How to set up unattended access on a Linux PC

The rules are the same as on a Windows PC (see free unattended remote access for the overview):

• It's switched on at the Linux PC itself. Nobody can turn it on from another computer. If someone is connected at the moment it's switched on, the PC asks the person there to confirm it.
• Only trusted consoles get in without a click. Each console has to be allowed once, at the PC, with Let this console connect without asking next time ticked. A console signed in to the account that owns the PC also gets in, while Let my own account in without asking is on at the PC. Anyone else is still asked.
• The banner still shows. Every session puts a banner with an End button on the screen, unattended or not.

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   Step 1: Install and set up the Agent

   If you haven't yet, install the Agent on the Linux PC and add it to your account with a setup code. See how to install RemoteAccessApp on Linux.

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   Step 2: Turn on two-step verification for your account

   In your account settings on the website, turn on two-step sign-in. Your account opens your PCs, so protect it: a stolen password alone isn't enough. See two-step sign-in.

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   Step 3: Turn on Unattended access at the PC

   At the Linux PC, open RemoteAccessApp Agent from the app menu or its tray icon and turn on Unattended access under What's allowed. The help article RemoteAccessApp on Linux covers the Agent's window in more detail.

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   Step 4: Connect once and trust your console

   From the console you'll use, connect to the PC while you're still at it. In the Allow remote access? prompt, tick Let this console connect without asking next time (unattended) and click Allow. The console is added to the PC's Trusted consoles list. From a browser, choose how long to remember it instead, up to until I turn it off.

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   Step 5: On Wayland, approve screen sharing once

   If the desktop runs on Wayland (Ubuntu's default), the first session also shows the desktop's own Remote Desktop dialog at the PC. Turn on Allow Remote Interaction, keep Remember This Selection ticked and click Share. It's remembered, so later sessions start with nobody at the PC. On an X11 (Xorg) desktop there's no such dialog. More on how to approve screen sharing once on Ubuntu, including what to do if it asks again.

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   Step 6: Keep Start when I sign in on

   In the Agent's window, leave Start when I sign in on, so the Agent is running whenever someone is signed in to the desktop.

The Agent runs in the signed-in desktop session, so the PC is reachable while it's on, online and signed in, on X11 or Wayland. On Ubuntu, how to access an Ubuntu desktop remotely covers the same settings for that desktop.

• Turn off automatic suspend in your desktop's power settings, at least while it's plugged in. A suspended PC shows as offline. While you're connected, the Agent keeps the PC awake for you: the screen stays on and it won't blank, lock or suspend until the session ends.
• Plan for restarts. Turn on Available after a restart in the Agent's settings at the PC (it asks for an administrator password). After a restart the PC then signs you in by itself and locks the screen straight away, the Agent comes online, and you unlock it from your side with your Linux password. On Wayland, approve screen sharing once before you rely on it. It works with Xorg and Wayland sessions alike.
• A locked screen is fine. If the PC locks, you can unlock it from your side in an allowed session with remote control: type the Linux user's password, and the system checks it as it would at the PC. On Wayland the Agent shows you its own lock screen for this; on X11 you type into the desktop's lock screen. Our post on Linux remote desktop when the screen locks explains why this matters.

• Remove a console from the Trusted consoles list in the Agent's window when you stop using it. It's asked again next time.
• Add a connection password under Connection password, so everyone has to enter it before they connect, even trusted consoles.
• Make sessions view-only by turning off Allow remote control. People connected can see the screen but not use it, and commands can't run.
• Turn unattended access off whenever you like. Everyone is asked again.

For the reasoning behind these rules, see the general guide to setting up unattended access safely.

Unattended access is free on every plan, and a Linux PC is one of the 5 PCs on the free plan, in the same account as your Windows PCs (see one app for your Windows and Linux PCs). To get started, download the Agent on the Linux PC.