diff --git a/tabbox.cpp b/tabbox.cpp
index 0c75a75989..f3381fbb01 100644
--- a/tabbox.cpp
+++ b/tabbox.cpp
@@ -280,6 +280,7 @@ TabBox::TabBox(QObject *parent)
     , m_desktopGrab(false)
     , m_tabGrab(false)
     , m_forcedGlobalMouseGrab(false)
+    , m_ready(false)
 {
     m_isShown = false;
     m_defaultConfig = TabBoxConfig();
@@ -308,11 +309,9 @@ TabBox::TabBox(QObject *parent)
     m_desktopListConfig.setDesktopSwitchingMode(TabBoxConfig::StaticDesktopSwitching);
     m_desktopListConfig.setLayout(TabBoxConfig::VerticalLayout);
     m_tabBox = new TabBoxHandlerImpl(this);
-    m_tabBox->setConfig(m_defaultConfig);
-
+    connect(m_tabBox, SIGNAL(ready()), SLOT(handlerReady()));
 
     m_tabBoxMode = TabBoxDesktopMode; // init variables
-    reconfigure();
     connect(&m_delayedShowTimer, SIGNAL(timeout()), this, SLOT(show()));
 }
 
@@ -320,6 +319,13 @@ TabBox::~TabBox()
 {
 }
 
+void TabBox::handlerReady()
+{
+    m_tabBox->setConfig(m_defaultConfig);
+    reconfigure();
+    m_ready = true;
+}
+
 void TabBox::initShortcuts(KActionCollection* keys)
 {
     KAction *a = NULL;
@@ -752,26 +758,41 @@ void TabBox::navigatingThroughWindows(bool forward, const KShortcut& shortcut, T
 
 void TabBox::slotWalkThroughWindows()
 {
+    if (!m_ready){
+        return;
+    }
     navigatingThroughWindows(true, m_cutWalkThroughWindows, TabBoxWindowsMode);
 }
 
 void TabBox::slotWalkBackThroughWindows()
 {
+    if (!m_ready){
+        return;
+    }
     navigatingThroughWindows(false, m_cutWalkThroughWindowsReverse, TabBoxWindowsMode);
 }
 
 void TabBox::slotWalkThroughWindowsAlternative()
 {
+    if (!m_ready){
+        return;
+    }
     navigatingThroughWindows(true, m_cutWalkThroughWindowsAlternative, TabBoxWindowsAlternativeMode);
 }
 
 void TabBox::slotWalkBackThroughWindowsAlternative()
 {
+    if (!m_ready){
+        return;
+    }
     navigatingThroughWindows(false, m_cutWalkThroughWindowsAlternativeReverse, TabBoxWindowsAlternativeMode);
 }
 
 void TabBox::slotWalkThroughDesktops()
 {
+    if (!m_ready){
+        return;
+    }
     if (isGrabbed())
         return;
     if (areModKeysDepressed(m_cutWalkThroughDesktops)) {
@@ -784,6 +805,9 @@ void TabBox::slotWalkThroughDesktops()
 
 void TabBox::slotWalkBackThroughDesktops()
 {
+    if (!m_ready){
+        return;
+    }
     if (isGrabbed())
         return;
     if (areModKeysDepressed(m_cutWalkThroughDesktopsReverse)) {
@@ -796,6 +820,9 @@ void TabBox::slotWalkBackThroughDesktops()
 
 void TabBox::slotWalkThroughDesktopList()
 {
+    if (!m_ready){
+        return;
+    }
     if (isGrabbed())
         return;
     if (areModKeysDepressed(m_cutWalkThroughDesktopList)) {
@@ -808,6 +835,9 @@ void TabBox::slotWalkThroughDesktopList()
 
 void TabBox::slotWalkBackThroughDesktopList()
 {
+    if (!m_ready){
+        return;
+    }
     if (isGrabbed())
         return;
     if (areModKeysDepressed(m_cutWalkThroughDesktopListReverse)) {
diff --git a/tabbox.h b/tabbox.h
index f83ae4507d..9c77fa0ab5 100644
--- a/tabbox.h
+++ b/tabbox.h
@@ -188,6 +188,8 @@ public slots:
     void slotWalkThroughWindowsAlternativeKeyChanged(const QKeySequence& seq);
     void slotWalkBackThroughWindowsAlternativeKeyChanged(const QKeySequence& seq);
 
+    void handlerReady();
+
 signals:
     void tabBoxAdded(int);
     void tabBoxClosed();
@@ -239,6 +241,7 @@ private:
     KShortcut m_cutWalkThroughGroupWindows, m_cutWalkThroughGroupWindowsReverse;
     KShortcut m_cutWalkThroughWindowsAlternative, m_cutWalkThroughWindowsAlternativeReverse;
     bool m_forcedGlobalMouseGrab;
+    bool m_ready; // indicates whether the config is completely loaded
 };
 } // namespace TabBox
 } // namespace
diff --git a/tabbox/tabboxhandler.cpp b/tabbox/tabboxhandler.cpp
index 5ffb27810f..39b09b75cd 100644
--- a/tabbox/tabboxhandler.cpp
+++ b/tabbox/tabboxhandler.cpp
@@ -30,6 +30,8 @@ along with this program.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
 #include "tabboxview.h"
 // Qt
 #include <qdom.h>
+#include <QtCore/QtConcurrentRun>
+#include <QtCore/QFutureWatcher>
 #include <QFile>
 #include <QKeyEvent>
 #include <QModelIndex>
@@ -94,11 +96,10 @@ TabBoxHandlerPrivate::TabBoxHandlerPrivate(TabBoxHandler *q)
     view = new TabBoxView();
 
     // load the layouts
-    parseConfig(KStandardDirs::locate("data", "kwin/DefaultTabBoxLayouts.xml"));
-    view->clientDelegate()->setConfig(tabBoxLayouts.value("Default"));
-    view->additionalClientDelegate()->setConfig(tabBoxLayouts.value("Text"));
-    view->desktopDelegate()->setConfig(tabBoxLayouts.value("Desktop"));
-    view->desktopDelegate()->setLayouts(tabBoxLayouts);
+    QFuture< void> future = QtConcurrent::run(this, &TabBoxHandlerPrivate::parseConfig, KStandardDirs::locate("data", "kwin/DefaultTabBoxLayouts.xml"));
+    QFutureWatcher< void > *watcher = new QFutureWatcher< void >(q);
+    watcher->setFuture(future);
+    q->connect(watcher, SIGNAL(finished()), q, SIGNAL(ready()));
 }
 
 TabBoxHandlerPrivate::~TabBoxHandlerPrivate()
@@ -325,6 +326,10 @@ void TabBoxHandlerPrivate::parseConfig(const QString& fileName)
             tabBoxLayouts.insert(layoutName, currentLayout);
         }
     } // for loop layouts
+    view->clientDelegate()->setConfig(tabBoxLayouts.value("Default"));
+    view->additionalClientDelegate()->setConfig(tabBoxLayouts.value("Text"));
+    view->desktopDelegate()->setConfig(tabBoxLayouts.value("Desktop"));
+    view->desktopDelegate()->setLayouts(tabBoxLayouts);
 }
 
 /***********************************************
diff --git a/tabbox/tabboxhandler.h b/tabbox/tabboxhandler.h
index af5a2c8de9..cefec5f587 100644
--- a/tabbox/tabboxhandler.h
+++ b/tabbox/tabboxhandler.h
@@ -339,6 +339,7 @@ signals:
     * @see setConfig
     */
     void configChanged();
+    void ready();
 
 private:
     friend class TabBoxHandlerPrivate;