Install Xfce VNC remote desktop on Ubuntu

XFCE is a lightweight Desktop Environment for Linux. XFCE + vnc allows you to set up a remote desktop on a VPS or dedicated server located in a remote data center or cloud. You can connect to remote desktop using a VNC client and work like it is a local computer, similar to Windows Remote Desktop (RDP).

To install XFCE run

You will be asked to select Default Display Manager. You can select any of the options.

Next install vncserver

It is a bad idea to use root user for logging into the desktop. Create a normal user with sudo privileges to be used as desktop user.

It will be good to make this user an admin, so the user can install software or update the system.

Set a password for the user

Now login as the user

Create a vnc password for this user.

Create vnc startup file

Add

Make it executable

Auto start VNC Server

To autostart vncserver on boot, you need to create a service file. You need to do the following as user root.

Add

In the above, replace USERNAME with the actual user name you created above.

Enable the service with

Start the VNC server

Now reboot the server. You should be able to connect to VNC server using SERVER_IP:1

OPTIONAL: Using RDP instead of VNC

If you want to use RDP (Windows Remote Desktop) to connect instead of VNC, install xrdp

Edit

Set value of new_cursors to false.

Change to desktop user

Create file

Add following content

Enable and restart XRDP

See VNC Server

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