Xming is the leading free unlimited X Window Server for Microsoft Windows (XP/2003/Vista). It is fully featured, light and fast, simple to install and because it is standalone native Microsoft Windows, easily transported portable as a Pocket PC X server. It is totally secure when used with SSH and optionally includes an enhanced PuTTY Link SSH client and a portable PuTTY replacement package.

Xming is cross-compiled on Linux for Microsoft Windows (32-bit x86), using MinGW, mainly from the canonical X.Org source code with my patches applied. It is kept current and secure with frequent updates from X.Org, XKB, FreeType2, Pthreads-Win32 and Freedesktop Bugzilla.

When released Public Domain, Xming can be distributed and used without restriction as it is open source licensed, mostly MIT/X11.

Screen captures

-multiwindow mode with a custom X toolbar icon menu and several remote X clients.

One window XDMCP on one X server, and a xlogo X client started from another.

-multiwindow mode selecting Linux kernel build options remotely.

Releases

Links and release status

Xming Website Releases	Version	State	Released	MD5 signature	Size MB
Xming	7.3.0.21	Website release	22 Jun 2008	MD5 signatures	3.41
Downloads of the Xming Website Releases and the development snapshot are password controlled, see Donations.

Public Domain Releases	Version	State	Released	MD5 signature	Size MB
Xming Xming-mesa	6.9.0.31	Public release	4 May 2007	4cd12b9bec0ae19b95584650bbaf534a e580debbf6110cfc4d8fcd20beb541c1	2.10 2.50
Xming-fonts	7.3.0.18	Public release	19 May 2008	7b9ba7492f05667ec6ba4beaa80f5378	31.5
Xming-portable-PuTTY	7.3.0.19	Public release	3 Jun 2008	16e4e606ab7f21f0265db4050b4517c7	1.51
Xming-tools-and-clients	6.9.0.28	Superseded	23 Mar 2007	4b9b2ab58da77898dcd882035fbed11c	7.41

Installers for 32-bit Windows

Use installers with /silent or /verysilent command-line parameters for an unattended installation.

                                   

Xming

This essential installer includes Mesa libraries, the XLaunch wizard, the PuTTY Link for Xming SSH client and Tools and clients as optional components.

If you intend to use PuTTY make sure you correctly pick the compatible Xming 'plink.exe', either for use with standard PuTTY or Xming-portable-PuTTY (i.e. there are two in the installer).

Xming normally uses Microsoft's OpenGL renderer interface. You will only need to install the alternative Mesa libraries (i.e. a very capable software-only implementation of the OpenGL renderer) if you have an awkward X client that's failing to render. Note: the Xming-mesa installer (which had Mesa 6.4.1 built into Xming.exe) will be superseded by the supply of these libraries (these are supplied at version Mesa 7.1 rc1 and this transition is not yet complete).

Your X clients' use of Xming probably needs some extra fonts, somewhere, to supplement the built-in minimum...

Xming fonts

This additional installer provides standard core X fonts which are usually required. Install Xming-fonts in the same directory as Xming.

I split fonts out from the Xming installer since they have a high installed footprint and modern X applications use client side fonts instead. Xming-fonts are however needed by traditional X applications e.g. emacs. Also if you have a correctly configured X font server on your network you can use it instead of this package.

Since these standard X Window fonts tend to be ugly, you could use better TrueType fonts from your Microsoft system like this.

Xming portablePuTTY

This optional installer provides a fully portable replacement for PuTTY.

Xming portablePuTTY works without requiring access to the Windows registry. The portable 'plink.exe' executable incorporates the changes from the 'PuTTY Link for Xming SSH client'.

Using Xming

	Most operating systems have an X Window Server, why not Microsoft Windows?

What can you use Xming for?

All the normal X Window Server functions and some you might not have thought of

• 'Project' your favourite X Window GUI applications onto a Microsoft Desktop.
• Use your Windows machine as a thin client to Unix .
• Extend available X client fonts to include those from Windows.
• Use Xming with portablePuTTY as a Pocket PC X Server by copying both to a USB flash drive etc. Once made portable, no installed software or access to the Windows registry are needed.
• Use as a KVM substitute. No need for expensive hardware or a tangle of leads.
• Headless your *nix machines by removing keyboard, mouse, monitor and video card. Redirect the BIOS console and then access terminals via minicom (using a serial port) or PuTTY, and GUI's via Xming (using an ethernet).
• You can display remote X clients directly on a Windows Desktop without running a remote Display Manager, providing you are not in XDMCP mode, and so free up the system resources used by that DM.
• You can use the Xming X server, just locally, together with coLinux, Cygwin, Microsoft Services for Unix (SFU), (SUA) or UWIN.
• Use SSH and X-Forwarding in -multiwindow mode instead of VNC to reclaim precious resources, including desktop space, and facilitate cut-and-paste between windows.
• You can run Xming on multiple monitors in many ways, e.g. if you have two monitors on a Windows machine, you could put the full remote *nix session on the second monitor using

