VNC® Viewer for Android

Getting connected » Installing VNC Server » Identifying VNC Server » Configuring VNC Server

Configuring VNC Server

Note: These instructions are specific to VNC Server incorporated in the latest versions of VNC Enterprise Edition and VNC Personal Edition. For other VNC-compatible Server technology, consult the manufacturer's documentation.

VNC Server works out-of-the-box for most users; you do not need to configure it. However, you should be aware of the following default behaviors, which you can change using the Options dialog providing you have administrative privileges on the computer:

  • By default, VNC Server specifies system authentication. This means that, to connect from VNC Viewer, you must specify the user name and password with which you log on to the computer. You can disassociate VNC Server from the credentialing system of the computer, or disable authentication altogether, by choosing the VNC password or None options respectively from the Authentication dropdown.
  • By default, VNC Server listens on port 5900. You can listen on a new port, providing no other service or program is doing so, by entering a number in the Accept connections on port field. Note you will have to specify the new port when connecting from VNC Viewer, and you may need to reconfigure firewalls and routers.
  • By default, VNC Server secures connection end-to-end using 128-bit AES encryption. To increase this to 256-bit, choose Always maximum from the Encryption dropdown. If you are sure you are in a secure environment, choose Prefer off to register a small performance improvement.

Note: These settings are on the Connections tab. To open the Options dialog, click the VNC Server icon (right-click under Windows) and, from the shortcut menu, select Status to open the VNC Server dialog. Click the Options button (Configure under VNC Server 4.5 or earlier), and then the Advanced button if not all tabs are visible.

Note that some VNC Server features, enabled by default, are not available when connecting from a device. In this version, you cannot:

  • Establish a view-only connection.
  • Print computer files.
  • Transfer files between device and computer.
  • Chat with other connected users.

If you are connecting over the Internet, you probably need to configure firewalls and routers in order for VNC Viewer to connect. Setting up the network »