This tutorial shows you three different methods of using your smartphone and tablet as a second monitor for your Linux desktop.

1. Using Remote Desktop Protocol on Gnome 42

While Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) is not a new feature for Linux desktops, Gnome 42 lets you use extendable virtual monitors over an RDP connection. This is by far the easiest and most convenient way to share a virtual monitor on Linux. Before starting, make sure you are using a distro with Gnome 42, like Ubuntu 22.04 LTS on Wayland (the default display server of Gnome 42).

Enabling Virtual Monitor Feature in Gnome 42

To enable the virtual monitor feature, run the following in your terminal: This feature allows you to share and treat your virtual monitor like an actual monitor.

Setting Up Remote Desktop From Settings

Connecting With an RDP Client From Your Mobile Device

On your mobile device, download any RDP client to connect to the remote desktop. In my case, I’m using Microsoft’s Remote Desktop app, which is available for Android, iOS and ipadOS.

Setting Up Your Virtual Monitor Position

You can configure your virtual monitor position just as an actual monitor. From the Settings app, go to “Displays.” Here you can change your virtual display position relative to your laptop/PC’s display. Also, you can change the orientation of your virtual monitor from the “Orientation” option.

2. Using VirtScreen

VirtScreen is a Linux-exclusive app that can create and share a virtual screen using a VNC server. VirtScreen is currently not supported on the Wayland display server, so make sure you’re using Xorg to run VirtScreen.

Installing VirtScreen

You can download VirtScreen from its GitHub page. To install the VirtScreen deb package, run: Replace “path/to/virtscreen.deb” with your actual file path.

Running VirtScreen

Using a VNC Client to Connect to Virtscreen

Now that you have the VNC server running, open a VNC Viewer (or any VNC client of your choice) on your mobile device and select the “+” icon to create a new connection. Enter your displayed IP address and port number and select “CREATE.” (You can leave the name field empty.) For example, I put the address 192.168.0.108:5900 where 192.168.0.108 is my IP address and 5900 is the available port number. On the next screen, select “Connect” to connect to VirtScreen. VNC Viewer will show up in the virtual screen on your secondary device.

3. Using Deskreen

Deskreen is a cross-platform app that can share your screen to any device with a web browser.

Installing Deskreen

You can download the Deskreen deb package from its official website. To install Deskreen, run: Make sure to replace “path/to/deskreen.deb” with your actual file path. If you want, you can also run Deskreen without installing it by using the Deskreen AppImage file.

Sharing a Single Window With Deskreen

Once you have the Deskreen app installed, open the app and go to the displayed address bar from any web browser. If Deskreen asks for confirmation, select “Allow” to let Deskreen share the screen with your device. Select “Application Window” and choose one of the opened windows to share.

Using Deskreen to Share an Extended Display

Deskreen requires a dummy display plug to share your extended display. A dummy display plug is a cheap device that makes your PC think that it is connected to an external display. Alternatively, you can also use VirtScreen to create a virtual screen. Once you have the dummy plug connected to your PC, go to Settings and select “Displays.” On the Displays page, set the display mode to “Join Displays.” On the Deskreen app, select “Entire Screen” after connecting your secondary device. Select the second screen (the extended screen). On the new screen, click “Confirm,” which will share the extended screen to your secondary device’s web browser. As of now, sharing the “Entire Screen” feature needs workarounds to work on Wayland, so make sure you are on Xorg when using this feature.

Drawbacks of Using Deskreen Compared to the Other Two Solutions

Deskreen shares your screen as a video stream so that you can not interact with your PC from your secondary device. You also need to keep the shared window running in the background. Minimizing the window will result in a blank video on your browser. Image credit: Screenshots by Muhammad Munna