We wrote a detailed guide on how to use a Windows laptop as a monitor for the Raspberry Pi, and it requires a wired ethernet connection. But if you want to access Raspberry Pi remotely from your Windows 10, Mac or Linux PC, you can do so with Wi-Fi and VNC server. In this article, we also detail the steps to remotely connect to your Raspberry Pi from a Chromebook. Even if you are a beginner, you can follow the instructions and get it up and running in minutes. So, without any delay, let’s review the tutorial.
Remote Access to Raspberry Pi from Windows, Mac, Linux and Chromebook (2021)
Before establishing a remote connection, you will need to connect the Raspberry Pi to your computer via the link below. wired ethernet environment for fast one-time setup. This is required to connect the Raspberry Pi to your Wi-Fi home network. As a result, your Raspberry Pi will be assigned an IP address. The IP address will allow us to remotely connect to Raspberry Pi from your Windows 10, Mac, Chrome OS or Linux PC.
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Requirements
1. you i need ethernet cable for one-time installation.
2. You also need at least one microSD card. 16 GB in size.
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Downloads
1. You need to download raspberry OS from here. On the web page that opens, I suggest you download “Desktop and Raspberry Pi OS with recommended software”. It will have all the necessary packages, utilities and dependencies.
2. After that, download balenaEtcher (free) to install Raspbian OS on SD card. balenaEtcher is available on Windows, macOS and Linux. Chromebook users will need to use one of these platforms to flash the SD card.
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Flash Raspbian OS on Raspberry Pi
1. After downloading Raspbian OS, Extract the ZIP file. You will then receive an IMG file.
2. Next, install and open balenaEtcher. Select the extracted image and select the SD card under “Select target”. After this, “flash“.
3. After the flashing process is complete, you need to do the following. One more step to enable SSH. Create an empty text file on the desktop. To do this in Windows, right-click on your desktop and “New -> Text Document” to create the file. Follow similar steps according to your operating system.
4. Now, open the text file and ssh file without extension. For Windows users “All filesFrom the “Save as type” drop-down menu. Other operating system users should make sure that no extensions are added to the filename.
5. Next, move ssh file flashing to the root of the SD card. You’re done on this front. Remove the SD card from your computer and insert it into Raspberry Pi.
6. Finally use the ethernet cable and Connect Raspberry Pi to your computer. After that connect the Raspberry Pi to a power source using a USB Type-C cable. You can also use your laptop’s USB port as a power source.
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Enable VNC and Desktop Environment
1. Now that you have connected the Raspberry Pi via ethernet, you need to access the RPi’s console over SSH. For Windows users, command prompt and enter the following command and hit enter. If you’re using macOS, Chrome OS, or Linux, terminal and run the same command. After that, type yes and press enter.
ssh [email protected]
2. Raspberry Pi will ask for your password. Default password raspberry. Type the password and press enter. If you changed the password in a previous installation, enter that password. By the way, if you don’t know, the default username pi.
You will log in as the 3rd pi instantly. Now, run the following command to open it. Configuration tool.
sudo raspi-config
4. Navigate to:Interface Options” or “Interface Options” using the keyboard and press Enter.
5. Under Interface options, click “VNC” and press enter.
6. On the next page, “Yup“and press enter.
7. After that, open “System Options” and go to “Boot/Auto Login”. Next, go to: “Desktop Auto Login” choice. If you are using an old Raspberry Pi, go to “Options -> Desktop/ CLI -> Desktop Auto-Login” Boot.
8. Finally, press enter to apply the changes. Next, “Finish” Tab and press Enter. It will reboot your Raspberry Pi and the SSH session will end. Now, type exit to log out
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Remotely Connect to Raspberry Pi from Chromebook or Windows, Mac and Linux PC
1. Finally you have enabled VNC and Desktop environment on your Raspberry Pi. Go ahead and download now VNC Viewer (free) on your computer. It allows you to remotely access Raspberry Pi’s desktop environment on various platforms. The program is available for Windows, macOS, Linux, and Chromebook.
2nd. Chromebook users You will need to download the Linux file and install the DEB file.
3. Install now VNC Viewer and open it. Login raspberrypi.local and press enter.
4. Then a prompt will appear, click “Continue”. In the next window, RPi’s credentialsUser name: pi and password: raspberry. Now, click “OK”.
5. Raspberry Pis in seconds screen will be live on your computer. If you get any errors, go to the Troubleshooting section below.
6. Now review the on-screen instructions and install the Raspberry Pi. I recommend that you change the default password during installation. Later, home Wi-Fi connect to your WiFi network from the top menu bar. This is an important step as it will help us obtain the IP address.
7. When you connect to Wi-Fi, open terminal On your Raspberry Pi and run the command below to open the Configuration tool.
sudo raspi-config
8. You have to repeat the same step to enable VNC. To move “Interface Options” and then press Enter.
9. Under Interface options, click “VNC” and press enter.
10. On the next page, “Yup” to enable the VNC server.
11. This time the Raspberry Pi will start as you are connected to the internet. Downloading the VNC server. After installation you are all set. You should see a message on the screen that says “VNC server is enabled”.
12. Now open Terminal and enter the command hostname -I, and press enter. This is the IP address of your Raspberry Pi.
13. Now you can unplug the ethernet cable and keep it connected to a power source. Open VNC Viewer in home network on any computer, be it Windows 10, macOS or Linux PC or Chromebook, and enter the IP address. Then press enter.
14. Enter the Raspberry Pi’s login information and there you go. You can access Raspberry Pi remotely from your Windows PC, Mac, Chromebook or Linux machine. From now on, all you have to do is fire up VNC Viewer, and you can perform any task you want remotely.
note: You can even access the Raspberry Pi from your Android or iOS smartphone using the VNC Viewer app (Android / iOS – Free).
15. Here is a quick demo that I can do remotely Access Raspberry Pi from my Chromebook additionally.
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Troubleshooting Guide – Common Raspberry Pi Issues
1. If “Cannot display desktop at this time” error, then follow the steps below to fix the problem. Open Command Prompt or Terminal and enter the following command and hit enter.
ssh [email protected]
2. Enter raspberry Enter the password and press enter. If you have changed the password before, enter that password.
You will log in as the 3rd pi. Now, run the following command to start Configuration tool.
sudo raspi-config
4. Here, Open “Viewing Options” and go to “Resolution”. But if you have an old Raspberry Pi, you will find this setting under “Advanced Options”.
5. Choose a resolution other than “Default”. You can choose another mode based on your laptop’s aspect ratio and screen resolution.
6. Now press Tab to go to “.Finish” and close the window.
7. Finally, open VNC Viewer, and this time you will be able to connect to Raspberry Pi’s desktop environment without any problems. If the “desktop cannot be shown at this time” error persists, keep changing the resolution and check which one works for you.
Use Raspberry Pi From Your Windows, Mac, Linux or Chrome OS Computer
So you can access your Raspberry Pi remotely on any platform, be it Linux, Mac, Windows or Chrome OS, without an ethernet cable or a separate monitor. I wrote the steps from scratch for beginners. However, if you have already set up your Raspberry Pi, you can skip to the last part. Anyway, that’s it for us. If you want to install Pi-hole to block ads and trackers on your Raspberry Pi, go to our detailed guide linked here. And if you have any questions, comment below and let us know. We will try to help you.
