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Connect to a Linux device

Learn how to access a Linux computer over Meshnet from Windows, macOS, or Linux.

Depending on your purpose, you can choose among the following methods to remotely connect to your Linux computer over Meshnet:

  • GUI-based remote connection using Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) or Virtual Network Connection (VNC). This method is described further in this article.

  • Text-based remote connection using Secure Shell (SSH). For instructions on this method, see the How to access remote systems over Meshnet using SSH article.

Before you begin

Ensure that:

  • Your remote PC and the device you want to use to access it are linked over Meshnet.

  • Your remote PC is turned on.

Enable remote access on your PC

Note

For the instructions provided in this guide, Ubuntu 24.04 LTS is used as an example.

  1. Open Settings.

  2. Navigate to System > Remote desktop.

  3. Turn on the Desktop sharing and Remote control toggles to allow remote connections and grant them control of the desktop.

    "Desktop sharing" and "Remote control" toggles in the on position.

  4. Under Login details, take note of the username and password required to access this computer.

    Login details of the Linux device.

    You can change the password generated by the app if you wish.

Note

Desktop sharing settings permit remote connections only when a user account is already logged in. To access the device when no user is active, configure the Remote Login options instead.

Connect to your remote PC

Once you have enabled remote access and have your remote desktop credentials, you can connect to your PC using a remote desktop client.

Install Remote Desktop on Windows

To connect to your remote PC from Windows, first install the Microsoft Remote Desktop app, available for free from the Microsoft Store.

Tip

Alternatively, you can use the built-in Remote Desktop client on Windows, which you can find by typing Remote Desktop Connection in the search box on the taskbar.

Add a remote connection

  1. In the NordVPN app, locate and copy the Nord name or Meshnet IP of the device you want to access.

    Nord name and Meshnet IP address of a Linux device highlighted.

  2. Open the Remote Desktop app and click Add > PCs.

    Arrow pointing to the "Add" button and the "PCs" option is highlighted.

  3. In the PC name field, paste the copied Nord name or Meshnet IP of the PC you want to access.

    Nord name of the remote device entered in the "PC name" field.

  4. Next to User account, click the plus (+) button to add a profile.

  5. Enter your credentials for the remote computer to save for use with this connection.

    • Username: your remote PC account name you recorded earlier.

    • Password: the password for the specified username. Example

      "Username" and "Password" fields filled in with the remote PC's credentials.

  6. Optionally, you can give a nickname to your connection in the Display name field. It is a way to easily identify your Remote Desktop connections.

  7. Click Save, and then click Save again.

Access your remote PC

  1. Under Saved PCs, double-click the connection that you added.

    Newly added PC displayed on the "Remote Desktop" app's main screen.

  2. You may receive a warning message indicating that it might not be safe to connect to this computer. If you don't want to see this dialog in the future, select the Don't ask about this certificate again checkbox.

  3. Click Connect anyway.

You should now be able to access and control your PC remotely.

Install Remote Desktop on Android

To connect to your remote PC from Android, first install the Remote Desktop app, available for free from Google Play.

Add a remote PC connection

  1. In the NordVPN app, go to Products > Meshnet > Manage devices, tap the three-dot menu next to the device you want to access, and copy the device's Nord name or IP address.

    Copy Nord name and Meshnet IP address options highlighted.

  2. Launch the RD Client app that you installed earlier.

  3. From the bottom row, select Add > Add PC.

    Plus button and the Add PC option are highlighted

  4. Under PC name, paste the copied Nord name or Meshnet IP of the PC you want to access.

    Nord name of the remote PC highlighted

  5. Under User account, select the Add user account option.

  6. In the Username and Password fields, enter your credentials for the remote computer to save for use with this connection, and tap Save. Example

    Remote account username and password entered

  7. In the upper-right corner, tap Save.

Access your remote PC

  1. From the main screen, select the saved connection that you added.

  2. You may receive a warning indicating that the digital certificate of the computer you're trying to access cannot be verified. If you don't want to see this dialog in the future, select the Never ask again for connections to this PC checkbox.

  3. Tap Connect.

You should now be able to securely access and control your Linux PC remotely over Meshnet.

Install Windows App on iOS

To connect to the remote PC from iOS, install the Windows Mobile App, available for free from the App Store.

Note

To install Windows App Mobile, your device must run iOS 17.0 or later.

Add a remote PC connection

  1. In the NordVPN app, go to Products > Meshnet > Manage devices and copy the Nord name or Meshnet IP of the device you want to access.

