Set up Chrome Remote Desktop for Linux on Compute Engine

Create a Compute Engine instance

For the purposes of this tutorial, the default machine type with a Debian Linux boot disk is used. If you are using this for your own environment, you may want to adjust the machine type, name, region, boot disk size, or other settings.

1. In the Google Cloud console, go to the VM Instances page.

   Go to VM Instances

2. Click Create.

3. Set the instance name to crdhost.

4. Click Create.

   It takes a few moments to create your instance.

5. After the instance has been created, connect to your new instance by clicking SSH in the instance list:

   

Install Chrome Remote Desktop on the VM instance

1. In the SSH window for your VM instance, add the Debian Linux Chrome Remote Desktop repository to your apt package list, and install the chrome-remote-desktop package.

   curl https://dl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub \
       | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /etc/apt/trusted.gpg.d/chrome-remote-desktop.gpg
   echo "deb [arch=amd64] https://dl.google.com/linux/chrome-remote-desktop/deb stable main" \
       | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/chrome-remote-desktop.list
   sudo apt-get update
   sudo DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive \
       apt-get install --assume-yes chrome-remote-desktop
   

   The DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive parameter suppresses a prompt to configure a layout for a keyboard that would be directly connected to the VM instance.

Install an X Windows System desktop environment

You need to install an X Window System desktop environment and window manager for Chrome Remote Desktop to use. Common options are:

• Xfce
• Cinnamon
• Gnome
• Gnome-Classic
• KDE Plasma

You can use other desktop environments, but Chrome Remote Desktop does not support 3D graphics acceleration. If you do choose a desktop environment that uses 3D graphics acceleration, you need to disable that feature, or the remote desktop service won't start.

For remote connections over slower networks we recommended Xfce because it has minimal graphical elements and few animations.

Configure and start the Chrome Remote Desktop service

To start the remote desktop server, you need to have an authorization key for the Google Account that you want to use to connect to it:

1. In the Google Cloud console, go to the VM Instances page:

   Go to the VM Instances page

2. Connect to your instance by clicking the SSH button.

3. On your local computer, using the Chrome browser, go to the Chrome Remote Desktop command line setup page:

   https://remotedesktop.google.com/headless

4. If you're not already signed in, sign in with a Google Account. This is the account that will be used for authorizing remote access.

5. On the Set up another computer page, click Begin.

6. Click Authorize.

   You need to allow Chrome Remote Desktop to access your account. If you approve, the page displays a command line for Debian Linux that looks like the following:

   DISPLAY= /opt/google/chrome-remote-desktop/start-host \
       --code="4/xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx" \
       --redirect-url="https://remotedesktop.google.com/_/oauthredirect" \
       --name=$(hostname)
   

   You use this command to set up and start the Chrome Remote Desktop service on your VM instance, linking it with your Google Account using the authorization code.

7. Copy the command to the SSH window that's connected to your instance, and then run the command.

8. When you're prompted, enter a 6-digit PIN. This number will be used for additional authorization when you connect later.

   You might see errors like No net_fetcher or Failed to read. You can ignore these errors.

9. Verify that the service is running using the following command.

   sudo systemctl status chrome-remote-desktop@$USER
   

   If the service is running, you see output that includes the state active:

   chrome-remote-desktop.service - LSB: Chrome Remote Desktop service
       Loaded: loaded (/lib/systemd/system/chrome-remote-desktop@USER.service; enabled; vendor preset: enabled)
       Active: active (running) since DATE_TIME; ELAPSED_TIME
   

Connect to the VM instance

You can connect to the VM instance using the Chrome Remote Desktop web application.

1. On your local computer, go to the Chrome Remote Desktop website.

2. Click Access my computer.

3. If you're not already signed in to Google, sign in with the same Google Account that you used to set up the Chrome Remote Desktop service.

   You see your new VM instance crdhost in the Remote Devices list.

4. Click the name of the remote desktop instance.

5. When you're prompted, enter the PIN that you created earlier, and then click the arrow button to connect.

   You are now connected to the desktop environment on your remote Compute Engine instance.

6. If you are prompted, always allow the Remote Desktop application to read your clipboard and let you copy and paste between local and remote applications.

7. If you installed the Xfce desktop, the first time you connect, you are prompted to set up the desktop panels. Click Use Default Config to get the standard taskbar at the top and the quick launch panel at the bottom.

Improve the remote desktop experience

This section provides instructions for changing settings in order to improve the remote desktop experience.

Install the Remote Desktop Chrome app

The Remote Desktop Chrome app gives a separate windowed experience and allows keyboard shortcuts that would normally be intercepted by Chrome to be used on the remote system.

If this app is not installed, do the following:

1. Open the Session Options panel using the button chevron_left that appears when you move the mouse to the side of the window.
2. In the Install App section, click Begin.
3. Click Install.

The remote desktop session reopens in its own application window.

You can move any remote desktop sessions from a Chrome tab to the app window by clicking the Open With open_in_new icon in the address bar.

