How to Install Remmina on Fedora Linux

Remmina is a remote desktop client written in GTK+, aiming to be useful for system administrators and travelers who need to work with many remote computers in front of either large monitors or tiny netbooks. It supports the following protocols: RDP, VNC, NX, XDMCP, and SSH. Among its features are Multi-Monitor support, Tabbed sessions, port forwarding, proxy support, and easy access to typical applications like Firefox or LibreOffice. Remmina also has a robust plugin system that can be used to extend its functionality.

In the following tutorial, you will learn to install Remmina on Fedora Linux using two different methods: dnf package manager or flatpak package manager, with some tips for maintaining or removing popular remote desktop software in the future.

Update Fedora Packages – System Upgrade

Before you begin, ensure your system is up-to-date to avoid any conflicts during the installation, and for good practice, use the terminal command as follows.

sudo dnf upgrade --refresh

Method 1: Install Remmina with Fedora Repository

For most users, the easiest way to install the software is to utilize the Fedora repository using the DNF package manager; given that Fedora focuses on the latest releases every six months and often, during that time, releases even more updates, you are generally on the latest if not one version behind in most cases making it desirable instead of using alternative package managers.

Install the remote desktop software using the following DNF install command.

sudo dnf install remmina remmina-gnome-session -y

Optionally, you can install the devel package for developers.

sudo dnf install remmina-devel  -y

Lastly, install the plugins you require; remove the ones you do not need.

sudo dnf install remmina-plugins-kwallet remmina-plugins-spice remmina-plugins-www remmina-plugins-x2go -y

Method 2: Install Remmina with Flatpak and Flathub

The second option is to use the Flatpak package manager installed on Fedora-based systems. The extra benefit of using Flatpak installations is that you will always have the most up-to-date version. However, with distributions such as Fedora or similar types that focus on the latest packages, the significant advantage is often not as substantial or not present. However, still, this is the user’s discretion in choosing.

Situational – Re-install Flatpak

First, re-install the Flatpak manager if it was removed previously.

sudo dnf install flatpak -y

For users re-installing Flatpak, it is often recommended to reboot your system. Failure to do this can occur with odd issues, such as wrong icon paths.

reboot

SKIP THE REBOOT IF FLATPAK IS INSTALLED.

Run Remmina Flatpak Installation Commands

Next, you need to enable Flatpack using the following command in your terminal.

sudo flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo

Ideally, you should reboot at this stage; if you skip this and notice icons not appearing, the reboot will generate the paths required for the future.

reboot

Now run the installation using the following flatpak command.

flatpak install flathub org.remmina.Remmina -y

Troubleshoot Remmina Flatpak Installation

First, the most common error when installing a Flatpak from Flathub is the following error output.

"error: Unable to load summary from remote flathub: Can't fetch summary from disabled remote 'flathub,"

The fix is simple, run the following command to enable Flathub.

flatpak remote-modify --enable flathub

This will fix the issue the above issue. The next issue can be access to system files. I would only recommend using the following command if you have access permission with your installation accessing files; use the override command below.

sudo flatpak override org.remmina.Remmina --filesystem=host

Please do not use this command by default unless it is needed.

How to Launch Remmina

Now that you have the software installed launching can be done in a few ways.

First, you can launch the application immediately by typing the following command in your terminal.

remmina

Lastly, Flatpak users can run from the terminal using the following command.

flatpak run org.remmina.Remmina

For desktop users, you can use the following application search feature to find the Remmina application.

Activities > Show Applications > Remmina

Example:

Once you open Remmina, you can automatically start using it to connect to servers by clicking the top left-hand side to add a new profile. For more information on Remmina’s features, I suggest visiting the official Remmina Wiki.

Example:

And that is it, and you have installed the Remmina Remote Desktop client on your desktop.

Additional Commands & Tips

How to Update Remmina

Updates should appear in notifications, but if these fail to show sometimes, it is recommended to check using the terminal regardless use one of the following commands to check for updates.

Remmina Update DNF Method

sudo dnf update

Remmina Update Flatpak Method

flatpak update

How to Remove (Uninstall) Remmina

Use one of the following commands to suit the original installation method for users who no longer require the application.

Remmina DNF Remove Method

sudo dnf autoremove remmina* -y

Remmina Flatpak Remove Method

flatpak remove  --delete-data org.remmina.Remmina -y

Next, run the following command for any leftover clean-ups required, similar to the autoremove command for DNF.

flatpak remove --unused

Conclusion

If you have not tried using a remote desktop client, we recommend giving Remmina a try. It is an open-source application that has been around for quite some time and has been updated regularly with new features and bug fixes.