Getting Started With VNC on Raspberry Pi (Trixie Update)

VNC is a tool that allows you to get remote desktop access from another computer. On Raspberry Pi, using VNC is one of the easiest ways to get remote control. If you use Raspberry Pi OS, VNC is preinstalled so you only have to enable it to get started. Let’s see how to use it.

The first step is to enable VNC on Raspberry Pi OS (via the Control Centre or raspi-config). Next, install a VNC client on another device, and type the IP address of the Raspberry Pi to connect to it.

But don’t worry, I’ll explain all these steps in detail, so you won’t fail. You are in the right place – just keep reading to learn everything about VNC on Raspberry Pi.

If you’re new to Raspberry Pi or Linux, I’ve got something that can help you right away!
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Enable the VNC Server on Raspberry Pi

Depending on the operating system and version you use, enabling VNC on your Raspberry Pi might be slightly different. Let’s start by making sure it’s enabled on your system.

On Raspberry Pi OS

If you have Raspberry Pi OS installed on your Pi, it will be straightforward, as VNC is pre-installed on any version. It’s disabled by default, for security reasons, so all you have to do is enable the VNC server to use it.

From the Desktop Environment

If you can get access to the desktop environment of your Raspberry Pi, here are the steps to enable the VNC server:

• Open the Pi menu.
• Go to Preferences > Control Centre.
• In the Interfaces tab, enable VNC:
  
• The interface can be slightly different depending on your version, but basically, it’s just a checkbox to enable it.
• Once done, close the Control Centre to apply the changes.

A few seconds later, VNC server is enabled, and you can move to the next part to install a VNC client on your computer.

From the Command Line with raspi-config

If you don’t have access to a graphical interface (for example if you’re using SSH, or don’t have a keyboard/mouse on the Pi), you can use the Raspberry Pi Software Configuration Tool instead:

• Open a session on the Raspberry Pi, and get to the command line.
  You can also use the terminal app on the desktop if you want, even if there is no real reason to do this instead of the previous method.
• Launch the Raspberry Pi Software Configuration Tool:
  sudo raspi-config
• Go to the ‘Interfaces’ section and choose ‘VNC’:
  
• Confirm that you want to enable it.
• Quit raspi-config to apply your changes.

After doing this, VNC is enabled right away, and you can start using it (scroll to the VNC client installation part of this tutorial).

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On Other Systems

Just a quick word about other Linux systems. Your Raspberry Pi can run on many alternatives to Raspberry Pi OS (check my favorites here). It’s possible to use VNC on almost all of these distributions, but the procedure is not as straightforward.

While many VNC tools are available for free, not all of them are. What I recommend is to use the package manager on your distribution and search for any VNC package included in the default repository.

Something like:
sudo apt search vnc

If you can find a server package for VNC, use the same app on your computer. For example, on Ubuntu and Manjaro, you can easily install TightVNC on the Raspberry Pi and install TightVNC viewer on your computer to access it.

TigerVNC is another alternative you can try, especially for Red Hat and Arch-based distributions. As we’ll use it for Raspberry Pi OS, it might be a good idea to install this version too, so you can follow along in the next part.

The protocol and apps are similar, but they are generally not compatible with one another. So make sure to use the same client as your server in the next steps.

By the way, even if the Raspberry Pi doesn’t run on Raspberry Pi OS, it’s often possible to install TigerVNC on it anyway, like on Ubuntu: Setting Up TigerVNC Server on Ubuntu: A Beginner’s Tutorial.

Tip: Command lines can be a pain to memorize. I put the essential Linux commands on a printable cheat sheet so you don't have to keep googling them. You can grab the PDF here if you want to save some time.

Install the VNC Client on Your Computer

Once the server part is installed and enabled on your Raspberry Pi, we can next switch to your PC. We just need to install the VNC viewer app to remote access the Raspberry Pi from there.

Note: I’m giving you the instructions for TigerVNC, that seems the best option right now with the latest releases of Raspberry Pi OS. Just know that you can now also use the RealVNC client for free.

Or if you installed a specific VNC server instead, it’s easier to use the client from the same software (like TightVNC).

That said, let’s install TigerVNC on your computer.

Linux Installation

If you’re lucky, TigerVNC might be available in your package manager or application store. You should probably start there.

