Install xRDP and Connect to a Linux Server with Remote Desktop

What RDP and xRDP are

RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol) shows the desktop of a remote machine on your screen. xRDP is an open-source RDP server for Linux. With it you can use the built-in Remote Desktop clients of Windows and macOS, or a Linux client, to open a Linux desktop.

Advantages of xRDP:

Cross-platform. Many RDP clients work with it.
Works with common desktops such as XFCE and MATE.
Light on resources.
Open source and customizable.
Works on many distributions, such as Ubuntu, Debian and CentOS.

What you need

A Linux server (Ubuntu, Debian, CentOS or similar).
Root or sudo access.
An SSH client, to log in and install the software.
A firewall where you can open port 3389.

Install xRDP and a desktop

Update the package list first.

Ubuntu and Debian

sudo apt update
sudo apt install xrdp xfce4 -y

CentOS, Rocky and AlmaLinux

sudo yum update
sudo yum install epel-release -y
sudo yum install xrdp -y
sudo yum groupinstall "Xfce" -y

(If the Xfce group is not available, install another desktop that your system provides.)

Tell xRDP to start the XFCE desktop:

echo "xfce4-session" > ~/.xsession

Start the service

sudo systemctl start xrdp
sudo systemctl enable xrdp

Open the firewall

Ubuntu and Debian (UFW)

sudo ufw allow 3389/tcp

CentOS (firewalld)

sudo firewall-cmd --add-port=3389/tcp --permanent
sudo firewall-cmd --reload

Check xRDP

sudo systemctl status xrdp

It should say active (running).

Connect

Open a remote desktop client: Microsoft Remote Desktop, Remmina or any RDP client.
Enter the IP address of the server.
Enter the user name and password of a Linux account.
Choose the session type Xorg (if the login screen shows it) and click Connect or OK.
If asked, accept the certificate of the server.
Enter the password again in the xRDP login window.
The Linux desktop appears. Use it as if you sat in front of the server.

Warning: Do not leave port 3389 open to the whole internet. Allow only your own IP address in the firewall, or use a VPN or an SSH tunnel.

Quick recap

Install xrdp and a desktop such as XFCE.
Start the service and open port 3389.
Connect with any RDP client and a Linux account.