Windows Installation and Removal Instructions
The following instructions are valid for Windows XP. Instructions may differ slightly for different versions of Windows, but the principle is the same. If in doubt, consult the operating system documentation.
A host computer is the computer to be controlled, running VNC Server. A client computer is a computer to connect from, running VNC Viewer.
Contents
Installing VNC Personal Edition on a host computer
To install VNC Personal Edition on a host computer, run the Installation Wizard and follow the instructions. You will need to be a user with administrative privileges.
If you accept all the defaults, both VNC Server and fully-featured VNC Viewer are installed on the host computer. Note that the optional VNC Mirror Driver and VNC Printer Driver components greatly enhance performance and enable you to print host computer files respectively.
If you are upgrading from a previous version of VNC Personal Edition, you may see the following Wizard step informing you that your existing license key is invalid:
If you already have a new license key, turn on I have a replacement license key and click the Next button. If not, you can click Renew your license key by email to contact RealVNC.
A subsequent Wizard step opens a dialog prompting you to enter a license key to unlock VNC Server:
Enter a valid license key, or click the Trial License button to start a 30-day trial. For more information, see License key FAQ.
The last Wizard step prompts you to enter and confirm a password that users must specify in order to connect to VNC Server:
For more information on authentication, see the User Guide.
Note you may need to restart the host computer after installation, or log off and back on, in order to enable VNC Mirror Driver.
Installing fully-featured VNC Viewer on a client computer
You can run the VNC Personal Edition Installation Wizard, to just install fully-featured VNC Viewer, on as many Windows client computers as you like. You do not have to enter a license key to use VNC Viewer. At the following Wizard step, turn off all options except VNC Viewer:
After installation, select RealVNC > VNC Viewer from the Start menu to run VNC Viewer or double-click the desktop icon, if available.
Running standalone VNC Viewer on a client computer
You are free to download standalone VNC Viewer to as many Windows client computers as you like. To run it, double-click the downloaded file. This is useful if you do not want to install VNC Viewer, or do not have sufficient privileges. Note: you can also carry standalone VNC Viewer with you on a USB memory stick (or similar removable storage device).
VNC Address Book is not available in standalone VNC Viewer.
Removing VNC Personal Edition
To remove VNC Personal Edition, use Control Panel > Add or Remove Programs in the standard way. Note that the VNC Printer Driver and VNC Mirror Driver components are automatically removed. You may need to restart your computer.