Frequently Asked Questions
This page answers common questions about Kasm Workspaces and points to the authoritative guide for each topic. Questions are grouped into licensing, installation and setup, configuration, usage, and troubleshooting.
Where can I get help with a question that is not covered here?
The Kasm community offers several support channels:
- The public issue tracker on GitHub.
- The r/kasmweb subreddit.
- The Kasm Workspaces YouTube channel.
- Support for paid customers.
Licensing
Which version of Kasm Workspaces is right for me?
Kasm Workspaces offers multiple editions and license tiers. For a comparison of features and limits, see the licensing reference.
Installation and setup
How is Kasm Workspaces hosted?
Kasm Workspaces supports several hosting options:
- Self-host on a server at your residence or business. Follow the single-server installation or multi-server installation guide.
- Self-host on a cloud service of your choice. Follow the single-server or multi-server installation guides on the cloud instances you provision.
- Deploy on Digital Ocean with the 1-click installer droplet in the Digital Ocean marketplace.
- Use the managed Kasm Cloud Personal service for individual use.
- Contact Kasm Technologies for Kasm Workspaces Cloud SaaS options for businesses.
What are the system requirements and how do I optimize performance?
The basic system requirements are listed in the system requirements reference. For a more complex deployment, see the system sizing and operations guide.
Does Kasm Workspaces support Ansible or Terraform?
Kasm Workspaces supports both Ansible and Terraform:
- For Ansible documentation and example playbooks, see the Ansible GitHub repository.
- For Terraform documentation and example projects, see the Terraform GitHub repository.
Can I customize which Workspaces are installed by default?
The default installation includes more Workspaces than some deployments need. Two options customize the Workspace set at installation time:
- Pass the
-Ior--no-imagesoption toinstall.shso the installer does not pre-seed any default Workspaces. - After extracting the installation zip and before running
install.sh, editkasm_release/conf/database/seed_data/default_images_amd64.yamlorkasm_release/conf/database/seed_data/default_images_arm64.yaml, depending on the host architecture. Editing these files customizes the set of Workspaces installed during installation.
How do I keep my default images up to date?
Kasm Technologies publishes new images with every Kasm Workspaces release and also publishes daily and weekly rolling images that include program and security updates.
- By default, the installer applies the static release-tagged images. Specify the
-Oor--use-rolling-imagesoption to install the rolling daily-updated images instead. - On an existing installation, append
-rolling-dailyto the tag of any default Workspace image to receive daily updates, orrolling-weeklyto receive weekly updates. - For more detail, see rolling Docker images.
Rolling tags require an internet-connected installation so the deployment can pull down image updates.
How do I find out what went wrong during an installation or upgrade?
The installation and upgrade scripts write a log file that records any errors. After a successful run, the file is removed. After a failed run, the file remains in the directory the script ran from, named kasm_install_${TIMESTAMP}.log or kasm_upgrade_${TIMESTAMP}.log. This file is important for diagnosing the error, and Kasm support requests it during troubleshooting.
Where can I find the install files and their SHA256 sums?
| Contents | URL | SHA256 |
|---|---|---|
| Installer Bundle | https://kasm-static-content.s3.amazonaws.com/kasm_release_1.19.0.tar.gz | 7b801cb0579a7867df46b6da873fe8dd631db07d4c05349e5bd1aea27130c37d |
| Contents | URL | SHA256 |
|---|---|---|
| Services | https://kasm-static-content.s3.amazonaws.com/kasm_release_service_images_amd64_1.19.0.tar.gz | c8697a7d6db6d6c2cd685cf431977e79bb4adfa35d91d6fab455e70f4441e46d |
| Workspaces | https://kasm-static-content.s3.amazonaws.com/kasm_release_workspace_images_amd64_1.19.0.tar.gz | 2338ed95653cf37b41c32c4202c38b507fd94a745dc81a303402e20f292486da |
| Network Plugin | https://kasm-static-content.s3.amazonaws.com/kasm_release_network_plugin_images_amd64_1.5.tar.gz | bd13ce71737cebf2e7559c01c2dbff657a52505c771fce450a32bed36ef3056d |
| Logging Plugin | https://kasm-static-content.s3.amazonaws.com/kasm_release_logging_plugin_images_amd64_1.1.tar.gz | fe5d1d6d1acd42ea89e15e375d0d6719f9d6cbf1f9c6943c4fda901a3d529135 |
| Contents | URL | SHA256 |
|---|---|---|
| Services | https://kasm-static-content.s3.amazonaws.com/kasm_release_service_images_arm64_1.19.0.tar.gz | f7975cecf89fc5b1e3886c09178047e7d6f092344ab15f9babfdeaeeb8d01801 |
| Workspaces | https://kasm-static-content.s3.amazonaws.com/kasm_release_workspace_images_arm64_1.19.0.tar.gz | 5ee92ebac22c7399694c9a7eef4d0baddc98c315c2d78848fa3a757d66bcd2c4 |
| Network Plugin | https://kasm-static-content.s3.amazonaws.com/kasm_release_network_plugin_images_arm64_1.5.tar.gz | 59d23f6765f26be86a00fed31b38873d36f9b7b7ecf608a2efb270d969621ae6 |
| Logging Plugin | https://kasm-static-content.s3.amazonaws.com/kasm_release_logging_plugin_images_arm64_1.1.tar.gz | 1d720994c141fe9743b566ea2affeee77759e272ad777d0257ed6a089dd3b802 |
Configuration
The Administrator account is locked. How do I reset the password?