Disable animations and effects in Cinnamon

The Cinnamon desktop uses several graphical features and animations, such as semi-transparent windows and menus that fade in and out. Because these animations take more time to render over a remote connection, it can make the user interface feel slow.

To disable these effects:

1. In the Cinnamon desktop, select Menu > Preferences > Effects.

   

2. Disable each of the effects:

   

Set a user password

The user account created by Compute Engine doesn't have a password. However, several desktop environments require one for unlocking screensavers and authorizing administrative actions. It is therefore important to set a password for your user:

1. Connect to the instance using SSH, as you did when you first set up the instance.

2. Create a password for the user:

   sudo passwd $(whoami)
   

Disable screensavers and lock screens

Because you're accessing your desktop from a remote computer, it's normally not necessary to use a screensaver or screen locker, so you can disable these.

Increase the desktop resolution

If you have an ultra high-resolution monitor, you might find that the default maximum remote desktop size of 1600 x 1200 is too small. If so, you can increase it to the resolution of your monitor.

1. Use SSH to connect to the instance.

2. Set the CHROME_REMOTE_DESKTOP_DEFAULT_DESKTOP_SIZES environment variable to include the resolution of your monitor:

   echo "export CHROME_REMOTE_DESKTOP_DEFAULT_DESKTOP_SIZES=1600x1200,3840x2560" \
       >> ~/.profile
   

3. Restart the service:

   sudo systemctl restart chrome-remote-desktop@$USER
   

Enable advanced video codec:

The AV1 codec with High Quality color gives improved picture quality and allows better encoding of pure color information (such as text):

1. Open the Session Options panel using the button chevron_left that appears when you move the mouse to the side of the window.
2. In the Video Codec field, select AV1
3. Ensure that High-quality color field is enabled.

Choose a different desktop environment

In the preceding section, you set a default desktop environment in the global /etc/chrome-remote-desktop-session configuration file. You can also choose a different desktop environment (if it's installed) by specifying it in the .chrome-remote-desktop-session configuration file in your home directory:

echo "exec /etc/X11/Xsession /usr/bin/xfce4-session" > ~/.chrome-remote-desktop-session

echo "exec /etc/X11/Xsession /usr/bin/cinnamon-session-cinnamon2d" > ~/.chrome-remote-desktop-session

echo "exec /etc/X11/Xsession /usr/bin/gnome-session" > ~/.chrome-remote-desktop-session

echo "exec /etc/X11/Xsession /usr/bin/gnome-session-classic" > ~/.chrome-remote-desktop-session

echo "exec /etc/X11/Xsession /usr/bin/startplasma-x11" > ~/.chrome-remote-desktop-session

After you make this change, restart the service so the change takes effect:

sudo systemctl restart chrome-remote-desktop@$USER

As mentioned before, Chrome Remote Desktop does not support 3D graphics acceleration. Therefore, for any desktop environments that uses these features, you need disable 3D graphics, or the session won't start.

Automate the installation process

When you need to set up multiple machines with Chrome Remote Desktop, the manual installation steps can become repetitive. You can use a custom startup script to automate this process, using the following procedure.

For the purposes of this tutorial, the default machine type with a Debian Linux boot disk is used. If you are using this for your own environment, you may want to adjust the machine type, name, region, boot disk size, or other settings.

1. In the Google Cloud console, go to the VM Instances page:

   Go to the VM Instances page

2. Click Create Instance.

3. Set the instance name to crdhost-autoinstall.

4. Scroll to, and expand the Advanced Options section.

5. Expand the Management section.

6. Copy the following shell script and paste it into the Automation/Startup Script field:

   #!/bin/bash -x
   #
   # Startup script to install Chrome remote desktop and a desktop environment.
   #
   # See environmental variables at then end of the script for configuration
   #
   
   function install_desktop_env {
     PACKAGES="desktop-base xscreensaver dbus-x11"
   
     if [[ "$INSTALL_XFCE" != "yes" && "$INSTALL_CINNAMON" != "yes" ]] ; then
       # neither XFCE nor cinnamon specified; install both
       INSTALL_XFCE=yes
       INSTALL_CINNAMON=yes
     fi
   
     if [[ "$INSTALL_XFCE" = "yes" ]] ; then
       PACKAGES="$PACKAGES xfce4"
       echo "exec xfce4-session" > /etc/chrome-remote-desktop-session
       [[ "$INSTALL_FULL_DESKTOP" = "yes" ]] && \
         PACKAGES="$PACKAGES task-xfce-desktop"
     fi
   
     if [[ "$INSTALL_CINNAMON" = "yes" ]] ; then
       PACKAGES="$PACKAGES cinnamon-core"
       echo "exec cinnamon-session-cinnamon2d" > /etc/chrome-remote-desktop-session
       [[ "$INSTALL_FULL_DESKTOP" = "yes" ]] && \
         PACKAGES="$PACKAGES task-cinnamon-desktop"
     fi
   
     DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive \
       apt-get install --assume-yes $PACKAGES $EXTRA_PACKAGES
   
     systemctl disable lightdm.service
   }
   
   function download_and_install { # args URL FILENAME
     if [[ -e "$2" ]] ; then
        echo "cannot download $1 to $2 - file exists"
        return 1;
     fi
     curl -L -o "$2" "$1" && \
       apt-get install --assume-yes --fix-broken "$2" && \
       rm "$2"
   }
   
   function is_installed {  # args PACKAGE_NAME
     dpkg-query --list "$1" | grep -q "^ii" 2>/dev/null
     return $?
   }
   
   # Configure the following environmental variables as required:
   INSTALL_XFCE=yes
   INSTALL_CINNAMON=yes
   INSTALL_CHROME=yes
   INSTALL_FULL_DESKTOP=yes
   
   # Any additional packages that should be installed on startup can be added here
   EXTRA_PACKAGES="less bzip2 zip unzip tasksel wget"
   
   apt-get update
   
   if ! is_installed chrome-remote-desktop; then
       if [[ ! -e /etc/apt/sources.list.d/chrome-remote-desktop.list ]]; then
           echo "deb [arch=amd64] https://dl.google.com/linux/chrome-remote-desktop/deb stable main" \
               | tee -a /etc/apt/sources.list.d/chrome-remote-desktop.list
       fi
       apt-get update
       DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive \
           apt-get install --assume-yes chrome-remote-desktop
   fi
   
   install_desktop_env
   
   [[ "$INSTALL_CHROME" = "yes" ]] && ! is_installed google-chrome-stable && \
     download_and_install \
       https://dl.google.com/linux/direct/google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb \
       /tmp/google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb
   
   echo "Chrome remote desktop installation completed"
   

   This script performs the following tasks each time the machine is rebooted:

   • If the remote desktop package is not installed:
     • Adds the Chrome Remote Desktop Debian package repository
     • Installs the Chrome Remote Desktop package and dependencies.
   • Installs the Xfce or Cinnamon desktop environments (depending on the script settings).
   • If the full desktop environment option is enabled, installs the necessary packages.
   • If the Google Chrome browser option is enabled and is not installed:
     • Downloads Google Chrome package.
     • Installs Google Chrome and its dependent packages.

7. Click Create.

   It takes a few moments to create your instance, and on first run with all the options enabled, the script can take up to 10 minutes to complete the installation.

8. To monitor progress, connect to the VM instance using SSH, and in the terminal of the instance, run the following command:

   sudo journalctl -o cat -f _SYSTEMD_UNIT=google-startup-scripts.service
   

   This command shows the output from the startup script. When the script has finished, you see the following:

   INFO startup-script: Chrome remote desktop installation completed
   INFO startup-script: Return code 0.
   INFO Finished running startup scripts.
   

This script only installs the required packages; you still need to configure the Remote Desktop Service for your user, as described previously.

There are various ways to specify a startup script when creating a new VM instance:

• Pasting it into the Google Cloud console (as shown earlier).
• Storing it as a file on a local machine, and using the --metadata-from-file flag when you create the instance using the Google Cloud CLI.
• Storing it in a Cloud Storage bucket and specifying the URL to the object—either in the console or in the gcloud CLI.

For more information on the alternative methods of how to configure the startup script, see Running Startup scripts in the Compute Engine documentation.

Troubleshooting

This section provides troubleshooting advice for this guide.

Check the status of the Chrome Remote Desktop service

If at any point the Chrome Remote Desktop service is not responding, you can check its status by using SSH to connect to the instance and running the following command:

sudo systemctl status chrome-remote-desktop@$USER

If the service is running, you see output that includes the state active:

chrome-remote-desktop.service - LSB: Chrome Remote Desktop service
    Loaded: loaded (/lib/systemd/system/chrome-remote-desktop@USER.service; enabled; vendor preset: enabled)
    Active: active (running) since DATE_TIME; ELAPSED_TIME

To restart the service, use the following command in the SSH window:

sudo systemctl restart chrome-remote-desktop@$USER

Get log and error information

Chrome Remote Desktop writes log information to the system journal:

journalctl SYSLOG_IDENTIFIER=chrome-remote-desktop     # All logs
journalctl SYSLOG_IDENTIFIER=chrome-remote-desktop -e  # Most recent logs
journalctl SYSLOG_IDENTIFIER=chrome-remote-desktop -b  # Logs since reboot

You can check these log files for error messages.

Re-enable the service

If you have mistakenly disabled connections to the remote instance in the client app, you can reconfigure the service and re-enable it by following the instructions in Configure and start the Chrome Remote Desktop service.

Check the global and user-specific session configuration files.

Check the contents of the global /etc/chrome-remote-desktop-session configuration file and the user-specific ~/.chrome-remote-desktop-session configuration file and confirm that the specified desktop environments are installed.