Name: vnc

Last reviewed by: Clipper, April 2026

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VNC

VNC (Virtual Network Computing) gives you graphical desktop access to your Appbox. This is useful for applications that require a GUI, or for managing files visually without FTP or SSH.

Connecting on Windows — TightVNC

Download and install TightVNC. When you launch it, you will see a connection dialog like this:

Enter your server address and port in the following format:

server-name.bytesized-hosting.com:port_number

or

server-name.bysh.me:port_number

For example, if your server is omega and your VNC port is 6221:

omega.bysh.me:6221

Press Connect and your desktop should appear.

Note: If server.bytesized-hosting.com doesn't work, try server.bysh.me instead.

Connecting on macOS — Built-in VNC client

macOS has a built-in VNC client accessible via Safari. Enter the following URL in Safari's address bar:

vnc://servername.bysh.me:port_number

Connecting on macOS — Chicken

Note: Chicken for macOS is no longer actively maintained. Consider using RealVNC Viewer or the built-in macOS client above instead.

If you have Chicken installed, you will see a connection dialog like this:

• Host — your server domain, e.g. omega.bytesized-hosting.com
• Display or Port — your VNC port number
• Password — your VNC password from the app details
• Make sure View only is disabled, otherwise you won't be able to control anything

Secure connection via SSH tunnel (KiTTY)

For use on untrusted networks, you can tunnel your VNC connection through SSH for added security. This is slower but more secure.

1. Verify that both SSH (KiTTY) and VNC are working normally
2. In KiTTY, with the session disconnected, go to Connection → SSH → X11 and enable X11 forwarding
3. Go to Connection → SSH → Tunnels, set Source port to 9090 and Destination to the same hostname:port as your VNC connection
4. Save the session
5. Start the KiTTY SSH session
6. Connect your VNC client to localhost:9090

Tip: If the connection feels slow, set your VNC client to use fewer colours to improve performance.

Troubleshooting

Missing icons in VNC

Once logged into VNC, go to Start menu → Preferences → Customize Look and Feel → Icon Theme and select a theme from the list (Tango is recommended). Press Apply.

If the Customize Look and Feel option is missing, raise a support ticket.

Too many security failures

VNC has a built-in brute-force protection that triggers after multiple failed connection attempts — including port scans. If this happens, your VNC will shut itself off until restarted.

If you encounter this frequently, try reinstalling VNC — it will be assigned a new port, which is less likely to be actively scanned.

Cannot find the file manager

The file manager in the current VNC installation is Thunar, found under System Tools in the start menu.