FreeRDP
A free implementation of Microsoft's Remote Desktop Protocol, and the engine inside most Linux RDP clients.
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3 more ways to get FreeRDP
Package managers
- Chocolatey
choco install freerdp - Homebrew
brew install freerdp - Flathub
flatpak install flathub com.freerdp.FreeRDP
About FreeRDP
FreeRDP is a client and a library for RDP, built against Microsoft's published Open Specifications. It supports the parts people actually need: clipboard and drive redirection, audio in and out, multiple monitors, smart cards, RemoteApp and gateway connections.
Most people meet it indirectly. Remmina, GNOME Connections and several commercial products use FreeRDP underneath rather than writing their own protocol stack, so its command line client is usually the fallback when a graphical one misbehaves.
Strengths
- Clipboard, drive, audio, smart card and multi-monitor redirection
- Built against Microsoft's published Open Specifications rather than guesswork
- Used as the engine by Remmina and other clients, so it is well tested
- Builds for Windows, macOS, Linux, BSD and ARM, PowerPC and RISC-V
Limitations
- Primarily a command line client and a library, not a polished desktop app
- Connection options are numerous and cryptic
- Feature support depends on which options your distribution compiled in
- You will usually be better served by a front end such as Remmina
Details
- Pricing
- Free · Free and open source under the Apache 2.0 licence.
- License
- Apache-2.0
- Developer
- FreeRDP Project
- Platforms
- Windows, macOS, Linux, Command line
- How it runs
- Downloadable app
- Account
- Not required
- Works offline
- Yes
- Best suited for
- Connecting to Windows machines over RDP from Linux, or building something that does
- Categories
- Remote desktop
- Last verified
- Added
- Provenance
- Selected from the TechWalrus downloads catalog (Remote Access); facts checked against the developer's own pages, 2 sources on file.
Similar software
Related functionality, not necessarily a direct replacement.
Remmina
The standard Linux remote desktop client, with plugins for RDP, VNC, SSH, SPICE and X2Go behind one connection list.
RustDesk
An open-source remote desktop tool you can point at your own relay server instead of somebody else’s cloud.
TigerVNC
A fast, cross-platform VNC client and server built for real work, including 3D and video over the wire.
Moonlight
Streams games from a gaming PC to another device on your network, with hardware decoding and a gamepad.
