How to remotely connect to a Windows PC with a Raspberry Pi

Working on your Raspberry Pi but need access to a Windows computer? But wait, it’s at the other end of your house, or even upstairs…

It is not convenient to stop and switch to the main computer. Wouldn’t it be great if you could access your PC while staying where you are? Well you can! Instead, simply connect to your Windows PC via a remote connection to your Raspberry Pi.

Note. If you want to remotely control your Raspberry Pi from a PC instead, you should check out our guide to SSH, VNC, and RDP with your Raspberry Pi. .)

How to connect remotely from Raspbian on Windows

Perhaps you need to check email or another application that you can only access on your PC. In any case, you need to set up a remote connection to your Raspberry Pi.

While the steps are easy to follow, the steps seem shrouded in mystery. We will clear this up for you. Here is an overview:

Configure windows to accept remote connections
Find the IP address of your Windows PC
Install Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) software on Raspbian
Install a remote desktop application on Raspbian
Connect to computer via Raspberry Pi

In just five steps, you can set up a remote desktop connection from your Raspberry Pi to a PC.

Step 1: Set up Windows for remote connections

The first step is to make sure Windows can accept incoming RDP remote connections. To do this, you need to enable the Remote Assistance setting.

Open windows explorer then find this computer . Right click, then select » Properties» ; in systemic window find Remote settings .

Enable Remote Assistance in Windows 10

Here you will find the checkbox Allow remote assistance connections to this computer . Click to add check, then Apply for confirmation. Note that there is a button Additionally» which you must also click. Check box Allow remote control of this computer then click OK .

Click the button OK, to close the Properties window, and then close the System window.

Step 2: Find the Windows device’s IP address

Next, you need to find the IP address of your Windows computer. You have several options here.

Perhaps the easiest thing to do is to ask. Right-click the » Start» and select Windows PowerShell. When the blue command prompt window opens, type

ipconfig

Check the list for your current connection; Wi-Fi will be listed as a wireless LAN adapter and Ethernet will be listed as such.

How to remotely connect to windows pc from remote windows ip address raspberry pi muo linux

If this is too difficult, the alternative is to access the router through a web browser. You’ll need to check your router’s documentation to find out how to do this, but once connected, you can see a list of devices connected to your home network.

Find your PC’s hostname (via the system window you opened earlier to enable Remote Assistance) and you’ll find the IP address. It will usually be in the format 192.168.0.x or 192.168.1.x.

When you find the IP address, write it down for later.

Step 3Install RDP software on Raspberry Pi

It’s time to turn your attention to the Raspberry Pi. After booting up a small computer (presumably with a keyboard and mouse connected) and connecting it to the local network, open a terminal and update Raspbian:

 sudo apt update sudo apt upgrade

Enter these commands in turn and follow any prompts displayed. When this is done, your Raspbian system will be updated. Once completed, restart the Pi with:

 sudo reboot

When the small computer restarts, start a new terminal session. This time install xrdp with:

 sudo apt install xrdp

Follow the instructions again until the software is installed.

Step 4: Find and Install the Remote Desktop App

There are several remote desktop tools available for Linux distributions. They can handle one or more different protocols that can be used to remotely control another computer.

However, the best option — for the Raspberry Pi, of course — is probably Remmina, which supports RDP, VNC, SPICE, NX, XDMCP, SSH, and EXEC.

To install Remmina, return to the Terminal and type:

 sudo apt install remmina

Follow the instructions and wait for completion. You can learn more about Remmina at remmina.org.

Step 5: Connect to a Computer with Remmina

You are ready to start remote accessing your Windows PC via Raspberry Pi. To do this, open Remmina with a single Terminal command:

 remmina

You can even launch it from the internet menu.

A new window will appear, so find a place to enter the IP address, making sure RDP is selected as the protocol.

Connect to a Windows PC with Remmina