VNC User Guide

A set of VNC permissions is granted to each user who connects to VNC Server (Enterprise) or VNC Server (Personal) using either of the following authentication mechanisms:

• System authentication. See Authenticating using host computer user credentials.

• Single sign-on. See Authenticating automatically using client computer user credentials. Note this authentication mechanism is only available in VNC Server (Enterprise).

Note: VNC Server (Free) does not support VNC permissions. Upgrade the host computer to VNC Server (Enterprise) or VNC Server (Personal) if security and flexibility are important to you.

VNC permissions control which RealVNC remote control features a connected user is allowed to use. By default, a user supplying the credentials:

• Of a host computer user with administrative privileges is granted a Full set of VNC permissions.

• Of any other host computer user is granted a Default set of VNC permissions.

The following table explains VNC permissions (and the groups in which they may be allocated):

Permission name	When granted, a connected user can...	Full	Default	View Only
View display contents	See the host computer’s desktop.	YES	YES	YES
Send pointer events	Control the host computer using the client computer’s mouse.	YES	YES
Send keyboard events	Control the host computer using the client computer’s keyboard.	YES	YES
Send and receive clipboard contents	Copy and paste text between applications running on the client and host computers.	YES	YES
Send and receive files	Exchange files with the host computer.	YES	YES
Add VNC printers	Print host computer files to a local printer.	YES	YES
Accept chat messages	Chat with other VNC Viewer users, or with a host computer user.	YES	YES
Connect without accept/reject prompt	Bypass connection prompts. For more information about this feature, see Preventing particular users connecting.	YES

Customizing VNC permissions

You can customize VNC permissions for particular users, perhaps in order to revoke permissions for certain RealVNC remote control features while just those users are connected.

Note: You can restrict access to RealVNC remote control features for all connected users by configuring options on the Inputs tab of the VNC Server - Options dialog. For more information, see Restricting functionality for connected users.

To customize VNC permissions, open the VNC Server - Options dialog. More on this dialog. Make sure either Windows password (or platform-specific equivalent) or Single sign-on is selected in the Authentication dropdown on the Connections tab, and click the Configure button:

Note: A user can supply the credentials of any of the host computer users listed in Group or user names in order to connect to VNC Server (including any member of a group). To see how to configure host computer users or groups, see Managing users and groups in the authentication list.

You can change the VNC permissions allocated to a particular host computer user. To do this, select the appropriate entry in the Group or user names list, and turn individual permissions on or off. For example, in the following dialog, just the View display contents, Send pointer events, and Send keyboard events permissions are turned on for the host computer user Jane Doe:

This means that any user supplying Jane Doe’s credentials in order to connect to VNC Server is able to see the host computer’s desktop, and control it using their keyboard and mouse. All other RealVNC remote control features, however, are disabled. A user will not be able to copy and paste text, print, chat, transfer files, or bypass connection prompts.