize->setValue(themeCacheKb / 1024);
+    KConfigGroup cg3(&config, "General");
+    m_ui->sessionManagement->setChecked(cg3.readEntry("SessionManagement", true));
 }
 
 void WorkspaceOptionsModule::defaults()
diff --git a/plasma/shells/plasma-desktop/plasmaapp.cpp b/plasma/shells/plasma-desktop/plasmaapp.cpp
index f473e22d..bb022856 100644
--- a/plasma/shells/plasma-desktop/plasmaapp.cpp
+++ b/plasma/shells/plasma-desktop/plasmaapp.cpp
@@ -72,6 +72,7 @@
 
 static const int s_sessiondelay = 500; // ms
 static const int s_phasetimeout = 10000; // ms
+static const bool s_defaultsm = true;
 static const QString s_defaultwm = QString::fromLatin1("kwin");
 static const QStringList s_defaultwmcommands = QStringList() << s_defaultwm;
 
@@ -123,7 +124,9 @@ PlasmaApp::PlasmaApp()
     m_logoutAfterStartup(false),
     m_confirm(0),
     m_sdtype(KWorkSpace::ShutdownTypeNone),
-    m_sessionManager(false)
+    m_failSafe(false),
+    m_sessionManager(false),
+    m_dirWatch(nullptr)
 {
     KGlobal::locale()->insertCatalog("libplasma");
     KGlobal::locale()->insertCatalog("plasmagenericshell");
@@ -268,6 +271,13 @@ void PlasmaApp::setupDesktop()
 
 void PlasmaApp::setupSession()
 {
+    if (!m_failSafe) {
+        m_dirWatch = new KDirWatch(this);
+        m_dirWatch->setInterval(5000);
+        m_dirWatch->addFile(KGlobal::dirs()->saveLocation("config") + QLatin1String("plasmarc"));
+        connect(m_dirWatch, SIGNAL(dirty(QString)), this, SLOT(configDirty()));
+    }
+
     m_phaseTimer = new QTimer(this);
     m_phaseTimer->setInterval(500);
     connect(m_phaseTimer, SIGNAL(timeout()), this, SLOT(nextPhase()));
@@ -287,9 +297,11 @@ void PlasmaApp::setupSession()
         sessionBus,
         this
     );
-    const bool failsafe = (qgetenv("KDE_FAILSAFE").toInt() == 1);
-    if (!failsafe) {
-        m_sessionManager = true;
+    m_failSafe = (qgetenv("KDE_FAILSAFE").toInt() == 1);
+    KConfig cfg("plasmarc", KConfig::NoGlobals);
+    KConfigGroup config(&cfg, "General");
+    if (!m_failSafe) {
+        m_sessionManager = config.readEntry("SessionManagement", s_defaultsm);
         connect(
             sessionBus.interface(), SIGNAL(serviceOwnerChanged(QString,QString,QString)),
             this, SLOT(serviceOwnerChanged(QString,QString,QString))
@@ -299,9 +311,7 @@ void PlasmaApp::setupSession()
     KGlobal::dirs()->addResourceType("windowmanagers", "data", "plasma/windowmanagers");
 
     QStringList wmcommands;
-    if (!failsafe) {
-        KConfig cfg("plasmarc", KConfig::NoGlobals);
-        KConfigGroup config(&cfg, "General");
+    if (!m_failSafe) {
         const QString wmname = config.readEntry("windowManager", s_defaultwm);
         if (wmname != s_defaultwm) {
             KDesktopFile wmfile("windowmanagers", wmname + ".desktop");
@@ -330,10 +340,18 @@ void PlasmaApp::setupSession()
             clientgroup.deleteGroup();
             clientgroup.sync();
         }
-     }
+    }
     m_wmProc = new QProcess(this);
     m_wmProc->start(wmprog, wmcommands);
 
+    if (!m_failSafe && !m_sessionManager) {
+        kDebug() << "deleting previous session";
+        // make sure when session management is enabled again it is a fresh start even if KDirWatch
+        // did not had the time to detect the changes done to the config
+        sessiongroup.deleteGroup();
+        sessiongroup.sync();
+    }
+
     m_phaseTimer->start();
 }
 
@@ -346,14 +364,14 @@ void PlasmaApp::panelHidden(bool hidden)
 {
     if (hidden) {
         ++m_panelHidden;
-        //kDebug() << "panel hidden" << m_panelHidden;
+        // kDebug() << "panel hidden" << m_panelHidden;
     } else {
         --m_panelHidden;
         if (m_panelHidden < 0) {
             kDebug() << "panelHidden(false) called too many times!";
             m_panelHidden = 0;
         }
-        //kDebug() << "panel unhidden" << m_panelHidden;
+        // kDebug() << "panel unhidden" << m_panelHidden;
     }
 }
 
@@ -488,7 +506,7 @@ bool PlasmaApp::x11EventFilter(XEvent *event)
             } else if (event->type == EnterNotify) {
                 panel->hintOrUnhide(QPoint(-1, -1));
                 //kDebug() << "entry";
-            //FIXME: this if it was possible to avoid the polling
+            // FIXME: this if it was possible to avoid the polling
             /*} else if (event->type == LeaveNotify) {
                 panel->unhintHide();
             */
@@ -1128,6 +1146,14 @@ void PlasmaApp::serviceOwnerChanged(const QString &name, const QString &oldOwner
     }
 }
 
+void PlasmaApp::configDirty()
+{
+    KConfig cfg("plasmarc", KConfig::NoGlobals);
+    KConfigGroup config(&cfg, "General");
+    m_sessionManager = config.readEntry("SessionManagement", s_defaultsm);
+    kDebug() << "plasmarc dirty" << m_sessionManager;
+}
+
 void PlasmaApp::suspendStartup(const QString &app)
 {
     m_startupSuspend++;
diff --git a/plasma/shells/plasma-desktop/plasmaapp.h b/plasma/shells/plasma-desktop/plasmaapp.h
index 0153c654..6237c5a1 100644
--- a/plasma/shells/plasma-desktop/plasmaapp.h
+++ b/plasma/shells/plasma-desktop/plasmaapp.h
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@
 
 #include <KUniqueApplication>
 #include <KActionCollection>
+#include <KDirWatch>
 #include <Plasma/Plasma>
 #include <plasma/packagemetadata.h>
 
@@ -150,6 +151,7 @@ private Q_SLOTS:
     void clientSaved();
     void clientSaveCanceled();
     void serviceOwnerChanged(const QString &name, const QString &oldOwner, const QString &newOwner);
+    void configDirty();
 
 private:
     KActionCollection* m_actionCollection;
@@ -180,7 +182,9 @@ private:
     bool m_logoutAfterStartup;
     int m_confirm;
     KWorkSpace::ShutdownType m_sdtype;
+    bool m_failSafe;
     bool m_sessionManager;
+    KDirWatch* m_dirWatch;
     QList<org::kde::KApplication*> m_clients;
     QList<org::kde::KApplication*> m_saveQueue;
 };