Arch Linux User Repository

I maintain the latest built package at:

https://github.com/frealgagu/archlinux.chrome-remote-desktop/releases/

Thanks @frealgagu for packaging this, @nightuser for the existing session patch and @Brinsky for the instructions.

I've compiled both instructions with screenshots and added it to my blog if anyone is having issues with the install. Otherwise, just follow the instructions in the comments by @Brinsky from 2019-12-06 13:58.

Here's how I got this working with the new web app (remotedesktop.google.com):

1. Build and install the package
2. run crd --setup
3. (Optional) Configure execution of your preferred window manager in ~/.chrome-remote-desktop-session
4. Go to http://remotedesktop.google.com/headless
5. Click "next" and "authorize" through each instruction
6. Copy/paste and run the provided "Debian" command, which should look like the following: DISPLAY= /opt/google/chrome-remote-desktop/start-host --code="<UNIQUE_CODE>" --redirect-url="<https://remotedesktop.google.com/_/oauthredirect>" --name=
7. Set up a name and PIN
8. Wait for successful output containing "Host ready to receive connections."
9. Run crd --start

I have tried several times to install the package on a new machine with pamac on freshly built manjaro.

But this does not work because the file chrome-remote-desktop-108.0.5359.33.deb is not found (404).

But there is a Debian package for it, which can be installed after all.

However, the access to my desktop does not work with it either and the error message I get on a Windows computer says nothing about the cause.

By chance I found out - because I installed anyDesk as an alternative to chrome-remote-desktop and it also had the same problem and gave a better error message - through a YouTube article (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_1UuMVYzkc) what the problem is:

In the configuration file etc/gdm/custom.conf I have the section:

[daemon] AutomaticLoginEnable=False

Uncomment the line below to force the login screen to use Xorg

WaylandEnable=false

replaced by: [daemon] AutomaticLoginEnable=False

Uncomment the line below to force the login screen to use Xorg

WaylandEnable=false

Enable automatic login

AutomaticLoginEnable = true AutomaticLogin = $USERNAME

Now the chrome-remote-desktop-connection works, too, where I provide my Linux-desktop.

However, I don't know if changing this configuration doesn't have side effects.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

It goes permanently offline right after I add my device, any idea how to fix this? I tried everything and it still won't work.

Noticed after updating to the latest version the service would not start up, the fix for me was to install xf86-video-dummy and then crd --start worked like a charm.

The problem is that Xorg wrapper is used instead of the binary. There is a workaround for Debian in: https://chromium-review.googlesource.com/c/chromium/src/+/3562121

But on Arch the Xorg binary is in /usr/lib, not in /usr/lib/xorg so the workaround does not work.

One way to make it work is to set /usr/lib to be first in path, before /usr/bin (so the binary /usr/lib/Xorg is used instead of the wrapper /usr/bin/Xorg): export PATH=/usr/lib:$PATH

Another way would be to patch linux_me2me_host.py to have: xorg_binary = "/usr/lib/Xorg";

Hope it helps.

Version 108, by default, uses the debian package xserver-xorg-video-dummy instead of Xvfb for the headless virtual X display. I could not get CRD to work with Xorg, but I was able to revert to Xvfb by setting the CHROME_REMOTE_DESKTOP_USE_XVFB environment variable in .profile.

The following link explains this change which has been in the works since 2016.

https://bugs.chromium.org/p/chromium/issues/detail?id=596125

I made my configuration based on Brinsky's comment and it worked:

1. Build and install the package
2. run crd --setup
3. (Optional) Configure execution of your preferred window manager in ~/.chrome-remote-desktop-session
4. Go to http://remotedesktop.google.com/headless
5. Click "next" and "authorize" through each instruction
6. Copy/paste and run the provided "Debian" command, which should look like the following:
DISPLAY= /opt/google/chrome-remote-desktop/start-host --code="<UNIQUE_CODE>" --redirect-url="<https://remotedesktop.google.com/_/oauthredirect>" --name=

7. Set up a name and PIN
8. Activate and start the service:

sudo systemctl enable chrome-remote-desktop@"$USER".service
sudo systemctl start chrome-remote-desktop@"$USER".service
systemctl status chrome-remote-desktop@"$USER".service

@gameslayer the comment from @ewuplse01 is useful and fixed it for me: pacman -S libutempter