Remmina is a remote desktop client for Linux that allows you to connect to Windows servers using RDP. It works on Ubuntu, Debian, Red Hat, Rocky, AlmaLinux and other distributions.
You can install Remmina via CLI or GUI, depending on your Linux distribution. Both methods install the same application.
Please note: This guide was tested on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS using Remmina installed from the default repositories in a Wayland session. Depending on your Linux distribution, desktop environment, or installation method, some settings or interface elements may look slightly different. The overall connection steps, however, remain the same.
1. Install Remmina
1.1 Install via CLI
To install Remmina via CLI on Ubuntu/Debian, run this command:
sudo apt update
sudo apt install remmina remmina-plugin-rdp
To install Remmina via CLI on Red Hat / Rocky / AlmaLinux, first enable EPEL repository:
sudo dnf install epel-release
Then install Remmina:
sudo dnf install remmina remmina-plugins-rdp
1.2 Install via GUI
If you have a desktop environment installed, you can open your system software manager:
• Ubuntu App Center (Ubuntu Desktop)
• GNOME Software (Ubuntu GNOME, Debian GNOME, Red Hat, Rocky, AlmaLinux with GNOME)
• KDE Discover (Kubuntu, Debian KDE, Red Hat, Rocky, AlmaLinux with KDE Plasma)
Search for Remmina and click Install.
2. Connect to Windows Server via RDP
Open Remmina.
Click the + button to create a new connection.
Configure basic settings:
Protocol: RDP - Remote Desktop Protocol
Server: Your Windows server IP address
Username: Administrator or another custom user name;
Password: Your Windows password (you can find administrator password in client area Services ---> VPS ----> Manage ----> Login Details).Domain: enter your server hostname. You can find it in your client area, in the Service Details section.
You can also change resolution settings or keep the default:
Switch to Advanced settings and change quality from Poor (fastest) to Best (slowest). It will work normally.
Click Save and Connect.
Accept the certificate if prompted.
3. Adjust settings after connection
If details are correct, you will be connected to your Windows VPS. If the window size is too small, click "Toggle dynamic resolution update" in the left panel:
Then, your Windows desktop should be presented in normal size:
You can enable full-screen in the same left panel by clicking "Toggle fullscreen mode". After that we recommend to click “Toggle scaled mode” in the left panel so the desktop displays correctly. In full screen mode, the left panel appears when you move your cursor to the top of the screen.
4. Additional notes
If you are still not satisfied with the resolution, you can go back to the basic settings (as mentioned in the step 2) in Remmina and specify a custom resolution.
If your Windows VPS desktop wallpapers/background not visible, make sure to go back to advanced settings and set quality to Best (slowes), as mentioned in the step 2.
In Remmina panel you can also find some other useful features, such as connection duplicate, send ctrl+alt+del, screenshots (will be saved in pictures folder in your Linux computer), reconnect, etc.
Once you create and save the connection (in our case it's called "Windows Connection"), it will appear in the main list in Remmina, and next time you just need to double-click on it to connect automatically without entering your credentials.