  >Xming -screen 0 @2 -query <IP of remote machine> -clipboard -nodecoration

• Configure a Linux kernel on a remote machine, 'make xconfig' i.e. using the convenient GUI method.
• Update remote machines via the distribution's GUI tools e.g. for Mandriva use mcc, rpmdriva and MandrivaUpdate.
• Install the Enlightened Sound Daemon, EsounD, to have sound with remote X applications. On the Xming machine start

  >esd.exe -tcp -public
    Note: this is not secure. Now on the remote *nix machine
  $ export ESPEAKER=<IP of Xming PC>

  PulseAudio is an EsounD replacement, free of cygwin1.dll, that can also be used as a sound server.
• Xming can be used with external window managers, such as 'xwinwm' (via -mwextwm), 'openbox' or 'twm' (via -rootless). I run 'xwinwm' with this script and 'twm' with this script ('xwinwm' and 'openbox' are available from Cygwin/X, 'twm' is in Xming tools and clients).

Manuals

Using X servers can be difficult and complex, so if you want to use Xming 'quick and easy' start it with XLaunch. The learning curve for seamlessly combining X servers+clients, Microsoft Windows, SSH and Unix/Linux can be pretty steep for novices. Documentation here just scratches the surface of many topics so be prepared to read more elsewhere and to try options out. Also this documentation is constantly being updated to match latest Xming and may be incorrect for old versions.

Xming Manual. This doesn't contain any X server commands. You could view these with -help or run this XLaunch file. Read also the full X.Org Manual pages.

Other manuals are available for XLaunch, Xmingrc, Xmon and the run utility on this website.

To start Xming in -multiwindow mode, with no access control, from 'Command Prompt' or Start/Run.../Open:

"C:\Program Files\Xming\Xming.exe" -ac -multiwindow -clipboard
  Note: -ac is unsafe on public networks, but makes things easier for beginners on private ones.

Things can get very tricky e.g. -screen scr_num [width height [x y] | [[WxH[+X+Y]][@m]] ] is an Xming parameter that, for example, you may need to use with multiple monitors.

For the advanced user, if you use PuTTY and have an SSH daemon on you remote *nix machine, you could safely get an 'xcalc' on display-number 2 (i.e. Xming Server:2.0)

>Xming :2 -multiwindow -clipboard
>plink -ssh -X -pw <password> <user@computer> xcalc
  or
>plink -pw <password> -load <Saved Session> xcalc
  Note: pre-empt the password entry, in both cases, by using 'pageant'.

or using a Windows SSH client

>Xming :2 -multiwindow -clipboard
>ssh -Y <user@computer> xcalc
  Note: pre-empt the password entry by using 'keychain'.

XLaunch makes using Xming with PuTTY or SSH easy and has some help on using the 'pageant' or 'keychain' key managers.

The XLaunch wizard

XLaunch is a wizard for simplifying the startup of an Xming server. Its re-usable XML configuration files can also act as mini-session managers. One X client can be selected for concurrent display from a local or remote machine. When remote, the X client is accessed securely via PuTTY (e.g. via the 'PuTTY Link for Xming SSH client') or SSH (e.g. using Cygwin OpenSSH) with 'plink.exe' or 'ssh.exe' respectively.

Remote login using XDMCP is also provided as well as an interactive XDMCP host finder/chooser, XPing...

Also use XLaunch to just simply start the X server and then run several X clients latter by hand, or from Xmingrc menu entries.

Example '.xlaunch' configuration files for a remote 'xterm' via PuTTY, a remote login via XDMCP and a remote 'xcalc' via SSH.
Using the wizard to get a remote 'xcalc' via PuTTY in -multiwindow mode...

You can select the windowing mode, the way sessions are started and save the configuration for later reuse. An XLaunch configuration file can be just clicked to rerun saved settings without having to go through the wizard pages. Also automatic validation of configuration files against the XLaunch XML Schema Definition is selectable when starting the wizard. Additionally, automatic display-number (i.e. server) allocation is provided for the first twenty instances.

Latest XLaunch manual...
Display settings    Session type    Start program    XDMCP settings    Additional parameters    Finish configuration

International versions of XLaunch

Using Xmingrc to configure Xming

You can configure the X toolbar icon menu (i.e. the right-click menu on the Xming system tray icon), Windows icons, styles and system menus (i.e. the right-click menu on a Window's title bar) using an Xmingrc file. I use this file to open X Window clients (singly or combined in session files), PuTTY, Cygwin or msdos terminals and EsounD, and to control access to the X server etc.

Any program (local Microsoft Windows, local or remote X client) can be run from an Xmingrc menu item.

Xmingrc is a structured text file, so to avoid errors study my example and read the Xmingrc Manual.

