How do I get started with RealVNC Connect on Linux?

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On the device you want to control

  1. Download the RealVNC Connect setup app.
  2. Click the Download for Linux button.
  3. Extract the installer in your Downloads folder using your system's file manager, and run it by double-clicking the RealVNC Connect installer application icon.
  4. Click the Accept and Install button and follow the on-screen instructions. If prompted, ensure you choose to accept when asked to disable Wayland, this is needed for RealVNC Connect to function correctly.
  5. Once the download and installation process completes, choose one of:
    • Start my free trial: If you are new to RealVNC Connect and do not already have an account or subscription, to get started with a free 14 day trial
    • Sign in to continue: If you are an existing RealVNC Connect user and want to set up this device with your existing account/subscription
  6. Your web browser will open automatically. Follow the on-screen prompts, then click Open to return to the RealVNC Connect Setup app.

  7. Review the settings shown, then click Launch.

    If you use the default VNC Password, make a note of the password displayed as you will need this when you connect from another device.

    Setup End.png

On the device you want to control from

  1. Download the RealVNC Connect setup app.
  2. Click the Download for Linux button.
  3. Extract the installer in your Downloads folder using your system's file manager, and run it by double-clicking the RealVNC Connect installer application icon.
  4. Click the Accept and Install button and follow the on-screen instructions. If prompted to disable Wayland, click Yes. Wayland must be disabled for RealVNC Connect to function correctly.
  5. Once the download and installation process completes, choose one of:
    • Start my free trial: If you are new to RealVNC Connect and do not already have an account or subscription, to get started with a free 14 day trial
    • Sign in to continue: If you are an existing RealVNC Connect user and want to set up this device with your existing account/subscription
  6. Your web browser will open automatically. Follow the on-screen prompts, then click Open to return to the RealVNC Connect Setup app.

  7. Review the settings shown, then click Launch.
  8. You will see your remote computer(s) appear automatically in your team:

    RealVNC Viewer.png

Connecting for the first time

In RealVNC Viewer, double click or tap on the remote computer that you want to connect to.

Make sure you are using RealVNC Viewer on a separate device to the one with RealVNC Server installed, otherwise you will see an infinite "hall of mirrors"!

As part of the first connection to a RealVNC Server, RealVNC Viewer will show you a Identity Check screen that you can use to verify you are connecting to the right computer.

Identity Check.png

You can check the displayed Catchphrase and Signature against the values shown in RealVNC Server.

RealVNC Server.png

RealVNC Viewer will store the identity which it will automatically check against for future connections to that computer to ensure they match. If they don't, RealVNC Viewer will display a warning to alert you before it makes the connection. 

Did you know?

You can connect to a remote computer from the RealVNC Connect Portal by visiting the Computers page and clicking the 'Connect' button. Read more here

Authenticating

When you connect to a remote computer, you will be prompted to authenticate. Enter the password you made a note of from step 7 above.

Authenticating.png

Selected Unix Password during setup?

This means you will need to use the username and password of an account on the remote computer. Click here for more information

Further information

Permissions

If you selected Unix Password during setup, you need to ensure that the users you want to be able to connect remotely have been given permission (by default, only Administrators are able to connect).

To add other users, see Managing users and session permissions for RealVNC Server. Failure to do this may result in not being able to connect to your computer remotely.

Subscribing to RealVNC Connect

If you want to keep using RealVNC Connect after your trial expires, see How do I subscribe to RealVNC Connect?

Inviting people to your team

To allow others to access your computers remotely, see How do I invite people in to my team to share remote access?

Scripting Deployment and Start-up

More advanced instructions for getting started on Linux can be found here: Scripting Deployment and Start-up on Linux.

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