    Linux device's Nord name and Meshnet IP highlighted

  2. Launch the Windows app that you installed.

  3. In the upper-right corner, tap the plus (+) button and select PC.

  4. Tap PC name and paste the Nord name or Meshnet IP of the PC you want to access.

    Entering the Nord name

  5. Return to the previous menu and tap Credentials > Add credentials.

  6. Enter the following information to save for use with this connection:

    • The remote PC account name

    • The remote PC account password

    • Optionally, tap Friendly name to give a nickname to your connection. Example

      Entering remote PC credentials

  7. Tap Save, return to the previous screen, and tap Save again.

The new connection will appear under Saved devices. Tap it whenever you want to initiate a remote desktop session.

New connection to a Linux device visible on the main app screen.

Install Windows App on macOS

To connect to your remote PC from macOS, first install the Windows App, available for free from the Mac App Store.

Add a remote PC connection

  1. In the NordVPN app, locate and copy the Nord name or Meshnet IP of the device you want to access.

    Nord name and Meshnet IP address of a Linux peer device highlighted.

  2. Open Microsoft Remote Desktop, click the plus (+) button, and select Add PC.

    Arrow pointing to the plus (+) button and the "Add PC" option is selected.

  3. In the PC name box, paste the Nord name or Meshnet IP you copied earlier.

    Nord name entered in the "PC name" field.

  4. From the User account dropdown list, select Add credentials.

  5. In the Username and Password fields, enter your credentials for the remote computer to save for future connections, and click Add. Example

    Username and password fields filled in with the authentication details.

  6. Optionally, give a nickname to your connection in the Friendly name field.

    "Home PC" connection nickname entered in the "Friendly name" field

  7. Click Add to save changes.

Access your remote PC

  1. Under Saved PCs, double-click the new connection that you added.

    Newly added connection selected in the app.

  2. You may receive a warning indicating that the digital certificate of the computer you're trying to access cannot be verified. If you don't want to see this dialog in the future, click Show certificate and then select the Always trust checkbox.

    The "Always trust" checkbox is selected.

  3. If you're connecting to a computer you trust, click Continue.

You should now be able to remotely access and control your PC securely.

For Linux-to-Linux connections, you can use Remmina , a free remote desktop client available in the default repositories of many Linux distributions.

Note

The instructions below use Ubuntu 24.04 LTS as an example.

Install Remmina

  1. Open Terminal.

  2. Update the package manager list of available packages by running the following command:

  3. Install Remmina by entering this command:

  1. Launch App Center.

  2. In the search bar, enter remmina and select the matching result.

  3. Click the Install button.

    Clicking "Install" in the App Center to install Remmina.

Add a remote PC connection

  1. In the terminal, run the nordvpn meshnet peer list command and copy the Nord name of the device you want to access.

    Nord name of a Linux device highlighted.

  2. Launch the Remmina app that you installed earlier.

  3. Click the New connection profile button in the upper-left corner of the app window.

    New connection profile button highlighted

  4. In the Name field, type in a custom name to identify the connection.

  5. Make sure RDP — Remote Desktop Protocol is selected in the Protocol field.

  6. Under Basic, enter the following information to create a reusable connection:

    • In the Server field, paste the Nord name you copied earlier.

    • In the Username field, enter your remote PC account name.

    • In the Password field, enter the password you use to log in to your remote PC. Example

      Filling in the Server, Username, and Password fields

  7. Click Save.

Access your remote PC

  1. Double-click the new connection profile you've created.

    The newly connection profile is selected in the Remmina window

  2. Accept the certificate presented by the server to verify that you trust the computer you are trying to access.

With these steps completed, you should now be connected to your remote Linux PC using Remmina over Meshnet.

Alternative remote desktop tools

If you prefer, you can also use other remote access software like NoMachine or AnyDesk to establish a remote connection between your devices.

Using NoMachine

Once remote access is configured on the target PC, install the NoMachine app on both your remote and local devices.

Connect from Windows, macOS, or Linux using NoMachine

On your local machine:

  1. In the NordVPN app, locate and copy the Nord name or Meshnet IP address of the device you want to access.

    Nord name and Meshnet IP address of a Linux device highlighted.

  2. Launch NoMachine and select the Add button to create a new connection.

    Clicking the "Add" button in NoMachine.

  3. Fill in the following information and, in the upper-right corner, click Add:

    • In the Name field, enter a custom name to identify the connection.

