diff --git a/autotests/fakeeffectplugin_version.cpp b/autotests/fakeeffectplugin_version.cpp
index 3a38c6f871..8381f90bbe 100644
--- a/autotests/fakeeffectplugin_version.cpp
+++ b/autotests/fakeeffectplugin_version.cpp
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ public:
 class FakeEffectPluginFactory : public KWin::EffectPluginFactory
 {
     Q_OBJECT
-    Q_PLUGIN_METADATA(IID KPluginFactory_iid FILE "fakeeffectplugin_version.json")
+    Q_PLUGIN_METADATA(IID "not_a_valid_version" FILE "fakeeffectplugin_version.json")
     Q_INTERFACES(KPluginFactory)
 public:
     FakeEffectPluginFactory() {}
@@ -33,7 +33,6 @@ public:
         return new KWin::FakeVersionEffect();
     }
 };
-K_EXPORT_PLUGIN_VERSION(quint32(KWIN_EFFECT_API_VERSION) - 1)
 
 
 #include "fakeeffectplugin_version.moc"
diff --git a/src/config-kwin.h.cmake b/src/config-kwin.h.cmake
index d399e02c15..55f48caac5 100644
--- a/src/config-kwin.h.cmake
+++ b/src/config-kwin.h.cmake
@@ -1,6 +1,4 @@
-#define KWIN_VERSION_MAJOR ${PROJECT_VERSION_MAJOR}
-#define KWIN_VERSION_MINOR ${PROJECT_VERSION_MINOR}
-#define KWIN_VERSION_PATCH ${PROJECT_VERSION_PATCH}
+#define KWIN_PLUGIN_VERSION_STRING "${PROJECT_VERSION_MAJOR}.${PROJECT_VERSION_MINOR}.${PROJECT_VERSION_PATCH}"
 
 #cmakedefine KWIN_BUILD_DECORATIONS 1
 #cmakedefine KWIN_BUILD_TABBOX 1
diff --git a/src/effectloader.cpp b/src/effectloader.cpp
index bc3185e37a..b9a4c4461a 100644
--- a/src/effectloader.cpp
+++ b/src/effectloader.cpp
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@
 #include <config-kwin.h>
 #include <kwineffects.h>
 #include "effects/effect_builtins.h"
+#include "plugin.h"
 #include "scripting/scriptedeffect.h"
 #include "utils.h"
 // KDE
@@ -345,8 +346,8 @@ EffectPluginFactory *PluginEffectLoader::factory(const KPluginMetaData &info) co
         return nullptr;
     }
     KPluginLoader loader(info.fileName());
-    if (loader.pluginVersion() != KWIN_EFFECT_API_VERSION) {
-        qCDebug(KWIN_CORE) << info.pluginId() << " has not matching plugin version, expected " << KWIN_EFFECT_API_VERSION << "got " << loader.pluginVersion();
+    if (loader.metaData().value("IID").toString() != EffectPluginFactory_iid) {
+        qCDebug(KWIN_CORE) << info.pluginId() << " has not matching plugin version, expected " << PluginFactory_iid << "got " << loader.metaData().value("IID");
         return nullptr;
     }
     KPluginFactory *factory = loader.factory();
diff --git a/src/libkwineffects/kwinconfig.h.cmake b/src/libkwineffects/kwinconfig.h.cmake
index e46ceb7a58..d457649472 100644
--- a/src/libkwineffects/kwinconfig.h.cmake
+++ b/src/libkwineffects/kwinconfig.h.cmake
@@ -9,6 +9,8 @@
 #ifndef KWINCONFIG_H
 #define KWINCONFIG_H
 
+#define KWIN_PLUGIN_VERSION_STRING "${PROJECT_VERSION_MAJOR}.${PROJECT_VERSION_MINOR}.${PROJECT_VERSION_PATCH}"
+
 /*
 
  These should be primarily used to detect what kind of compositing
diff --git a/src/libkwineffects/kwineffects.h b/src/libkwineffects/kwineffects.h
index f471215271..2b7378d158 100644
--- a/src/libkwineffects/kwineffects.h
+++ b/src/libkwineffects/kwineffects.h
@@ -726,6 +726,8 @@ public:
     virtual KWin::Effect *createEffect() const = 0;
 };
 
