Today we will learn How to Set up a Remote desktop on Ubuntu. Remote Desktop is a useful option that allows Ubuntu operating system users to remotely access their Ubuntu systems. It doesn’t matter whether you use Ubuntu as your main operating system or not, either way, being able to remotely control the Ubuntu desktop is extremely useful. A built-in Remote Desktop tool is a feature of Ubuntu that allows you to control the desktop from any computer or device. You can see what’s on the display, move your mouse and even type when you’re away from your Ubuntu system. For this reason, it seems smart to set up a remote connection.
In this post, we have identified different methods of implementing an Ubuntu Remote Desktop that you can use with Mac, Windows, or Linux systems.
3 Ways to Remote Control Ubuntu
There are three options available to remotely control Ubuntu:
- VNC (Virtual Network Computing)
- RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol)
- SSH (Secure Shell)
VNC and RDP are supported by the Ubuntu Remote Desktop tool by default. Although SSH is preferred by Linux users, it lacks a graphical user interface (GUI). However, you can access these three methods in the same app. You can use the Remote Desktop tool to control your Ubuntu system from Linux, Windows, Mac and even iOS or Android.f
Before doing anything, you need to enable the remote desktop feature on your system. Continue learning how to do it.
Enable Ubuntu Remote Desktop
It’s so easy! Since the Ubuntu operating system supports built-in remote desktop tools, you don’t need to install anything. To enable Ubuntu Remote Desktop follow these instructions:
Open Settings > Sharing. At the top-right corner, you can see the toggle button. Use it to turn on sharing and enable it. After you turn it on, two grayed-out options will be enabled. Now click on Remote Desktop and launch it.
Turn on Remote Control to remotely control your PC and enable VNC protocol to enable legacy VNC remote desktop. You can also advance a username and password if you want to personalize the options Now you are ready to start.
Remote control Ubuntu using VNC
VNC is the best method that can be used to access an Ubuntu PC remotely from another device. A VNC viewer or client is required to be installed on your device. Here, we explain how to use VNC to control your Ubuntu computer from Windows, Linux, or Mac systems.
From Windows
To remotely access your Ubuntu system from a Windows system using VNC, follow these steps:
Step 1: Obtain the IP address of the Ubuntu system
An IP address is required to use VNC as most VNC clients use this number to connect to it. You can access network settings by clicking the network icon at the top right of the screen. Choose the network you want to connect your Ubuntu system to. To view your system’s network details, click the cogwheel on the Network Settings page. The IP address of your Ubuntu computer is the number next to the IPv4 address. You need to enter that number in your VNC client.
Step 2: Install a VNC class
You need a VNC client on the Windows system you want to connect to. There are open-source and free clients available for Windows systems such as TightVNC, TigerVNC, and UltraVNC. You can download and install one, but we’ll use TightVNC in this article. They are lightweight programs and have a very easy installation process. After you download and install TightVNC, follow the next steps.
Step 3: Remote Desktop in Ubuntu
You previously recorded the IP address of your Ubuntu computer. You need to open your VNC client app (also called viewer) and enter that IP address. Click “Connect”. If you have set one, it will ask you to enter a password and after typing the password, you can access your Ubuntu system remotely.
From another Linux device
Ubuntu offers a pre-installed Remote Desktop Viewer. This means to connect your Ubuntu PC to a remote desktop and access its functionality from any other Linux distribution. Specifically, you can connect to an Ubuntu-to-Ubuntu Remote Desktop connection. The below instruction will help you connect:
- Type “remote” into the search box
- Select “Remina”, which will appear as the first result
- Select VNC from the left of the drop-down menu
- Enter the IP address you specified for the Ubuntu PC
- Press Enter to connect
- And enter the password when prompted
- Added devices will be stored in a list
Your added devices will be stored in your Linux system and you can access them easily and quickly.
From Mac
The built-in VNC viewer is a tool for Mac users who want to connect to an Ubuntu system from their Mac computer. Again, you must enter your IP or VNC address in order to connect to your Ubuntu computer.
Remote control Ubuntu using RDP
Enabling Remote Desktop Protocol in Ubuntu makes connecting to Windows-based computers much easier than using a protocol called VNC. The RDP protocol is used by Microsoft Remote Desktop, which is not installed by default on Ubuntu. However, it is easy to get RDP up and running on an Ubuntu computer by installing xRDP. Follow the steps below to enable RDP in Ubuntu and control it remotely:
Open terminal or command line on Ubuntu system using “Ctrl + Shift + T” keyboard shortcut.
Type the command below without the quotes. This will download and install xRDP. The password must also be given.
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sudo apt install xrdp
Enter the following command without quotes and press enter. This command will enable the xRDP listening service.
sudo systemctl enable xrdp
From Mac
You can use RDP to control your Ubuntu desktop remotely from a Mac device. The first step is to install the Microsoft Remote Desktop software from the App Store. Then, launch the software, select Add Desktop, enter the IP address under PC Name, and as a final step, select Save. Double-click the icon to connect in the app window and start a Remote Desktop session.
After the instructions above, your Ubuntu system will be ready to accept RDP connections. A Remote Desktop client for Android and iOS can be downloaded from their respective storefront. Alternatively, you can use Remote Desktop Connection software with every modern version of Windows. Buy RDP From Oudel Inc.
Chrome Remote Desktop with Ubuntu
Are you unable to set up Remote Desktop Access with Ubuntu for some reason? Don’t worry because you can try a simple method called “Chrome Remote Desktop”. Remote access to your PC is possible through this cross-platform application available for Linux, Windows, macOS and ChromeOS. Your Google Account will handle the remote access process. To use Chrome Remote Desktop, all you need is an access code for the remote PC. Controlling your computer through a remote desktop session is similar to using remote desktop tools with any other operating system.
Conclusion
This article discusses the most common and easy ways to remotely control Ubuntu. If using the native remote-control app isn’t possible, Chrome Remote Desktop is the most convenient way. If you need more experience with Terminal, a remote desktop is an attractive option. With VNC, you can control your Linux computer remotely with just a few clicks using the built-in Remote Desktop feature.
