Remmina on Linux: RDP, VNC and SSH in One Client

Remmina is the client most Linux admins end up with when they need to reach Windows servers over RDP, a few VNC hosts and a pile of SSH boxes from one window. The short answer: it is free (GPL-2.0-or-later), it handles RDP, VNC, SPICE, X2Go, SSH, SFTP and web consoles through plugins, and most problems people search for come down to a missing plugin, a Wayland quirk or logging that is switched off by default. Facts below were checked on 12 November 2026 against the project’s GitLab releases, wiki and source code, its install page and Flathub. Speed, image quality and behaviour on your network are not tested yet.

Version, licence and platforms

• Version: 1.4.43, released 20 February 2026. It is still the newest release on GitLab and on Flathub today.
• Licence: free and open source, GPL-2.0-or-later. No paid edition, no account.
• Platforms: Linux, through distribution packages, the Flatpak org.remmina.Remmina and a Snap, plus FreeBSD. There is no official Windows or macOS build. Release 1.4.43 added “minimal macOS build support” for people compiling it themselves, which is not the same as a supported Mac app.
• Protocols: RDP (built on FreeRDP), VNC, SPICE, X2Go, SSH with SFTP, WWW (web pages such as admin consoles) and EXEC (runs a command as a connection). NX, XDMCP and ST were removed in recent versions.

Remmina next to other Linux clients

The version cells for X2Go, TigerVNC and Guacamole come from our program pages, not from today’s check.

Install it and get every protocol

On Ubuntu, the project’s own PPA carries the newest builds:

sudo apt-add-repository ppa:remmina-ppa-team/remmina-next
sudo apt update
sudo apt install remmina remmina-plugin-rdp remmina-plugin-secret

On any distribution, the Flatpak is the same version as the GitLab release:

flatpak remote-add --user --if-not-exists flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo
flatpak install --user flathub org.remmina.Remmina

Debian, Fedora and Arch ship Remmina in their own repositories, and sudo snap install remmina works where Snap is used.

The search “remmina rdp protocol missing” almost always has the same cause: distributions split the plugins into separate packages. If RDP, SPICE or the keyring option is missing from the protocol list, install the matching remmina-plugin-* package and restart Remmina. The X2Go plugin also needs pyhoca-cli installed.

Two packaging details are easy to miss. The install page says the Flatpak needs org.freedesktop.Platform.openh264 if you want H.264 in RDP sessions. The Snap cannot use the keyring until you connect it yourself with sudo snap connect remmina:password-manager-service :password-manager-service; other interfaces, such as audio and printing, are connected the same way.

RDP to a Windows server

1. Pick RDP in the drop-down next to the quick-connect bar, type the host name or IP and press Enter, or click + to create a saved profile.
2. In the profile, set the user name, domain and resolution. For laptops that move between screens, use the client resolution or dynamic resolution.
3. If the server sits behind a Remote Desktop Gateway, fill in the gateway fields on the Advanced tab.
4. Connect and check the certificate fingerprint before accepting it.

To share files, set “Share folder” in the RDP profile. The local folder appears on the Windows side as a redirected drive. From a script, remmina -c opens a saved .remmina profile directly.

VNC and SSH, including tunnels

For VNC, create a profile with the host and port, for example 10.0.5.20:5900. To reach a host that only listens on a private network, open the SSH Tunnel tab in the same profile, enable the tunnel and enter the jump host and your SSH user or key. Remmina opens the tunnel first and runs the VNC or RDP session through it, so nothing has to be exposed to the internet.

The SSH plugin gives you a terminal, and an SFTP profile gives you a file browser for uploads and downloads.

Where Remmina keeps logs, profiles and passwords

“Remmina logs” is the most common search about this program, and the honest answer is that Remmina writes no log file by default. You switch logging on when you need it:

• Debug window: click the three-dot menu in the main window and choose Debugging. Keep the window open while you reproduce the problem.
• Terminal: close every Remmina instance, then run G_MESSAGES_PREFIXED=all G_MESSAGES_DEBUG=all remmina. For the Flatpak, replace remmina with flatpak run org.remmina.Remmina; for the Snap, with snap run remmina.
• RDP only: the profile has “FreeRDP log level” (INFO, FATAL, ERROR, WARN, DEBUG, TRACE or OFF) and “FreeRDP log filters” in the form tag:level. The wiki notes that plugin log settings are separate from the debug window. The GVNC and SSH plugins have their own log options too.

