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Raspberry Pi Connect Not Working? Fix Connection and Sign-In Problems

Use rpi-connect status and doctor to pinpoint Raspberry Pi Connect failures, then check account sign-in, screen-sharing requirements, session persistence, browser support or firewall rules.

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If Raspberry Pi Connect is not working, start on the Pi with rpi-connect status. If the service is stopped, run rpi-connect on; if the Pi is signed out, run rpi-connect signin and complete the verification link. For a session or screen-sharing failure, run rpi-connect doctor to identify which check is failing.

Check the Pi’s status, sign-in and service

Connect needs the Raspberry Pi to be online and linked to the same Raspberry Pi account you use in the browser. Open a terminal on the Pi and run:

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rpi-connect status

Check the output for whether the device is signed in and whether Connect services are enabled. These are separate conditions: turning the service on does not sign the device in.

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  • If Connect is stopped, run rpi-connect on.
  • If the Pi is signed out, run rpi-connect signin. Open the verification URL it prints on another device and use the Raspberry Pi ID that owns the Pi or belongs to its organisation.

If you moved the SD card to a different Raspberry Pi, Connect may have signed you out because the device association uses the Pi’s serial number. Sign in again for the device now using the card. See the Raspberry Pi Connect documentation for command details.

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Run the built-in diagnostic

Once the Pi is online and its sign-in and service state look right, run:

rpi-connect doctor

The diagnostic checks local screen-sharing availability and services, communication with Connect’s API and WebSocket server, API authentication, and STUN/TURN connection candidates. Follow the failed check rather than treating every connection problem as a password issue:

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  • A local screen-sharing or service failure points to the Pi’s desktop, session or WayVNC setup.
  • An authentication failure points back to sign-in and account linkage.
  • API, WebSocket or STUN/TURN failures may indicate network filtering; see the firewall section below.

If remote shell works but screen sharing does not

Screen sharing has stricter requirements than remote shell. Raspberry Pi Ltd’s Connect documentation lists these prerequisites:

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  • Raspberry Pi OS Bookworm or later.
  • The full rpi-connect package. The rpi-connect-lite package supports remote shell but not screen sharing.
  • A supported Wayland compositor, such as wayfire or labwc. X is not supported.
  • A supported desktop environment and an active graphical session belonging to the same user who signed in to Connect.

If those prerequisites are met but screen sharing still fails, inspect the WayVNC service:

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systemctl --user status rpi-connect-wayvnc.service

To follow its logs while reproducing the problem, run:

journalctl --follow --user-unit rpi-connect-wayvnc.service

For Connect and WayVNC logs together, use:

journalctl --follow --user-unit rpi-connect.service --user-unit rpi-connect-wayvnc.service

If Connect disappears after logout, an SSH session ends or a reboot

Connect runs as a user-level service, so its availability can depend on whether that user has an active login session. To keep remote shell available without an active login, enable user lingering:

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Screen sharing is different: lingering does not create a desktop. It still requires an existing graphical session. Desktop Autologin can start that session when the Pi boots.

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If the diagnostic points to network or firewall filtering

Ask the network administrator to allow the specific traffic associated with the failed check. Raspberry Pi Ltd documents these Connect requirements in its networking and firewall guidance:

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Purpose Destination Ports
HTTPS API requests api.connect.raspberrypi.com TCP 443
WebSocket communication ws.connect.raspberrypi.com TCP 443
STUN stun.raspberrypi.com UDP 3478
STUN/TURN turn1.raspberrypi.com, turn2.raspberrypi.com and turn3.raspberrypi.com UDP 3478; TCP 3478 or 443; UDP 443 or 49152–65535

Match the rule request to the failed diagnostic result; do not disable the firewall wholesale. Connect typically attempts a direct connection and can use relays when direct peer-to-peer communication is unavailable. Needing a relay does not mean a physical accessory is missing.

If the browser or local connection route is the problem

Connect requires a browser that implements ECMAScript 2022 (ES13). Try a compatible, up-to-date browser if the Connect page does not work as expected.

If the browser or operating system asks to allow local-network access, granting permission enables Connect’s local route. Refusing permission does not disable Connect entirely, but nearby sessions cannot use that route.

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If command-line sign-in asks for a verification link

The command-line flow prints a verification URL for you to open on another device. If your setup uses Raspberry Pi Imager authentication keys or a temporary token and you are stuck during setup, Raspberry Pi Ltd’s Getting started documentation explains that setup flow and temporary-token expiry.

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