    • In the Host field, paste the copied Nord name of the device you want to access. Example

      "Meshnet to Linux" entered in the Name field and Nord name entered in the Host field.

  4. Double-click the newly created connection to initiate the remote connection.

    Newly added connection selected on the main screen of NoMachine.

  5. If a warning appears indicating that the host's authenticity cannot be confirmed, select OK to proceed.

  6. Enter your remote desktop credentials and select OK.

    • Username: your remote PC account name

    • Password: the password you use to log in to your remote PC Example

      Username and password fields filled in with the remote PC credentials.

You should now be able to securely access and control your PC remotely.

Connect from Android or iPhone/iPad using NoMachine

On your mobile device, perform the following steps to add a remote PC connection:

  1. In the NordVPN app, locate and copy the Nord name or Meshnet IP of the device you want to access.

  2. Open NoMachine and select the Add button in the upper-left corner to create a new connection.

    The Add button is highlighted

  3. Ensure that NX is selected as the protocol and tap Continue.

  4. In the Host field, enter either the Nord name or Meshnet IP of the computer you want to access, and then select Continue.

    The Meshnet IP address of the remote PC is entered in the Host field, which is highlighted

  5. Keep the default options for Authentication and Proxy.

  6. Optionally, in the Name field, provide a custom name for the connection and tap Done.

To access your remote PC:

  1. On the NoMachine main screen, double-tap the newly created connection to initiate the remote connection.

    The newly created connection is highlighted on the main screen

  2. If a warning appears indicating that the host's authenticity cannot be confirmed, select OK to proceed.

  3. Enter your remote desktop credentials and select OK.

    • Username: your remote PC account name

    • Password: the password you use to log in to your remote PC Example

      Remote PC credentials being entered

You should now be able to securely access and control your PC remotely.

Using AnyDesk

Once remote access is configured on the target PC, install the AnyDesk app on both the PC and the device you're connecting from.

For this setup, you won't need remote PC account credentials. Instead, you can use either manual approval on the remote PC or set up a dedicated unattended access password.

Optional: Enable unattended access with AnyDesk

By default, AnyDesk needs manual approval for incoming connections. To bypass this, you can enable the app’s Unattended access feature:

  1. On the remote computer, open Terminal.

  2. Run the following command to open AnyDesk security settings:

  3. From the Permission profile dropdown list, choose Unattended access.

    "Unattended access" option highlighted from the "Permission profile" dropdown.

  4. Select the Enable unattended access option.

  5. Enter and confirm a secure password that will be used for authentication. Then, click OK.

    Password fields filled in and an arrow pointing to the "OK" button.

After applying the changes, connect to the device without manual approval by following the platform-specific instructions below.

Connect from Windows, macOS, or Linux using AnyDesk

On your local machine:

  1. In the NordVPN app, locate and copy the Nord name or Meshnet IP address of the device you want to access.

    Nord name and Meshnet IP address of a Linux device highlighted.

  2. Launch AnyDesk you installed earlier.

  3. In the remote address field at the top, enter either the Nord name or the Meshnet IP address of the remote PC and click Connect.

    The Nord name of the remote PC and the "Connect" button are highlighted on the AnyDesk app

If you set up an unattended password on the remote PC:

  1. In the Authorization dialog that appears, enter the password you created for unattended access on the remote PC.

  2. Optionally, you can select the Log in automatically from now on checkbox to avoid entering the password again for subsequent connections.

    "Log in automatically from now on" option is selected and highlighted.

  3. Click OK.

If you haven't set up an unattended password, wait for the user at the remote device to accept the connection request manually.

Connect from Android or iPhone/iPad using AnyDesk

On your mobile device:

  1. In the NordVPN app, locate and copy the Nord name or Meshnet IP of the device you want to access.

  2. Open AnyDesk you installed earlier.

  3. In the remote address field, paste either the Nord name or the Meshnet IP address of the remote PC and tap the arrow button to connect.

    Nord name of the remote PC and the arrow button are highlighted

If you set up an unattended password on the remote PC:

  1. In the Authorization dialog, enter the password you created for unattended access on the remote PC.

  2. Optionally, you can select the Log in automatically from now on checkbox to avoid entering the password again for subsequent connections.

    The "Log in automatically from now on" option is selected.

  3. Tap OK.

If you haven't set up an unattended password, wait for the user at the remote device to accept the connection request manually.

Checklist for a successful connection

If you encounter issues while attempting to connect, check that:

See also

PreviousConnect to a macOS device
NextHow to access remote systems over Meshnet using SSH

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