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

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

Chrome remote desktop still thinks I haven't installed it even tho I have and has the extension installed on the Chrome.

I couldn't find the service chrome-remote-desktop.service`` and when I ran/usr/bin/crd --startI get this messageSeems like you haven't set this up yet. Try running: crd --setup.``

And this is my log

[sudo] password for corey: 
Adding user corey to group chrome-remote-desktop
Checking that working directory and session file are present
That would be /home/corey/.config/chrome-remote-desktop and
/home/corey/.chrome-remote-desktop-session

Now entering the editor to make the appropriate changes to your session file.
Press any key to continue...

If you want to set a default size for all clients, please add a
value with format [width]x[height] (e.g 1360x768) in file
/home/corey/.config/chrome-remote-desktop/Size.
Remember that this will affect all clients you use.
If you dont want a default size please leave it blank.
Now entering the editor to make the appropriate changes to
your Size file. Do not enter any comments to this file.
Press any key to continue...

This completes the setup.

Please remember that you will need to allow Chrome or Chromium
to act as a server for this to work at all.

To do that, open https://remotedesktop.google.com/ in your chrome or chromium browser
and follow the instructions. Clicking the computer will open
it in the browser window in default resolution.
For a more pleasant chromoting experience, just issue the command: crd --restart

Happy chromoting! :)

Still doesn't work

The latest update of chrome-remote-desktop (101.0.4951.26-1) depends on libutempter. After upgrading, I needed to install libutempter in order for it to work.

Upgraded to version 96.0.4664.9, please flag package as out-of-date if checksum verification fails or 404 error is thrown downloading sources.

@Steven_He: Changing the link to the latest deb package and skipping the checksum check is wrong, since the package version will no longer represent the actual version of CRD. One can always obtain the latest version number and SHA256 hash from the Packages file in the CRD repository. I wrote a simple script that fetches this information from upstream and then updates the PKGBUILD file:

#!/bin/bash

. PKGBUILD
oldversion="$pkgver"
oldchecksum="${sha256sums[0]}"

data=($(curl -qs https://dl.google.com/linux/chrome-remote-desktop/deb/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages | grep '^Version\|^SHA256' | awk '{print $2}'))
version="${data[0]}"
checksum="${data[1]}"

echo "Updating $oldversion to $version"
sed -e "s,$oldversion,$version," -e "s,$oldchecksum,$checksum," -i PKGBUILD

Latest fix: Open PKGBUILD Change the URL under source into https://dl.google.com/linux/direct/chrome-remote-desktop_current_amd64.deb Change the first long number under sha256sums into SKIP And then you can run makepkg -si like normal