The guide shows how to enable Manjaro’s “community” repository (if needed) and then install Remmina together with its RDP, VNC, SSH (and optional SPICE) plugins in a single pacman command. It recommends turning on OpenGL rendering by editing ~/.config/remmina/remmina.pref for smoother remote sessions on capable GPUs. After installation you verify the client by creating a quick RDP profile and connecting to a test host, checking firewall access if it fails. Finally, you can remove unused protocol plugins to save space and keep Remmina up‑to‑date with regular pacman -Syu updates.

How to Install Remmina Remote Desktop on Manjaro 21

You’re running Manjaro 21 and need a decent RDP/VNC client without pulling the whole GNOME desktop into your system. This guide walks you through getting Remmina up and running, why each step matters, and a quick test to make sure it actually works.

Add the community repo (if you haven’t already)

Manjaro’s default install ships with the “community” repository enabled, but on a fresh minimal spin it can be off. Run:

sudo pacman -Sy

Updating the package database pulls in the latest mirrors; skipping this often leads to “package not found” errors later.

Install Remmina and its plugins

Remmina’s core package only gives you the GUI. To connect via RDP, VNC, SPICE or SSH you need the matching plugins. Install everything in one go:

sudo pacman -S remmina remmina-plugin-rdp remmina-plugin-vnc remmina-plugin-ssh

Why install all plugins? If you later need to jump from a Windows box (RDP) to a Linux VM (SSH) you won’t have to reopen the terminal and add another package. It also prevents the “missing protocol” pop‑ups that can be confusing for newcomers.

Enable hardware acceleration (optional but recommended)

If your laptop has a decent GPU, enabling OpenGL will make remote sessions feel less like watching paint dry. Edit ~/.config/remmina/remmina.pref and set:

use_opengl=1

The flag tells Remmina to offload rendering to the graphics card instead of relying on pure CPU blitting. On older hardware you can leave it at 0.

Verify the installation

Launch Remmina from your menu or type remmina in a terminal. The first time it starts, it will create a config directory; this is normal. Create a quick RDP test profile:

1. Click + → New Connection Profile.
2. Choose “RDP – Remote Desktop Protocol”.
3. Fill in the remote host’s IP and your credentials.
4. Hit Save then double‑click the entry.

If you see the Windows login screen within a few seconds, you’ve got it right. I’ve run into situations where a stray firewall rule on the remote side blocked port 3389; the error message is cryptic, but checking nc -zv <host> 3389 from the Manjaro box clears that up.

Clean‑up (if you only need one protocol)

If you’re sure you’ll never use VNC or SPICE, you can prune the unnecessary plugins:

sudo pacman -Rns remmina-plugin-vnc remmina-plugin-spice

Removing them shaves a couple of megabytes off your system and keeps the package list tidy. I’ve seen people keep every plugin “just in case” and end up with a bloated /usr/share/remmina directory that makes updates slower.

Keep Remmina current

Manjaro’s rolling‑release model means you’ll get updates automatically, but it never hurts to give it a manual refresh once in a while:

sudo pacman -Syu remmina

That pulls any security patches or UI tweaks the upstream developers have pushed.

That’s all there is to it. Remmina works well enough that I’ve used it on three different Manjaro installs without ever needing a commercial client. H