How to Start a VNC Server on Ubuntu

VNC (Virtual Network Computing) is a popular tool used to remotely access and control a computer over a network. In this article, we will show you how to start a VNC server on an Ubuntu system.

To begin, you need to install the necessary packages. By default, an Ubuntu 22.04 server does not come with a graphical desktop environment or a VNC server installed, so you'll need to install those first. You can do this by running the following command:

```

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install ubuntu-desktop tightvncserver

```

Once the packages are fully installed, we need to add a normal user for using VNC.

To start the VNC server, you need to create a configuration file for VNC. You can do this by running the following command:

```

sudo /usr/bin/vnc4server -geometry 1024x768 :1

```

This will start the VNC server and create a new user session.

Next, you need to add a password for the VNC user. You can do this by running the following command:

```

vncpasswd

```

You will be prompted to enter a password twice. Once you have entered the password, you will see a success message.

To enable VNC access on your Ubuntu host, you need to start the VNC server at boot time. To do this, you can create a systemd service file. You can do this by running the following command:

```

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/vncserver.service

```

Add the following lines to the file:

```

'Unit'

Description=Tigervncsession

After=network.target

'Service'

User=vncuser

ExecStart=/usr/bin/tigervncsession -geometry 1024x768 :1

Restart=always

'Install'

WantedBy=multi-user.target

```

Save the file and then reload the systemd daemon by running the following command:

```

sudo systemctl daemon-reload

```

Finally, enable the VNC server to start at boot time by running the following command:

```

sudo systemctl enable vncserver

```

Once you have completed these steps, you should be able to access your Ubuntu host using a VNC client. You can check if the VNC server is running by running the following command:

```

vnc4server -list :1

```

This will list all available VNC servers on the system.

In conclusion, starting a VNC server on an Ubuntu system is a relatively straightforward process that requires a few steps. By following these instructions, you should be able to set up and use a VNC server on your Ubuntu host.

Start vnc server ubuntu