X2Go

Remote desktop sessions for Linux using the NX protocol

X2Go is an open source remote desktop server for Linux that uses the NX technology protocol. In QuickBox Pro, X2Go is installed as a system service (x2goserver) and is accessed through the X2Go client over a dedicated SSH port.

It is not a browser-based dashboard or web app. Access is provided via the X2Go client using the server host and the assigned QuickBox username.

Overview

X2Go provides remote desktop sessions for Linux servers and is designed for users who need a full GUI environment over an efficient NX-based connection. QuickBox Pro installs the X2Go server packages, enables the x2goserver service, and prepares per-user session directories.

If you need a web UI or browser-based control panel, X2Go is not the right tool. It requires the X2Go client and connects over your server’s SSH port (4747 unless a different port was chosen at install). If you do prefer browser-based remote access, check out noVNC for browser-based remote access options.

Key features

QuickBox Pro wires X2Go as a system-managed service with a predictable connection workflow. The install process pulls packages from the X2Go apt repository and keeps the service managed by systemd.

When to use it

Use X2Go when you need a full Linux desktop session on a server instead of a web UI. It is ideal for administrators who want a dedicated client-based workflow rather than a browser route.

Installation

Install from the Dashboard

Open App Dashboard → Package Management (/dashboard?mode=packages), find X2Go in the Remote Access category (or search), and click Install. X2Go is a system-wide service, so it is an admin operation; the catalog is filtered by your group membership and admin role. The dashboard streams the install log live; Reinstall, Update, and Remove are on the same panel. X2Go pulls the X2Go server packages plus a desktop session stack, so its install takes longer than most apps.

See App Management for the full flow.

Install from the CLI (automation)

The CLI runs the same script. X2Go is system-wide, so no -u is needed:

qb install x2go
qb reinstall x2go
qb update x2go
qb remove x2go

Full flag reference: CLI Reference.

Access and authentication

X2Go access details are provided by the QuickBox access output after install. Use those values in the X2Go client to establish a session over SSH.

URL / route

The QuickBox access output for X2Go provides connection details and does not list a web URL. Access is handled through the X2Go client over SSH.

Login / credentials / tokens

Use the X2Go client and connect with the values provided after install:

Security notes

X2Go connections use your server’s SSH port (4747 unless a different port was chosen at install), as documented by the QuickBox access output. The CLI install output prints the real port for your server.

Open with X2Go from the dashboard

The App Dashboard can hand your X2Go client a ready-made session so you do not have to rebuild the connection by hand. The X2Go row has an Open with X2Go launch button, and because IPTVBoss is a desktop-only app, the IPTVBoss row’s Desktop Access offers the same Open with X2Go option (next to Open in Browser, which launches noVNC when it is installed).

Clicking Open with X2Go does two things: it downloads a small session file named quickbox-username.x2go, and it opens a Connect with X2Go Client dialog with first-time setup for your operating system plus the copyable connection details (Host, SSH port, Login, and the XFCE session type). The X2Go client must already be installed on your own computer; the file carries the connection details, not the client itself, and never your password.

Whether double-clicking the downloaded file opens it depends on your client version:

• X2Go Client version 4.1.2.3 or newer (the current Linux packages on Debian 13 and Ubuntu 24.04) opens .x2go session files directly.
• The Windows and macOS downloads, and older Linux packages, ship version 4.1.2.2 and need the one-time setup below, or you can enter the connection details from the dialog once.

Once the client has the session, X2Go Client 4.1.2.2 shows the QuickBox session tile for you to click; 4.1.2.3 selects it for you. Then type your password to connect, as the session file never contains it.

Any platform: enter the details once

The connection details in the dialog always work. Open X2Go Client, add a session with the dialog’s Host, SSH port, Login, and the XFCE Session type, and the client remembers it for next time.

Windows

Run this block once in PowerShell (current user, no administrator rights needed). Afterwards, double-clicking a downloaded .x2go file opens the session.

# Optional: if X2Go Client is installed somewhere unusual, put the full path to x2goclient.exe here.
$x2go = ''
 
if (-not $x2go) {
  $found = @()
  foreach ($k in 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\x2goclient', 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\x2goclient') {
    $d = (Get-ItemProperty -Path $k -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue).'(default)'
    if ($d) { $found += Join-Path $d 'x2goclient.exe' }
  }
  foreach ($k in 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\x2goclient', 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\x2goclient', 'HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\x2goclient') {
    $u = Get-ItemProperty -Path $k -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
    if ($u.DisplayIcon) { $found += ($u.DisplayIcon -replace '"', '' -replace ',\d+$', '') }
    if ($u.InstallLocation) { $found += Join-Path $u.InstallLocation 'x2goclient.exe' }
  }
  $open = (Get-ItemProperty -Path 'HKCU:\Software\Classes\Applications\x2goclient.exe\shell\open\command' -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue).'(default)'
  if ($open -match '^"?([^"]*x2goclient\.exe)') { $found += $Matches[1] }
  try {
    $shell = New-Object -ComObject WScript.Shell
    foreach ($m in "$env:ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs", "$env:APPDATA\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs") {
      Get-ChildItem -Path $m -Filter 'X2Go Client.lnk' -Recurse -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | ForEach-Object { $found += $shell.CreateShortcut($_.FullName).TargetPath }
    }
  } catch { }
  $cmdInfo = Get-Command x2goclient.exe -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
  if ($cmdInfo) { $found += $cmdInfo.Source }
  foreach ($drive in [System.IO.DriveInfo]::GetDrives() | Where-Object { $_.DriveType -eq 'Fixed' -and $_.IsReady }) {
    foreach ($sub in 'Program Files (x86)\x2goclient', 'Program Files\x2goclient', 'x2goclient') {
      $found += Join-Path (Join-Path $drive.RootDirectory.FullName $sub) 'x2goclient.exe'
    }
  }
  $x2go = $found | Where-Object { $_ -and (Test-Path -LiteralPath $_ -PathType Leaf -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue) } | Select-Object -First 1
}
 
