> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/freerdp/freerdp/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Client Applications

> FreeRDP ships several client applications targeting different platforms and display systems. Choose the one that matches your environment.

FreeRDP provides multiple client frontends that all share the same core RDP library and command-line option set. The right client depends on your display server, operating system, and build configuration.

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="xfreerdp" icon="display" href="/clients/xfreerdp">
    X11 client for Linux desktops. The reference implementation with the widest option coverage.
  </Card>

  <Card title="sdl-freerdp" icon="window" href="/clients/sdl">
    SDL2/SDL3 cross-platform client. Runs on Linux (X11 and Wayland), macOS, and Windows.
  </Card>

  <Card title="wlfreerdp" icon="desktop" href="/clients/wayland">
    Native Wayland client using libuwac. Purpose-built for Wayland compositors.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Android" icon="mobile" href="/clients/android">
    aFreeRDP — the official FreeRDP Android app with a touch-optimised UI.
  </Card>

  <Card title="macOS" icon="apple" href="/clients/mac">
    Native macOS Cocoa client with a graphical connection manager.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Windows" icon="windows" href="#windows">
    FreeRDP can be built as a Windows binary (`wfreerdp`) via CMake and Visual Studio.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Comparison

| Client  | Binary name    | Primary platform        | Display server      | GUI dialogs | Touch | Multimonitor |
| ------- | -------------- | ----------------------- | ------------------- | ----------- | ----- | ------------ |
| X11     | `xfreerdp`     | Linux                   | X11                 | No          | No    | Yes          |
| SDL2    | `sdl2-freerdp` | Linux / macOS / Windows | X11, Wayland, Win32 | Yes (SDL)   | Yes   | Yes          |
| SDL3    | `sdl3-freerdp` | Linux / macOS / Windows | X11, Wayland, Win32 | Yes (SDL)   | Yes   | Yes          |
| Wayland | `wlfreerdp`    | Linux                   | Wayland only        | No          | No    | Yes          |
| Android | `aFreeRDP`     | Android                 | Android SurfaceView | Yes         | Yes   | N/A          |
| macOS   | `MacFreeRDP`   | macOS                   | Cocoa (AppKit)      | Yes         | No    | Yes          |

## Common command-line syntax

All command-line clients share the same FreeRDP option syntax. Flags use a forward-slash sigil and colon-separated values:

```
Syntax:
    /flag                   enables flag
    /option:<value>         specifies option with value
    +toggle / -toggle       enables or disables a toggle
```

<Note>
  `/` and `+` are interchangeable for enabling a toggle. Use `-` to disable.
</Note>

A minimal connection command looks like this across all CLI clients:

```bash theme={null}
xfreerdp /v:rdp.example.com /u:alice /p:secret
sdl2-freerdp /v:rdp.example.com /u:alice /p:secret
wlfreerdp /v:rdp.example.com /u:alice /p:secret
```

For the full option reference, see the [xfreerdp](/clients/xfreerdp) page — the option set is shared.

## RDP file support

All CLI clients accept a `.rdp` connection file as the first positional argument:

```bash theme={null}
xfreerdp connection.rdp /p:Pwd123!
```

## Windows build

FreeRDP can be compiled on Windows with Visual Studio or MinGW. After building, the produced binary is `wfreerdp.exe` (or `wfreerdp-shadow.exe` for the shadow server). It accepts the same `/option:value` syntax as all other clients.