What’s the best way to maintain a private, persistent Linux desktop session over RDP?

Xpra is worth considering if you do not need a complete remote desktop window. It keeps graphical applications running on the Linux machine after disconnecting and lets you reconnect later, either as individual forwarded windows or through a desktop session. It works over SSH, supports clients on multiple operating systems, and is generally more flexible than traditional VNC.

GNOME’s built-in remote desktop support can provide RDP access on Wayland, but it has important session-management limitations. On some systems, a remote headless session and an already-running physical console session cannot both be used interchangeably by the same user. If seamless switching between local and remote access is essential, an X11 desktop with xrdp or X2Go may currently be less frustrating.

For a separate, headless desktop session, xrdp with xorgxrdp is probably the most straightforward option. It creates an X11 desktop that is not attached to the physical monitor, so the office display can stay locked or off while you reconnect to the same session remotely. XFCE is often used because it is lightweight and works well with xrdp. The main limitation is that xrdp setups can have trouble when the same user already has an active local session, depending on the distribution and configuration.

SSH X11 forwarding is fine for launching a few individual applications, but it is not a great replacement for a persistent full desktop. It depends heavily on network latency and bandwidth, and applications can disappear when the connection or SSH session is not managed carefully. For a complete resumable workspace, use xrdp, X2Go, Xpra, or a similar session-oriented tool instead.

If you want to reconnect to the actual console session rather than start a separate desktop, look at NoMachine or a carefully configured VNC/x11vnc setup. These can blank or lock the physical display while the remote connection is active. A dummy HDMI plug can also make the graphics stack create a usable display when no monitor is connected, although this is still closer to controlling the console session than a true independent RDP login.