Using Xpra

August 24, 2026 · View on GitHub

Xpra's graphical tools cover the most common ways to start, find, and connect to sessions. Open Xpra from your desktop's application menu to get started, or use the command-line examples below when you want a repeatable command or more control.

Start with the graphical tools

Choose a task from the main Xpra window. Each tool focuses on one part of setting up or using a session.

Xpra main window

Your starting point for browsing available sessions, connecting to a server, sharing an existing display, changing Xpra's configuration, or starting a new session.

Connect to a session

Xpra session launcher showing server connection details

Use Connect to enter a server address and credentials. You can save the connection to a session file so it is easy to reuse later. See the client guide for connection options.

Start a session

Start Xpra Session window for choosing a session type and application

Use Start to launch an application in a seamless session, create a full desktop, or share an existing display. Sessions can run on this computer or a remote host.

Choose session features

Xpra session features window with clipboard, notification, tray, and input options

The Options buttons in the Start window let you tailor clipboard sharing, notifications, system tray forwarding, input handling, audio, printing, and other session features.

Configure Xpra

Use Configure to change persistent defaults, check optional packages, tune picture compression, enable debugging, and configure server components. The settings can also be managed through configuration files.

Configure features

Configure Xpra features window with switches for forwarded session features

Choose which session features Xpra forwards, including audio, video, the system tray, files, printers, clipboard contents, notifications, and windows.

Command-line examples

These examples apply to the current versions. Use man xpra for the manual matching your installed version. On Microsoft Windows, see the Windows command line.

Simple seamless application forwarding

This is how Xpra is most often used. This command starts xterm (or any graphical application of your choice) on HOST and displays it on your local desktop through an SSH transport:

xpra seamless ssh://USERNAME@HOST/ --start-child=xterm

Step by step

Instead of starting and attaching to the session with a single command, first connect to the server via SSH and start the Xpra server on a free display (:100 in this example):

xpra seamless :100 --start=xterm

Then connect to this Xpra instance from the client:

xpra attach ssh://USERNAME@HOST/100

Replace HOST with the hostname or IP address of the server.

Connecting locally

If you are attaching from the same machine with the same user account, this is sufficient:

xpra attach :100

If there is only one Xpra session running, omit the display:

xpra attach

Access without SSH

SSH provides host verification, secure authentication, and encryption. It is available on all platforms and is well tested.

If you do not want to give remote users shell access, or want to share sessions between multiple remote users, you can use TCP sockets:

xpra seamless --start=xterm --bind-tcp=0.0.0.0:10000

Assuming port 10000 is allowed through the firewall, connect from the client with:

xpra attach tcp://SERVERHOST:10000/

This example TCP socket is insecure. See authentication before exposing it to a network.

Attach with a session file

Instead of typing the same attach command repeatedly, create a session file and double-click it to connect:

mode=ssh
host=YOURSERVER
speaker=off

See session files for more information.

Forward a full desktop

Start a full desktop environment with the desktop mode:

xpra desktop --start-child=fluxbox

You can connect via SSH, TCP, or any other supported transport.

Clone or shadow an existing display

Access an existing display remotely:

xpra shadow ssh://SERVERHOST/

Synchronize clipboard contents between the client and server while disabling the other forwarded features:

xpra shadow --clipboard=yes --printing=no --windows=no --speaker=no ssh://SERVERHOST/

Forward a printer

xpra shadow --printing=yes --windows=no --speaker=no ssh://SERVERHOST/

Local printers should then be available as virtual printers on the server.