Can Linux keep one desktop session going between office and home?

If you want a separate remote desktop session, xrdp with an X11 desktop such as XFCE is a common route. It gives you a desktop over RDP without simply mirroring the workstation’s physical display. Check how your chosen setup handles reconnecting and whether a local login for the same user conflicts with the remote session. Those details can vary with the desktop and configuration.

First decide whether “same session” means the same apps and files stay open, or literally the same graphical login moving between remote and local use. A virtual remote desktop can keep its own session alive, but it may not be the desktop you see at the workstation. If you need the exact console session, verify that a proposed tool supports attaching to it and blanking or locking the physical display. Those are separate requirements, not guaranteed by the remote protocol alone.

NoMachine is another option to investigate if you want remote access to the workstation and a way to blank its screen. Confirm the blanking behavior and local handoff on your particular Linux desktop before setting it up as your main workflow. A dark monitor by itself is not proof that the local session is locked.

If the work is mostly terminal-based, tmux over SSH is much simpler and dependable for keeping shells and long-running tasks alive. For GUI programs, X forwarding over SSH can work for some applications, but it is not a general replacement for a persistent full desktop, especially if you expect to resume the same open windows later.

There are also tools built around separate remote desktops, including X2Go and Kasm. They may suit a persistent remote workspace, but don’t assume that means they connect to the physical console session. If that distinction matters, make it the first thing you test, along with what someone at the office can see on the monitor.