For example, on Ubuntu, it’s available in the Ubuntu Software app:

And on Debian, you should find it with APT:

In these cases, simply install the TigerVNC viewer like any other app, and you’ll be ready to go.
So, for example:
sudo apt install tigervnc-viewer

Windows & Other Systems

On Windows, it’s a bit less intuitive. The official website is not that user-friendly, and we can easily get lost in the SourceForge folders.

Here are the steps to install TigerVNC binaries manually:

• Go directly to the SourceForge project here.
• Find the latest version available and click on it:
  
• Now click on the file corresponding to your system and architecture.
  For example, I downloaded “tigervnc64-<version>.exe”.
  
  Several files are listed. You have the 32 and 64 bit versions, and then the ones with “winvnc” in the name are servers, adding the ability to take control of your PC.
  If you just want to access the Raspberry Pi only, download the one named “tigervnc64-<version>.exe”.
• Once the file downloaded, double-click on it to install it or start it, like any other executable.

Let’s see how to use this now that the prerequisites are installed.

Use VNC to Control Raspberry Pi Remotely

Once the VNC viewer is installed on your computer, you can enter the IP address of the Raspberry Pi, type your login and password and get access to the full interface remotely.

Let’s learn how to do this.

Find the Raspberry Pi IP Address

Before anything else, you need the Raspberry Pi IP address.
If you don’t know what I’m talking about, I recommend reading this article first, where I explain everything and different methods to find it.

But the short version is that you can hover the network icon in the top-right corner, or use the following command to get it:
ip a

The format of the IP address is something like AAA.BBB.CCC.DDD. On my screenshot, it’s 192.168.222.8 for example.

Create a New Connection

You can then open the VNC viewer to create a new connection.
The interface will be slightly different depending on your operating system (and the VNC client you use), but basically, the steps are:

• Open your VNC viewer application.
• Create a new connection by typing the Raspberry Pi IP address.
  
  You can play with the “Options” section if needed, but in most cases the default are just fine.
• Click on “Connect” to start the connection
• Click “Yes” to accept the server fingerprint on the first connection
• Then enter the username and password to access the current session:
  
  It’s the Raspberry Pi user and password, so it depends on your settings.
• You should then get access to the full interface of the Raspberry Pi:
  

And that’s it. After that, you’ll get access to the full desktop environment of your Raspberry Pi, and can do whatever you want from the comfort of your main computer.
Check the following part if you experience any issues, I answer the most common questions.

Note: On older releases of Raspberry Pi OS, you might get an error related to the ZRLE compression, and get disconnected quickly. You can avoid it by disabling the compression in the settings, using “Raw” for example (see related question below).

Related Questions

How to fix the error: “Exception on worker thread: ZRLE decode error”?

This error only happens on older releases of Raspberry Pi OS (“Bullseye” for example), and a workaround is to disable the compression in the connection options.

• Click on Options below the IP address field.
• In the Compression tab, uncheck Auto-select and select Raw instead.
  
• Click on Ok to save the changes, and try again.

It should work fine after that.

What’s the default username and password for VNC?

The username and password for a VNC connection are the same as for a desktop connection. On an old Raspberry Pi OS version, it might be “pi” and “raspberry” for example. These days, it would more likely be the user you created on the first boot.

If needed, you can check my other tutorials on how to recover a lost password, or how to create new users on Raspberry Pi.

How to fix the error: “Cannot currently show the desktop” with VNC?

Raspberry Pi OS used to not start the desktop environment if there was no HDMI cable plugged into the Raspberry Pi. If you boot without plugging one and try to access it via VNC, you may get this error: “Cannot currently show the desktop.”

To fix this, keep a monitor plugged in all the time, or start VNC manually via SSH with:
vncserver
You may need to specify a different port after that, for example: IP_ADDRESS:1 instead of IP_ADDRESS.
The port is mentioned in the command output:

How to change the default resolution in VNC?

When a monitor is plugged in, the VNC server will start with the corresponding resolution. But it’s not always ideal, especially if you have a small screen on it, but a bigger screen on your computer.

To fix this, you can go to the system configuration and change the “Headless resolution” in the “Display” tab. You have the same thing in raspi-config, under “Display options” > “VNC resolution”.

Another thing you can try is to change the options on the VNC viewer. In the advanced settings for the connection, there is a list where you can choose to adjust the resolution to the window or use a percentage (scaling).

Not getting the same result?

Even when you follow every step, small differences in OS version, hardware or config can change the outcome. Instead of wasting time guessing, get help from people who have already fixed the same kind of issue.

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