                      

Tools and clients

Many X.Org tools and clients have been ported to Microsoft Windows console applications using MinGW. These include appres, atobm, bitmap, bmtoa, cxpm, editres, ico, listres, mkfontscale, oclock, setxkbmap, sxpm, twm, viewres, xauth, xcalc, xclock, xdpyinfo, xev, xeyes, xfontsel, xhost, xkbcomp, xkill, xlogo, xlsatoms, xlsclients, xlsfonts, xmessage, xmodmap, Xmon (xmond + xmonui), xprop, xset, xsetroot, xwininfo. Note that 'xkbcomp' is built without a console as it is used by Xming during server startup.

glxgears and glxinfo are supplied separately along with many other GLX and OpenGL test clients for Windows.

Examples, from 'Command Prompt'

>set DISPLAY=localhost:0
>set LANG=en_gb
>xsetroot -cursor_name left_ptr -fg white -bg black -solid SteelBlue
>setxkbmap de -model pc105
>xmonui | xmond             Xmon example: xmonui graphics front-end piped to xmond console app. providing
                            trace, for display 1 clients, to 'stdout' while a server is running display 0.
>xclock -display :1         Clients for Xmon: start, e.g. from other Command Prompts, using display 1...

These Windows X clients are not the complete X.Org set, lack of a POSIX API in MinGW prevents some in the 'app' tree from compiling (e.g. xterm), also some need client-side fonts or are just not applicable on Windows.

PuTTY Link for Xming SSH client

The Xming 'plink' SSH client is made with MinGW from patched PuTTY code. The Xming modifications substitute Windows prompts for most console ones, which are helpful when used with XLaunch or Xming (both run console free and so console messages are hidden). An original (i.e. PuTTY project supplied) 'plink' works fine with XLaunch/Xming when no extra input is required or errors encountered.

Debug XLaunch via 'plink' with this XLaunch file (i.e. a test is triggered by the tags ClientStart="PuTTY" + Program="testplink") and get 'plink' help by just clicking 'plink.exe'. Note: 'plink.exe' is built as a console application, as it runs from the command line and accepts input from 'stdin'.

The 'run' utility

The 'run' utility is a tool used to start Windows programs with a hidden console command window.
The 'run' utility binary (& 'run' utility + source code) is supplied separately from Project Xming and licensed GPLv2. Extract the executable and put in the Xming install directory. Its manual is here.
Here is an example Desktop Shortcut using 'run' and 'plink' to start a remote 'konsole', but you could also use JavaScript, in a '.js' file, to do the same

var wshell = new ActiveXObject('WScript.Shell');
wshell.Run('"C:\\Program Files\\Xming\\plink.exe" -load colin konsole --ls',0);

Donations

Without updating equipment my Xming development can't continue or advance, hence this hardware funding initiative...

By donating you will get an 'Xming donor password' sent by return email, enabling access to Xming Website Releases and the development snapshot for private individuals. This will be sent to the email address in the PayPal payment history, so please make sure it works! If you have contributed in other ways (e.g. code or patches), or not received your password, contact me. Also if you can't use PayPal, again contact me by email (colin dot harrison at virgin dot net) for alternatives. The suggested PayPal donation is £10 since less has a high percentage loss due to transfer charges.

Xming is free for you to enjoy, but I greatly appreciate contributions towards improving its development and hosting resources. Plus if you found Xming useful, a little thanks gives me the motivation to make it even better.

Xming Website Builds include...

• Many Enhancements, Changes and Bugfixes not in the Public Domain Release.
• The latest stable release and development snapshot.
• Modular executables and libraries from X11R7.3/7.4 plus latest keyboard and locale databases.
• Extra Windows X clients including GLX demonstrators and Xmon.
• Optional Mesa OpenGL libraries.
• The XPing XDMCP host chooser integrated into XLaunch.
• Regular updates from the ever improving X.Org, Mesa and FreeType2 codebase (to mention a few).

Support

I get so much email that I literally do not have time to answer it all. I regret this, but there's nothing I can do about it. So if you can possibly avoid sending mail to me, I recommend you do so. In particular, support requests are probably better sent to newsgroups, or passed to a local expert if possible and will always be ignored by me if not accompanied by a complete Xming log file (with a Dr. Watson 'Drwtsn32.log' if a crash report).

Terms and Conditions

Here are the terms and conditions including licenses.

Table of Contents

1. Screen captures
2. Releases
   1. Links and release status
3. Installers for 32-bit Windows
   1. Xming
   2. Xming fonts
   3. Xming portablePuTTY
4. Using Xming
   1. What can you use Xming for?
   2. Manuals
   3. The XLaunch wizard
      1. International versions of XLaunch
   4. Using Xmingrc to configure Xming
   5. Tools and clients
   6. PuTTY Link for Xming SSH client
   7. The 'run' utility
5. Donations
6. Support
7. Terms and Conditions

The Xming website, documentation and images are licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 UK: England & Wales License.
Copyright © 2005-2008 Colin Harrison Some rights reserved