if ($x2go -and (Test-Path -LiteralPath $x2go -PathType Leaf)) {
  $cmd = '"' + $x2go + '" "--session-conf=%1"'
  foreach ($k in 'HKCU:\Software\Classes\.x2go', 'HKCU:\Software\Classes\QuickBox.X2GoSession\shell\open\command', 'HKCU:\Software\Classes\Applications\x2goclient.exe\shell\open\command') {
    if (-not (Test-Path $k)) { New-Item -Path $k -Force | Out-Null }
  }
  Set-Item -Path 'HKCU:\Software\Classes\.x2go' -Value 'QuickBox.X2GoSession'
  Set-Item -Path 'HKCU:\Software\Classes\QuickBox.X2GoSession\shell\open\command' -Value $cmd
  Set-Item -Path 'HKCU:\Software\Classes\Applications\x2goclient.exe\shell\open\command' -Value $cmd
  Write-Host "Done. .x2go session files now open with $x2go"
} else {
  Write-Host 'X2Go Client was not found. Set $x2go on the second line to the full path of x2goclient.exe (for example D:\Program Files\x2goclient\x2goclient.exe) and run this again, or install it from https://wiki.x2go.org/doku.php/download:start'
}

The script finds X2Go Client in its usual install locations on any drive. If X2Go Client is installed somewhere unusual, enter its location in the dialog’s X2Go Client location field (for example D:\Program Files\x2goclient\x2goclient.exe). The command updates to match, and the dashboard remembers the location in this browser. If you copied the command from this page instead, put the path on its second line.

Linux (X2Go Client older than 4.1.2.3)

If your Linux client is older than version 4.1.2.3, run this block once to associate .x2go files with X2Go Client. The same field fills in the client’s path for a non-standard install.

mkdir -p ~/.local/share/applications ~/.local/share/mime/packages
cat > ~/.local/share/mime/packages/x-x2go.xml <<'XML'
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<mime-info xmlns="http://www.freedesktop.org/standards/shared-mime-info"><mime-type type="application/x-x2go"><comment>X2Go session file</comment><glob pattern="*.x2go"/></mime-type></mime-info>
XML
update-mime-database ~/.local/share/mime
printf '[Desktop Entry]\nType=Application\nName=X2Go Client (session file)\nExec=x2goclient --session-conf=%%f\nMimeType=application/x-x2go;\nNoDisplay=true\n' > ~/.local/share/applications/quickbox-x2go.desktop
xdg-mime default quickbox-x2go.desktop application/x-x2go

macOS

Finder cannot hand session files to X2Go Client. Add the session once in the client using the dialog’s Host, SSH port, Login, and the XFCE Session type, or run this Terminal line (replace <username> with your session user).

open -a x2goclient --args "--session-conf=$HOME/Downloads/quickbox-<username>.x2go"

The session file uses your dashboard address as the host. If your dashboard sits behind a proxy such as Cloudflare, the file uses the server’s own IP instead so the connection reaches SSH directly. The SSH port written into the file is the same port shown in Access and authentication above.

Configuration and files

QuickBox creates a per-user X2Go directory and SSH subfolder for session data. It also manages repository and service files that are removed during an uninstall.

System-level files and directories created or managed during install/remove include:

• /etc/apt/sources.list.d/x2go.list
• /usr/share/keyrings/x2go.gpg
• /etc/x2go
• /var/lib/x2go
• /var/spool/x2goprint

Common tasks

Use systemd to control the X2Go server service. Use QuickBox CLI commands for lifecycle operations like update, reinstall, and removal.

Start/stop the service

systemctl start x2goserver
systemctl stop x2goserver
systemctl restart x2goserver

Update, reinstall, or remove

qb update x2go
qb reinstall x2go
qb remove x2go

Typical workflows

• Install X2Go from the CLI or the dashboard Package Management tab.
• Install the X2Go client on your personal computer and connect using the host, username, and SSH port from the access output (4747 unless a different port was chosen at install).
• Or use the App Dashboard: click Open with X2Go on the X2Go row to download a ready-made session file and open it with your client.
• Choose XFCE or MATE as the session type when creating a profile.
• Use systemctl to start or stop x2goserver if needed.

FAQ

These answers summarize the connection details and requirements printed by QuickBox during install. If your environment differs, use the access output as the source of truth.

Best practices

Follow the QuickBox workflow and the supported session types for consistent connections. This keeps your client profile aligned with the settings QuickBox expects.

Troubleshooting

Most issues come down to connection details or session selection. Confirm the values from the QuickBox access output before troubleshooting deeper.

qb update novnc -u username

Resources

Use these upstream references for client installation and repository details. They match the sources QuickBox uses during install.