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Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallRaspberry Pi Desktop is the graphical environment you use on a Raspberry Pi with a display; Raspberry Pi Connect is a separate service for accessing a Pi remotely through a web browser. Connect can provide screen sharing, a remote shell, and remote updates, but it does not supply a monitor or make every Raspberry Pi OS installation capable of remote screen sharing.
What Raspberry Pi Desktop does
Raspberry Pi Desktop is the local graphical user interface (GUI): the visual environment of windows, menus, icons, and a pointer. Raspberry Pi describes this interface in its configuration documentation. It is available when you use a Raspberry Pi OS edition that includes a desktop environment.
The desktop is not a remote-access service. To use the Pi’s GUI from another device, you need a compatible remote-access method, such as Raspberry Pi Connect screen sharing. A Pi with no display attached is headless: it cannot show its desktop locally, even if a desktop environment is installed.
What Raspberry Pi Connect does
Raspberry Pi Connect links a Pi to a Connect account so you can access it through a browser. Raspberry Pi documents three capabilities: screen sharing, remote shell, and remote update. See the Raspberry Pi Connect documentation and the Connect service page.
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- Screen sharing: View and interact with the Pi’s graphical session remotely, when the operating-system requirements are met.
- Remote shell: Open a command-line session to the Pi through Connect.
- Remote update: The Connect introduction lists remote update as a service capability.
Connect is not the same thing as SSH. Connect remote shell starts a new session for each connection. If a command must keep running after you disconnect, Raspberry Pi recommends using a tool such as screen or tmux to keep the process attached to a persistent terminal session.
Which Raspberry Pi setups support Connect screen sharing?
Raspberry Pi’s Connect documentation says the service requires Raspberry Pi OS Bookworm or later. Screen sharing has an additional requirement: Raspberry Pi says it requires the Wayland window server. It is unavailable on Raspberry Pi OS Lite and does not work on systems using X. On Lite, Connect supports remote shell only.
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| Setup | Connect access documented |
|---|---|
| Raspberry Pi OS Bookworm or later, with Wayland | Screen sharing and remote shell; remote update is also listed by Raspberry Pi. |
| Raspberry Pi OS Lite | Remote shell only; screen sharing is unavailable. |
| System using X | Screen sharing is incompatible; the documentation does not specify other access methods for this case. |
These requirements are specific to Connect’s documented support. Having a desktop environment alone does not guarantee Connect screen sharing will work: the OS version and display-server setup matter too.
What equipment do you need?
For a basic Raspberry Pi setup, Raspberry Pi’s getting-started guide lists power and boot media, such as a microSD card. To use the Pi directly as a desktop computer, add a display, a cable that connects it to the Pi, a keyboard, and a mouse.
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- Local desktop use: Pi, power, boot media, display and connecting cable, keyboard, and mouse.
- Headless use: Pi, power, boot media, network access, and a remote-access method such as Connect or SSH.
A monitor and input devices are for local desktop use; they are not special Connect accessories. Connect lets you access a compatible Pi remotely, but it does not create a local screen or replace the boot media needed to start the computer.
How Connect reaches a Pi—and what affects responsiveness
Connect can provide access when your browser and Pi are on the same network or on different networks. Raspberry Pi says a direct local connection is faster and more responsive than a connection routed over the internet or through a relay. If the browser or operating system denies local-network discovery permissions, Connect can still work, but the session cannot use the local route.
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When a direct peer-to-peer connection is unavailable, Raspberry Pi says Connect may relay encrypted traffic through TURN servers in London and California. The documentation says there is no Connect setting to disable relaying. This is a routing consideration, not a guarantee that every session will connect directly.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What Raspberry Pi says about Connect security
Raspberry Pi documents Connect sessions as WebRTC connections with DTLS encryption between the Pi and browser. According to the company, the device creates a fresh key pair for each session, keeps the private key in memory, and discards it when the session ends. Raspberry Pi says screen frames, input, clipboard data, and shell contents travel through the encrypted channel, while its API exchanges setup information and device state.
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Raspberry Pi also says offer-and-answer connection metadata is retained for at most one minute. These are the provider’s descriptions of its design and data handling, not the results of independent security testing.
Connect plans and listed prices
As listed by Raspberry Pi on its Connect service page in 2026, the individual plan is free and includes unlimited devices, screen sharing, remote shell, and remote update. Raspberry Pi lists Connect for Organisations at $0.50 per device per month, with unlimited users, search and filtering, device tagging, bulk provisioning, a management API, and an audit log. Prices and included features can change; consult the official Connect service page for current terms.
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