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A subsidiary of Charles Varvayanis
Since 1990

(209) 586-3782
charles@varvayanis.com

Raspberry Pi VNC Server Setup

Step-by-step instructions for setting up a VNC Server on a Raspberry Pi.

These procedures apply to Raspberry Pi 5, 4 or 3 with Raspberry Pi OS (64-Bit), (32-Bit), (Legacy 64-Bit) or (Legacy 32-Bit).

General Notes

1. General: The procedures below are optimized for setting up a VNC Server on a Raspberry Pi 5, 4 or 3 with Raspberry Pi OS (64-Bit), (32-Bit), (Legacy 64-Bit) or (Legacy 32-Bit).

2. Internet access during setup: Many of the steps below assume and require the Raspberry Pi is connected to a network with access to the Internet.

Notice about updates, upgrades and installations failing due to repository or network congestion or outages

Occasionally updates, upgrades and installations fail due to repository or network congestion or outages. Sometimes there is an appropriate message saying as such, sometimes a missing file is reported, and sometimes there is just a failure message without an explanation. When this occurs, simply run the command again. If that does not solve the issues immediately, try again later.

Raspberry Pi OS Documentation

https://www.raspberrypi.com/documentation/computers/os.html

Connect to the Raspberry Pi

Via Raspberry Pi Connect Remote shell or Raspberry Pi Connect Screen share

https://www.raspberrypi.com/software/connect

- or -

Via a Display, Keyboard and Mouse

- or -

Via SSH

Connect using the IP address or URL of the Raspberry Pi.

Determine the Raspberry Pi IP Address:

Via Raspberry Pi Connect Remote shell or Raspberry Pi Connect Screen sharing, then open a Terminal window

https://www.raspberrypi.com/software/connect

sudo hostname -I

Connect directly to the Raspberry Pi via a Display, Keyboard and Mouse, then open a Terminal window

sudo hostname -I

Use an IP Scanner tool such as Advanced IP Scanner on a PC or alike to locate the IP Address assigned to the Raspberry Pi

https://www.advanced-ip-scanner.com

Use the SSH command in your OS to connect to the Raspberry Pi or on Windows systems use a third party tool such as PuTTY

OS SSH command documentation: https://www.raspberrypi.com/documentation/computers/remote-access.html#connect-to-an-ssh-server
https://putty.software/
https://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/latest.html
https://www.putty.org
Note: The first time a connection is made, a security warning may be displayed | Yes

Enable VNC

Notes:

VNC is preinstalled in Raspberry Pi OS, but is disabled by default.

Wayland uses the WayVNC server and X11 uses the RealVNC server.

The "VNC Resolution" or "Headless Resolution" can only be set when in X11 mode. To set the Resolution for Wayland mode, temporarily switch to X11 mode, set the Resolution, then switch back to Wayland mode.

Enable VNC documentation: https://www.raspberrypi.com/documentation/computers/remote-access.html#enable-the-vnc-server

Port used by VNC: 5900, Types TCP and UDP

Update Raspberry Pi OS and Components

Download the latest package lists

sudo apt update -y

Download and install the updated packages listed in the package lists

sudo apt full-upgrade -y

Enable VNC

Via Raspberry Pi Config

sudo raspi-config

Interface Options | VNC | Yes | OK | Finish

- or -

Via the Raspberry Pi GUI (Desktop)

Click on "Start" (Raspberry) On the left side of the Task Bar at the top of the Raspberry Pi desktop
Click on "Preferences"
Click on "Control Centre"
Click on the "Interfaces"
Click on the "VNC:" | On
Click on the "Close" Button

Connect to the Raspberry Pi via VNC (Optional)

Connect using the IP address or URL of the Raspberry Pi.

Determine the Raspberry Pi IP Address:

Via Raspberry Pi Connect Remote shell or Raspberry Pi Connect Screen sharing, then open a Terminal window

https://www.raspberrypi.com/software/connect

sudo hostname -I

Connect directly to the Raspberry Pi via a Display, Keyboard and Mouse, then open a Terminal window

sudo hostname -I

Use an IP Scanner tool such as Advanced IP Scanner on a PC or alike to locate the IP Address assigned to the Raspberry Pi

https://www.advanced-ip-scanner.com

Use a third party tool such as RealNVC Viewer, TigerVNC or TightVNC to connect to the Raspberry Pi

Connect to VNC documentation: https://www.raspberrypi.com/documentation/computers/remote-access.html#connect-to-a-vnc-server
https://www.realvnc.com/en/connect/download/viewer (Free / Recommended)
https://www.realvnc.com/en/connect/plan/lite (Free)
https://www.realvnc.com/en/connect/download/combined (Paid)
https://www.realvnc.com
https://www.tightvnc.com (Free / Open Source)
https://tigervnc.org (Free / Open Source)
Note: The first time a connection is made, a security warning may be displayed | Continue

Remove packages that automatically installed and are no longer required

Occasionally excess update, upgrade and installation packages install automatically, but are no longer required. These can be removed automatically.

Automatically detect and remove packages no longer required

sudo apt autoremove -y

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e-mail: charles@varvayanis.com
Phone: (209) 586-3782
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Raspberry Pi VNC Server Setup

General Notes

Notice about updates, upgrades and installations failing due to repository or network congestion or outages

Contents:

Raspberry Pi OS Documentation

Connect to the Raspberry Pi

Via Raspberry Pi Connect Remote shell or Raspberry Pi Connect Screen share

Via a Display, Keyboard and Mouse

Via SSH

Determine the Raspberry Pi IP Address:

Via Raspberry Pi Connect Remote shell or Raspberry Pi Connect Screen sharing, then open a Terminal window

Connect directly to the Raspberry Pi via a Display, Keyboard and Mouse, then open a Terminal window

Use an IP Scanner tool such as Advanced IP Scanner on a PC or alike to locate the IP Address assigned to the Raspberry Pi

Login to your router and examine the IP address assignments, sometimes labeled "Connected Devices" or similar

Use the SSH command in your OS to connect to the Raspberry Pi or on Windows systems use a third party tool such as PuTTY

Enable VNC

Notes:

Update Raspberry Pi OS and Components

Download the latest package lists

Download and install the updated packages listed in the package lists

Enable VNC

Via Raspberry Pi Config

Via the Raspberry Pi GUI (Desktop)

Connect to the Raspberry Pi via VNC (Optional)

Determine the Raspberry Pi IP Address:

Via Raspberry Pi Connect Remote shell or Raspberry Pi Connect Screen sharing, then open a Terminal window

Connect directly to the Raspberry Pi via a Display, Keyboard and Mouse, then open a Terminal window

Use an IP Scanner tool such as Advanced IP Scanner on a PC or alike to locate the IP Address assigned to the Raspberry Pi

Login to your router and examine the IP address assignments, sometimes labeled "Connected Devices" or similar

Use a third party tool such as RealNVC Viewer, TigerVNC or TightVNC to connect to the Raspberry Pi

Remove packages that automatically installed and are no longer required

Automatically detect and remove packages no longer required