I'm transitioning my daily computing from Windows 11 to Linux, likely starting with Mint. However, I need to keep my Windows 11 desktop up and running for a while as I adjust. I've heard that the familiar RDP setup in Windows isn't available in Linux. What tools or methods can I use to access my Windows drives and files from a Linux machine?
5 Answers
If you're looking for a remote desktop experience, try Xrdp for Linux. It's a solid option for accessing your Windows machine from Linux.
Setting up a Windows/Samba share is straightforward. Create a shared folder on your Windows desktop, then install Gigolo on Mint using 'sudo apt install gigolo samba gvfs-backends'. Connect to the shared folder from there. Just make sure both machines are on the same network. You can even automate file transfers with a bash script using rsync!
If you're dual booting, you should be able to access your Windows drive directly from Linux. In case you're setting up a second PC, I'd recommend using Samba. There's a ton of tutorials available online that can guide you through the setup.
You can simply share the drive or folder on your Windows system using SMB. Just right-click on the folder and choose the option to share it over the network. After that, on your Linux machine, you'll connect to the shared folder using the network address and the credentials you set up. It usually shows up in your file browser under network locations, making it easy to access your files.
As long as you're on the same network as your Windows PC, accessing the SMB share is possible as mentioned earlier. If you're looking for an RDP-style experience, consider using KRDP as a client for Linux. Other options like TeamViewer or RustDesk work well too, and I recommend using the KDE desktop if you're new to Linux.

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