Files on disk:

• Preferences: ~/.config/remmina/remmina.pref.
• Connection profiles: one .remmina file each in ~/.local/share/remmina. If an old ~/.remmina folder exists, Remmina uses that instead.
• Flatpak installs keep the same folders under ~/.var.
• Passwords: in GNOME Keyring through the secret plugin, or in KWallet through the KWallet plugin. Without either, the password is stored in the profile file with Remmina’s own encryption, and the project’s command-line guide itself says that method “is not safe”.

Profiles are plain text, so they back up and copy between machines easily.

Common problems and the documented fixes

• RDP “broken pipe”: check that the port is open from your machine, for example nmap -P0 -p 3389 followed by the server’s address. If you go through a gateway or tunnel, make sure it is up first.
• “Timeout waiting for activation”: raise the timeout on the RDP profile’s Advanced tab. The wiki gives the default as 900 ms and suggests 15000 or 20000.
• Black screen to Windows: unset or change the microphone redirection option in the profile.
• Cannot connect after an upgrade: the FAQ suggests removing ~/.config/freerdp/known_hosts, then checking the new fingerprint on first connect.
• “This plugin requires GtkSocket”: that happens under Wayland. If XWayland is available, start Remmina with GDK_BACKEND=x11 remmina.

Limitations

• Linux and BSD only. Colleagues on Windows or macOS need a different client.
• It is a client, not a remote support tool. There is no host agent, no ID-based connection through NAT and no central console. For helping users on other networks, RustDesk fits better.
• Session recording and audit logs are not among its documented features. If you need those, look at gateways such as Apache Guacamole and the self-hosted remote access guide.
• Some features depend on how your distribution built it: FreeRDP 2 or 3, which plugins exist, and whether H.264 is available.

Who it suits and who it does not

It suits Linux admins who work with Windows servers, KVM virtual machines and SSH hosts every day, and home users who want to reach a Windows PC or a Raspberry Pi from a Linux laptop at no cost.

It does not suit mixed Windows and Mac teams that need one client everywhere, help desks that support users behind NAT, or anyone who needs session recording. For full Linux desktops that should keep running when you disconnect, X2Go or ThinLinc server-side sessions are the better base, and Remmina can still be the client for X2Go. For plain VNC, TigerVNC is the simpler choice. More options are in the free remote desktop comparison and the remote access security checklist.

FAQ

Where are Remmina logs located?

There is no log file by default. Open the Debugging window from the three-dot menu, or start Remmina from a terminal with G_MESSAGES_DEBUG=all to print messages there. For RDP, raise the FreeRDP log level in the profile.

Is there Remmina for Windows or Mac?

No official build exists for either. Version 1.4.43 added minimal macOS build support for people compiling from source, but the project ships packages for Linux only.

Why is the RDP protocol missing in Remmina?

The RDP plugin is a separate package on many distributions. Install remmina-plugin-rdp and restart Remmina.

Can Remmina use an SSH tunnel for RDP?

Yes. Each RDP and VNC profile has an SSH Tunnel tab: enable it, enter the jump host and your credentials or key, and the session runs through the tunnel.

Is Remmina safe?

It is open source under GPL-2.0+ and maintained on GitLab, with releases this year. We have not audited the code. Store passwords in the keyring rather than in profile files, and check certificate fingerprints when you connect.

Remmina vs RustDesk: which do I need?

Remmina connects to servers that already speak RDP, VNC or SSH. RustDesk installs its own agent on the remote machine and connects by ID, which suits support across networks. Many admins use both.

Last updated: 12 November 2026 · CtrlRemote editorial team. Licence, version and platform details are checked against each developer's official documentation.