How to start VNC server from command line?

To start a VNC server from the command line on a Linux system (like Ubuntu), you can follow these steps. I’ll use TigerVNC as the example since it’s one of the most commonly used VNC servers.

Step-by-step: Start VNC Server from Terminal

1. Install the VNC server (if not already installed):

   sudo apt update
   sudo apt install tigervnc-standalone-server

2. Set the VNC password (first-time setup):

   vncpasswd

3. Start the VNC server manually:

   vncserver

   By default, this will start a VNC session on display :1 (port 5901).

4. (Optional) Stop the VNC server:

   vncserver -kill :1

Customize VNC Server Startup (e.g. Desktop Environment)

If you want to use a desktop environment like GNOME, XFCE, or LXDE with your VNC session, edit or create this file:

nano ~/.vnc/xstartup

For XFCE:

#!/bin/sh
unset SESSION_MANAGER
unset DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS
startxfce4 &

Make the file executable:

chmod +x ~/.vnc/xstartup

Then start again:

vncserver :1