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Setting up a remote desktop on WSL2 with X2go

Learn how to set up a fast and smooth remote desktop on WSL2 using X2Go with KDE Plasma.

Feb 24, 2025
· 4 minutes
Linux, WSL2, RDP, x2go

Introduction

Running a full Linux desktop environment on Windows using WSL2 can be quite useful for developers who need to work with Linux tools and applications. Using a Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) like xRDP often leads to performance issues, and that's how I spent an entire day trying setting it up on my laptop.

I finally found an alternative which is X2Go, A software providing a fast and efficient way to access a Linux GUI remotely.

After struggling for a whole day I decided to write this post to help others who might be facing the same issue.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

  • Windows 11 with WSL2 enabled
  • Ubuntu installed on WSL2
  • X2Go Client installed on Windows
  • A working internet connection

Configure WSL2 resource settings

By default, WSL2 may allocate only a 4 CPU cores and limited RAM. You'll want to allocate more resources for a smoother experience.

  1. Create or edit the .wslconfig file:
    In Windows, open Notepad (or your text editor) as your user and create (or edit) the file located at:
    C:\Users\YourUsername\.wslconfig
  2. Set Resource Limits:
    For example, if you have 14 cores on your machine and want to allocate 8 cores and 8GB of RAM, add the following lines to the .wslconfig file:
    [wsl2]
processors=8
memory=8GB

    Tip: Adjust the values based on your system's resources.
  3. Restart WSL2: Open an elevated PowerShell terminal and run:
    wsl --shutdown

    This will restart WSL2 with the new resource settings.

Install a Linux desktop environment

Next, you'll need to install a Linux desktop environment. I'll use KDE Plasma because I prefer it to other desktop environments. Feel free to choose which ever you like.

  1. Update your linux system:
    sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
  2. Install Tasksel:
    sudo apt install -y tasksel

    Run sudo tasksel and select KDE Plasma to install KDE Plasma (or the one of your choice).

Note for WSL2 Users:

WSL2 is a virtualized environment that doesn't always support all system services out-of-the-box (such as systemd). Recent Windows builds now offer systemd support for WSL2, but if yours doesn't, you might need to start some services manually.

Install and configure the X2Go server

X2Go is a remote desktop software that provides fast and efficient access to a Linux desktop environment. It is lightweight and offers excellent performance for remote desktop connections. You can find more information about X2Go on their documentation.

  1. Install X2go server on your WSL2:
    sudo apt-get update
sudo apt install -y x2goserver x2goserver-xsession

    This will install the X2Go server and the X2Go server session. The session package is required to start the KDE Plasma desktop.
  2. Configure KDE Plasma as the default desktop environment for X2Go:
    • Edit the X2go session script:
      sudo nano /etc/x2go/Xsession
    • Force KDE Plasma start:
      At the bottom of the file add the following lines:
      export DISPLAY=:50
exec dbus-launch --exit-with-session startplasma-x11

      Save and exit ( + X, then Y, then Enter).
  3. Restart X2go server:
    sudo systemctl restart x2goserver

    This will restart the X2Go server with the new configuration.

    Tip: If systemd doesn't work in your WSL2 distro, you might have to start the X2go server manually or restart your session.

    To check the status of the server run:
    sudo systemctl status x2goserver

    The X2Go server should be ready to accept new connections !

Install and configure X2Go client on Windows

  1. Download and install X2Go client from X2Go's official website.
  2. Launch X2Go client and create a new session.
  3. Configure session settings:
    • Session name: Choose any name (e.g., Ubuntu KDE WSL2)
    • Host: localhost (WSL2's network integration allows SSH connections through localhost).
    • Login: Your Ubuntu WSL2 username.
    • SSH port: 22 (ensure the SSH server is running in Ubuntu; if not, install and start OpenSSH Server with sudo apt install openssh-server).
    • Session type: Custom Desktop
      • Choose "Custom Desktop" to specify the desktop environment.
      • In the "Command" field, enter startplasma-x11.
    • Display DPI: 96
    • Color depth: 16m-png (best quality)
  4. Save and connect: When you connect, you should see your KDE Plasma desktop. If you see a black screen instead or run into other issues, refer to the troubleshooting section.

Troubleshooting common issues

Black screen on connection

If you see a black screen after connecting, it might be due to the X2Go server not starting the KDE Plasma desktop correctly, or the display settings are wrong.

Possible solutions:

  1. Kill stale X2Go sessions: Check if there are any stale X2Go sessions running
    ps aux | grep plasma

    It should show something like this:
    user  1234  0.0  0.0  1234  1234 ?        S    12:34   0:00 /usr/bin/startplasma-x11

    If you see any stale sessions, kill them by running:
    sudo pkill -u $USER plasma_session
sudo pkill -u $USER startplasma-x11
sudo pkill -u $USER x2goagent
sudo systemctl restart x2goserver

    Try reconnecting to the X2Go session.

KDE Wallet and GPG key prompts

When launching apps like Microsoft Edge, KDE Wallet may prompt for a GPG encryption key. If you don't have a GPG key set up, create a new one:

  • Install GnuPG:
    sudo apt install gnupg
  • Generate a new GPG key:
    gpg --full-generate-key

    You'll be asked to configure the key:
    1. Select "RSA and RSA" (default).
    2. Enter the key size (4096 is recommended).
    3. Set an expiration date (or choose "0" for no expiration).
    4. Enter your name, email, and an optional comment.
    5. Confirm and set a secure passphrase.

  • Once the key is generated, you'll see something like:
    gpg: key 1234567890ABCDEF marked as ultimately trusted
  • Now, restart your session (or reboot your system), and try setting up KDE Wallet again. It should detect the GPG key and allow you to use encryption.

Authentication errors in Muon Package Manager

If Muon asks for authentication but fails, try launching it with:

pkexec env DISPLAY=$DISPLAY XAUTHORITY=$XAUTHORITY muon

This will launch Muon with elevated privileges and should resolve the authentication issue.

KDE Discover "offline" issue

If KDE Discover shows you that the system is offline, run:

sudo systemctl restart network-manager

This will restart the network manager service and should resolve the issue.

Additional tips

  • Color depth and image quality:
    In X2go client's session preferences under the Display tab, you can choose options like "16m-png" for the best image quality. If performance is more important, you can choose "16m-jpeg" or "256" colors for faster rendering.
  • Desktop environment:
    Disable unnecessary KDE desktop effects via System Settings → Workspace Behavior → Desktop Effects to improve performance.
    Disable Baloo file indexing too if you don't need it, by running:
    balooctl disable