Ubuntu Desktop — Enable Remote Desktop (RDP)

Two approaches depending on your Ubuntu version:

Situation	Method
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS	GNOME Remote Desktop — built-in, no extra software
Ubuntu 22.04 LTS	xrdp + Xfce — reliable, battle-tested

Desktop required

Both methods require a desktop environment (GUI) to be installed. Ubuntu Desktop ISOs include GNOME by default — Ubuntu Server does not.

Pre-requisites

Ubuntu 22.04 or 24.04 LTS Desktop
sudo access
UFW installed (default on Ubuntu Desktop)

Method 1: GNOME Remote Desktop (Ubuntu 24.04)

Ubuntu 24.04 ships with gnome-remote-desktop which speaks RDP natively. No extra packages needed.

Install (if missing)

sudo apt install gnome-remote-desktop

Configure — system-level (recommended for VMs)

System-level mode shows a login screen when you connect — no user needs to be pre-logged in.

Run as root:

Create a self-signed TLS certificate (valid 10 years):

sudo mkdir -p /var/lib/gnome-remote-desktop/.local/share/gnome-remote-desktop
cd /var/lib/gnome-remote-desktop/.local/share/gnome-remote-desktop

sudo openssl req -new -x509 -nodes \
  -newkey ec:<(openssl ecparam -name secp384r1) \
  -keyout tls.key -out tls.crt -days 3650 \
  -subj "/CN=gnome-remote-desktop"

sudo chown -R gnome-remote-desktop:gnome-remote-desktop \
  /var/lib/gnome-remote-desktop/.local

Register the certificate, set credentials, and enable RDP (replace rdpuser and YourPassword):

sudo grdctl --system rdp set-tls-key \
  /var/lib/gnome-remote-desktop/.local/share/gnome-remote-desktop/tls.key
sudo grdctl --system rdp set-tls-cert \
  /var/lib/gnome-remote-desktop/.local/share/gnome-remote-desktop/tls.crt
sudo grdctl --system rdp set-credentials rdpuser YourPassword
sudo grdctl --system rdp enable

Apply:

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable --now gnome-remote-desktop
sudo systemctl restart gnome-remote-desktop

Verify — the output should show Status: enabled under RDP:

sudo grdctl --system status

Configure — user-level (GUI)

If you're always logged in at the desktop and just need remote control:

Open Settings → System → Remote Desktop
Enable Remote Desktop and Remote Control
Set a username and password under Authentication

The service starts automatically when you log in.

Method 2: xrdp (Ubuntu 22.04)

xrdp is a standalone RDP server. It requires an X11-based desktop session — Xfce works best here because it avoids GNOME/Wayland complications.

Install

sudo apt update
sudo apt install xrdp xfce4 xfce4-goodies -y

Configure

echo xfce4-session > ~/.xsession
sudo adduser xrdp ssl-cert
sudo systemctl restart xrdp
sudo systemctl enable xrdp

Verify:

sudo systemctl status xrdp

One session at a time

Do not be logged in locally on the same user account while connecting via RDP — you will get a black screen. Log out of the local session first, or use a dedicated RDP-only user account.

Firewall (UFW)

Allow RDP from your network only (replace with your subnet):

sudo ufw allow from 192.168.1.0/24 to any port 3389
sudo ufw reload

To allow from anywhere (not recommended):

sudo ufw allow 3389/tcp

Connect

From any RDP client:

Host: <machine IP>
Port: 3389 (default)
User: <your Ubuntu username>  or  rdpuser (if set via grdctl)

Windows: mstsc → enter IP → connect
Linux: remmina or xfreerdp3 /v:<ip> /u:<user>
macOS: Microsoft Remote Desktop (App Store)

Find the IP

ip a | grep "inet " | grep -v 127

Common Issues

Symptom	Cause	Fix
Black screen after login (xrdp)	Local session still active on same user	Log out locally, then connect via RDP
Black screen after login (xrdp)	`.xsession` missing or wrong	Re-run `echo xfce4-session > ~/.xsession`, restart xrdp
"Unable to connect"	Firewall blocking 3389	`sudo ufw allow 3389/tcp && sudo ufw reload`
"Authentication failed"	Wrong credentials	For xrdp: use your Linux login. For GNOME RD system-level: use the credentials set via `grdctl`
GNOME Remote Desktop not found	Ubuntu 22.04 / older GNOME	Use xrdp (Method 2) instead
`grdctl` command not found	Package not installed	`sudo apt install gnome-remote-desktop`