+#define EffectPluginFactory_iid "org.kde.kwin.EffectPluginFactory" KWIN_PLUGIN_VERSION_STRING
+
 /**
  * Defines an EffectPluginFactory sub class with customized isSupported and enabledByDefault methods.
  *
@@ -733,10 +735,8 @@ public:
  * the simplified KWIN_EFFECT_FACTORY, KWIN_EFFECT_FACTORY_SUPPORTED or KWIN_EFFECT_FACTORY_ENABLED
  * macros which create an EffectPluginFactory with a useable default value.
  *
- * The macro also adds a useable K_EXPORT_PLUGIN_VERSION to the definition. KWin will not load
- * any Effect with a non-matching plugin version. This API is not providing binary compatibility
- * and thus the effect plugin must be compiled against the same kwineffects library version as
- * KWin.
+ * This API is not providing binary compatibility and thus the effect plugin must be compiled against
+ * the same kwineffects library version as KWin.
  *
  * @param factoryName The name to be used for the EffectPluginFactory
  * @param className The class name of the Effect sub class which is to be created by the factory
@@ -748,7 +748,7 @@ public:
     class factoryName : public KWin::EffectPluginFactory \
     { \
         Q_OBJECT \
-        Q_PLUGIN_METADATA(IID KPluginFactory_iid FILE jsonFile) \
+        Q_PLUGIN_METADATA(IID EffectPluginFactory_iid FILE jsonFile) \
         Q_INTERFACES(KPluginFactory) \
     public: \
         explicit factoryName() {} \
@@ -762,8 +762,7 @@ public:
         KWin::Effect *createEffect() const override { \
             return new className(); \
         } \
-    }; \
-    K_EXPORT_PLUGIN_VERSION(quint32(KWIN_EFFECT_API_VERSION))
+    };
 
 #define KWIN_EFFECT_FACTORY_ENABLED( factoryName, className, jsonFile, enabled ) \
     KWIN_EFFECT_FACTORY_SUPPORTED_ENABLED( factoryName, className, jsonFile, return true;, enabled )
diff --git a/src/plugin.h b/src/plugin.h
index 09a7891384..863bd02a92 100644
--- a/src/plugin.h
+++ b/src/plugin.h
@@ -15,11 +15,7 @@
 namespace KWin
 {
 
-#define KWIN_PLUGIN_API_VERSION QT_VERSION_CHECK(KWIN_VERSION_MAJOR, \
-                                                 KWIN_VERSION_MINOR, \
-                                                 KWIN_VERSION_PATCH)
-
-#define PluginFactory_iid "org.kde.kwin.PluginFactoryInterface"
+#define PluginFactory_iid "org.kde.kwin.PluginFactoryInterface" KWIN_PLUGIN_VERSION_STRING
 
 /**
  * The Plugin class is the baseclass for all binary compositor extensions.
diff --git a/src/pluginmanager.cpp b/src/pluginmanager.cpp
index 3b7903779f..93710d0908 100644
--- a/src/pluginmanager.cpp
+++ b/src/pluginmanager.cpp
@@ -145,7 +145,7 @@ bool PluginManager::loadDynamicPlugin(const KPluginMetaData &metadata)
 
     const QString pluginId = metadata.pluginId();
     KPluginLoader pluginLoader(metadata.fileName());
-    if (pluginLoader.pluginVersion() != KWIN_PLUGIN_API_VERSION) {
+    if (pluginLoader.metaData().value("IID").toString() != PluginFactory_iid) {
         qCWarning(KWIN_CORE) << pluginId << "has mismatching plugin version";
         return false;
     }
diff --git a/src/plugins/colord-integration/main.cpp b/src/plugins/colord-integration/main.cpp
index 07dad8f72d..df723b71b9 100644
--- a/src/plugins/colord-integration/main.cpp
+++ b/src/plugins/colord-integration/main.cpp
@@ -41,6 +41,4 @@ Plugin *ColordIntegrationFactory::create() const
     }
 }
 
-K_EXPORT_PLUGIN_VERSION(KWIN_PLUGIN_API_VERSION)
-
 #include "main.moc"
diff --git a/src/plugins/krunner-integration/main.cpp b/src/plugins/krunner-integration/main.cpp
index a189b02c01..f8ac11fe77 100644
--- a/src/plugins/krunner-integration/main.cpp
+++ b/src/plugins/krunner-integration/main.cpp
@@ -33,6 +33,4 @@ Plugin *KRunnerIntegrationFactory::create() const
     return new WindowsRunner();
 }
 
-K_EXPORT_PLUGIN_VERSION(KWIN_PLUGIN_API_VERSION)
-
 #include "main.moc"
diff --git a/src/plugins/nightcolor/main.cpp b/src/plugins/nightcolor/main.cpp
index 0e69b3bac6..4b840973f0 100644
--- a/src/plugins/nightcolor/main.cpp
+++ b/src/plugins/nightcolor/main.cpp
@@ -32,6 +32,4 @@ Plugin *NightColorManagerFactory::create() const
     return new NightColorManager();
 }
 
-K_EXPORT_PLUGIN_VERSION(KWIN_PLUGIN_API_VERSION)
-
 #include "main.moc"
diff --git a/src/plugins/screencast/main.cpp b/src/plugins/screencast/main.cpp
index 001c7718a1..99fdd702be 100644
--- a/src/plugins/screencast/main.cpp
+++ b/src/plugins/screencast/main.cpp
@@ -41,6 +41,4 @@ Plugin *ScreencastManagerFactory::create() const
     }
 }
 
-K_EXPORT_PLUGIN_VERSION(KWIN_PLUGIN_API_VERSION)
-
 #include "main.moc"