Introduction

VNC (Virtual Network Computing) is a protocol that allows you to remotely control a computer over a network. It is particularly useful for managing a Raspberry Pi without needing to connect a screen, keyboard, or mouse directly to it.

By using VNC, you can interact with the graphical interface of your Raspberry Pi from another device, whether it’s running Linux, Windows, or macOS.

Raspi-Config

The first step is to make sure that VNC Server is enabled on your Raspberry Pi. To do this, we will go into the configuration settings of the board. Open a terminal and type the following command:

sudo raspi-config

Here is the raspi-config menu where you can change your Raspberry Pi settings.

Click on 3. Interface Options:

In Interface Options, click on VNC:

When you click on VNC, you will be prompted to enable it. Select Yes.

You will then see a success message indicating that VNC has been successfully enabled on the Raspberry Pi:

Raspberry Pi Address

To connect to your Raspberry Pi, you have two options:

  1. Use its hostname (if you know it)

  2. Use its IP address

Getting the Raspberry Pi’s Hostname

To get the hostname, open a terminal and type:

hostname

Getting the Raspberry Pi’s IP Address

To find the IP address of your Raspberry Pi, open a terminal and type:

ifconfig

In the output, you will see the IP address, depending on whether your Raspberry Pi is connected via Wi-Fi or Ethernet cable.

Here’s what the different rectangles in the image on the right represent:

  • Red square: If your Raspberry Pi is connected via Ethernet cable, you should find the IP address in this area.

  • Green square: This area is reserved for the Wi-Fi section of the board. You will find the IP address here if you are connected via Wi-Fi.

  • Blue square: This is the IP address of our Raspberry Pi. We can use it to connect remotely.

RealVNC Viewer

The last step is to install RealVNC Viewer, which will allow us to connect to our Raspberry Pi from our computer. To do this, go to the following website: link

Once on the site, click on Download:

To connect to your Raspberry Pi, simply make sure you are on the same Wi-Fi network as your board and enter its IP address or the hostname of your Raspberry Pi, as shown below:

Since this is your first connection to the Raspberry Pi, you will be asked to confirm that you want to connect. Click Continue.

You will then be prompted to log in to the Raspberry Pi account:

Once connected, you will see the Raspberry Pi desktop appear: