Raspberry Pi Connect Setup

Step-by-step instructions for setting up Raspberry Pi Connect.

These procedures apply to Raspberry Pi 5, 4 or 3 with Raspberry Pi OS (64-Bit), (32-Bit) or (Legacy, 32-Bit).

General Notes

1. General: The procedures below are optimized for setting up Raspberry Pi Connect on a Raspberry Pi 5, 4 or 3 with Raspberry Pi OS (64-Bit), (32-Bit) or (Legacy, 32-Bit).

2. Raspberry Pi Connect: Raspberry Pi Connect runs on Raspberry Pi OS Raspberry Pi OS bookworm (debian 12), trixie (debian 13) and above. Older versions are not supported. Raspberry Pi Connect is installed by default in newer Raspberry Pi OS bookworm (debian 12) installations, and all trixie (debian 13) and above installations. Raspberry Pi Connect can be be setup during SD card setup using Raspberry Pi Imager 2.0, released in November 2025, and above.

3. Internet access during setup: Many of the steps below assume and require the target Raspberry Pi is connected to a network with access to the Internet.

4. Important note about Raspberry Pi Connect and TeamViewer: Both screen sharing programs can exist on a Raspberry Pi without interfering with each other, but the Raspberry Pi Connect screen sharing program requires Wayland (Remote Graphics Support A.K.A. compositor) and TeamViewer currently uses only the older X11 (compositor). Raspberry Pi Connect Remote shell does not use the compositor and will work with either compositor in use. It is posable to switch between Wayland and X11, however a reboot may be required. Raspberry Pi Connect is recommended for typical users, while TeamViewer may be more attractive to more experienced users.

Notice about updates, upgrades and installations failing due to repository or network congestion or outages

Occasionally updates, upgrades and installations fail due to repository or network congestion or outages. Sometimes there is an appropriate message saying as such, sometimes a missing file is reported, and sometimes there is just a failure message without an explanation. When this occurs, simply run the command again. If that does not solve the issues immediately, try again later.

Connect to the target Raspberry Pi

Connect to the target Raspberry Pi using Raspberry Pi Connect Remote shell or Raspberry Pi Connect Screen share and open a Terminal window.

https://www.raspberrypi.com/software/connect
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Connect directly to the target Raspberry Pi via a Display, Keyboard and Mouse, then open a Terminal window.

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Use SSH via a tool such as PuTTY to connect to the Raspberry Pi.

https://putty.software/
https://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/latest.html
https://www.putty.org
Connect using the IP address or URL of the target Raspberry Pi.
Note: The first time a connection is made, a security warning may be displayed | Yes

For using SSH above, determine the target Raspberry Pi IP Address:

Use an IP Scanner tool such as Advanced IP Scanner on a PC or alike to locate the DHCP IP Address assigned to the Raspberry Pi.

https://www.advanced-ip-scanner.com
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Connect directly to the target Raspberry Pi via a Display, Keyboard and Mouse, then open a Terminal window.

sudo hostname -I
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Connect to the target Raspberry Pi using Raspberry Pi Connect Remote shell or Raspberry Pi Connect Screen share and open a Terminal window.

sudo hostname -I
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Login to your router and examine the DHCP assignments, sometimes labeled "Connected Devices" or similar.

Update Raspberry Pi OS and Components

Download latest package lists

sudo apt-get update -y

Download and install updated listed packages

sudo apt-get upgrade -y

Install, update and configure Raspberry Pi Connect

Install or update Raspberry Pi Connect as required

sudo apt install rpi-connect

Setup Raspberry Pi Connect

rpi-connect signin

"rpi-connect signin" will return a message similar to:

"Complete sign in by visiting https://connect.raspberrypi.com/verify/XXXX-XXXX"

Paste or type the provided URL into a browser on any device.

"Sign in with Raspberry Pi ID" or "create one for free"

The Raspberry Pi has been automticaly added to your account when you see the message below on the Raspberry Pi:

✓ Signed in

Usefull Commands (Optional)

Raspberry Pi Connect Diagnostics

rpi-connect doctor

Disable Raspberry Pi Connect

rpi-connect off

Enable Raspberry Pi Connect

rpi-connect on

Remove packages that were automatically installed and are no longer required

Occasionally excess update, upgrade and installation packages install automatically, but are no longer required. These can be removed automatically.

Automatically detect and remove packages no longer required

sudo apt autoremove -y

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