This is the support thread for the community app that I am proposing: Chrome Remote (Virtual) Desktop (template here: https://github.com/googleg/unraid-templates/blob/main/chome-remote-virtual-desktop.xml).

This app is based on Ubuntu and contains the XFCE Desktop Environment, Chrome Remote Desktop and Firefox.

It enables you to connect to the "virtual linux desktop" via Chrome Remote Desktop and have a desktop environment with web browsing inside the container. Accessing the virtual desktop does not require any port redirection on your router and benefits from the identity protection provided by Google (including multi-factor authentication).

Env variables

• HOSTNAME (optional, default: myvirtualdesktop). The name your host will be shown under in "Remote devices" list on Chrome Remote Desktop website.

• CODE (required). Authorization code generated by Chrome Remote Desktop (see below)

• PIN (optional, default: 123456). PIN code that you can come up with. It will be requested when you try to connect to a container via Chrome Remote Desktop.

Why would I want it?

This gives you remote access to a machine inside your network without the need to open ports or publishing any app directly on the Internet.

How to get the authorization code?

Open https://remotedesktop.google.com/headless in a new browser tab. Click "Begin", then "Next", then "Authorize"

You will see the instructions for different OS. All we need is the long code consisting of digits + letters that is placed inside the quotes in command: code="4/xxx". This is the code you are looking for.

Create the container and then click on "Start over". Your new virtual desktop should be listed in Chrome Remote Desktop home page.

Edited May 27, 20251 yr by googleg

Could one of the moderators move this thread to "Docker Containers" please?

@Squid please take a look at the PM I sent you, thx.

1 hour ago, googleg said:

@Squid please take a look at the PM I sent you, thx.

Sure. I've been absolutely swamped with real life and other work commitments / issues and am behind on my PMs

No worries, I totally understand, thanks !

Great app! It's exactly what I need to verify my VPN connectivity and bandwidth of my UnRaid and the other apps on the VPN. I noticed when I update the app it breaks the Google Remote Desktop connection and I have to re-add it each time. Any insight into this?

Hello,

Happy to know that this is useful to you. I also use it everyday to separate my work related web browsing from stuff that is personal.

It is indeed correct that updating the app will require the generation of a new token.

The only workaround that I have found:

1. Save the .json file located in /home/crduser/.config/chrome-remote-desktop/ (you can do it from the Unraid console via Docker commands or copy the file to a mounted volume from the host)

2. Update the app, let it start and fail to initialize the Chrome Reboot Desktop part

3. While the container is still running, copy the json file back to its original location, delete any extra host#(.*).json files that may have been generated

4. Restart the container, everything should be back to normal.

Unfortunately I have not found a way to make it easier for now. The json filename is a hash of the container hostname which is generated randomly as far as I know.

Hope this helps.

Edited July 25, 2025Jul 25 by googleg

Just FYI - I am working on an update that will fix this problem, i.e. it will be possible to update without having to provide a new token code.

Important announcement

Hi all, so I've just updated the image and Unraid app template to preserve files created within the chrome remote deskop session, and most importantly the chrome remote desktop host session file which is created at the first boot of the container. This will allow you to recreate and update the container without loosing your customization, settings etc and without having to provide a new token code. Note that packages installed manually (apt install) will need to be reinstalled.

Be careful, for this upgrade and this time only, you will need to carry your files over to the updated container manually if you do not want to have to provide a new token. In order to do so BEFORE upgrading the app, please go through these steps:

Step 1

(from within the crd session) backup your files: open a shell and type in: sudo tar -zcvf /mnt/tower/crduserhome.tgz .

Step 2

Restore your files in a new directory using the Unraid console:

mkdir -p /mnt/user/appdata/crvd

cd /mnt/user/appdata/crvd

tar -zxvf /mnt/user/appdata/chrome-remote-desktop-vdi/mnt/crduserhome.tgz

Step 3

Change the owner of the files to nobody:users, from the Unraid console: chown -R nobody:users /mnt/user/appdata/crvd

Step 4

Edit your app settings and add a path: /mnt/user/appdata/crvd mounted to /home/crduser

From now on with the new app template the directory /mnt/user/appdata/crvd will be mounted as /home/crduser in the chrome remote desktop session and you will not need to go through these steps again when upgrading or recreating the app. You can also remove the directory /mnt/user/appdata/chrome-remote-desktop-vdi which is no longer needed.

Let me know if you have any question.

Thank you.

Edited August 8, 2025Aug 8 by googleg

Thank you so much @googleg this is a GREAT app.
I fixed chrome not starting by checking prevlidged mode in tthe docker settup but chrome seems to error aftter trying to load any page, I gett error 4 anyone know what could cause it?

Alsightly unrelated, I wanted to install the app PIA for all network to go through VPN if needed but I can not seem to get tthat working, it installes but it can not access any config files.

Am I doing something obviously wrong?

Hello @Phatty ,

Thank you for your message. I have not looked into the Chrome issue, could you give me more details on the fix you applied to get Chrome to start?

For the VPN issue, have you tried using a MAC VLAN network?

Hi Sure, so I load up chrome stable and initial page loads, but anything you do after that, like navigate to a page it just falls over:

Does that help?

I am also seeing the audio out just handing I tried to restart the service but got an error

I am looking into it and could not really pinpoint the issue.

For Chrome I can reproduce the issue. According to what I could find in the Internet it seems that launching the container with the extra parameter --security-opt seccomp=unconfined could help but in my tests it did do much.

Regarding pulseaudio I usually issue the command: pulseaudio --start and it's enough to restart it.

Edited March 4Mar 4 by googleg

Hello again,

I found that launching Chrome this way seems to fix the problem: google-chrome-stable --disable-dev-shm-usage --no-sandbox

Edited March 5Mar 5 by googleg

Awesome! That works! Now I need to work out how to make that tthe default global metthod to lauch it.
Ill try an keep trouble shootting the audio issue, but at a bit of a loss on that one.

You can install the menulibre package to edit the XFCE menus and add the options to the chrome shortcut.

Ok some great news so I figured out the audio issue it looks like the Pulse audio just fails to start with the system so it's simple pulseaudio --start actually gets the service running I'll need to just check if I can get it to start with the system so I don't have to keep turning on every time I restart and the Chrome seems to be working with the commands you provided I've added it to the desktop shortcut so you can simply open Chrome in that mode

Thanks all!!

Yes the pulseaudio problem is a known issue that I could not manage to solve this.