On a self-hosted deployment, follow the Administrator account recovery guide to unlock the account and set a new password. On a Kasm Technologies managed SaaS deployment, contact support for paid customers for assistance.
Can I install my own software or customize my desktops?
For guidance, see building custom Kasm images and maintaining custom Kasm images.
How do I run a Workspace as the root user?
To install additional software or change settings, see the Can I install my own software or customize my desktops? question above. Enabling root permissions is supported when an application requires them, but it carries security implications and should be avoided where possible. For details, see running a container as the root user.
How do I keep my profile data between sessions?
To retain user profile data across sessions, see the persistent profiles guide.
How do I share persistent data or a common share across sessions?
To map persistent data or a shared volume into a session, see the volume mapping guide.
How do I extend the session idle timeout?
Change the default timeouts through the group settings that apply to the user's group. For a walkthrough, see the group settings video.
How do I run a Windows or macOS image in Kasm Workspaces?
Kasm Workspaces supports session handling and streaming for systems that support RDP, VNC, SSH, or KasmVNC. These systems can be fixed assets, or they can be AutoScaled in a supported cloud environment. Windows 10, Windows 11, and Windows Server 2019 have been tested and are known to work. For a demonstration, see the Kasm Workspaces Windows guide. To set up macOS Workspaces for remote access, see the macOS servers guide.
How do I keep SSH history and work when reconnecting to a fixed-infrastructure session?
Configure the SSH session to use tmux or screen so work resumes on reconnect. For details, see the servers guide.
How do I stop AutoScaled servers from consuming resources overnight?
Configure AutoScale to follow a schedule so capacity is reduced during periods with no active users. For details, see the AutoScale scheduling guide.
Usage
How do I open a link inside a Kasm session while browsing?
Kasm Technologies provides a browser extension that adds a right-click menu for opening a link inside a Kasm session.
- Install the Chrome extension.
- Install the Firefox extension.
- For installation and configuration steps, see the browser extension guide.
- For a walkthrough, see the browser extension video.
Do you have a Developer API?
The Kasm Developer API exposes supported Zero Trust Workspace Delivery workflows programmatically. For endpoints, authentication, and permissions, see the Developer API reference.
How do I use the UI and sessions in a language other than English?
Troubleshooting
The session hangs at 'Creating a secure connection'. What should I check?
For diagnosis and resolution steps, see the advanced connection troubleshooting guide.
I am getting a 'No Resources Available' error when launching a Workspace.
Several conditions can cause this error. For diagnosis and resolution steps, see the No Resources Available troubleshooting guide.
I am having difficulty setting up GPU passthrough support.
For diagnosis and resolution steps, see the GPU issues troubleshooting guide.
Why am I unable to print documents after resuming a session?
In the current version, the printer no longer works if the Kasm session is stopped.
Why does the desktopscalefactor property in the .rdp file seem to have no effect?
This behavior originates in the RDP client. Kasm passes the desktopscalefactor setting even when rdp_thick_client_properties in the Server connection_info setting does not override it. The value is derived from the browser DPI and written into the generated .rdp file. Most clients prefer dynamic DPI and resolution sync since RDP 8.1, so they often ignore the value or apply it only in specific scenarios.
Kasm sets the following properties to true when generating a session:
- Smart Sizing: scales the content of the remote session to fit the window size.
- Dynamic Resolution: updates the remote session resolution when the local window is resized.
When the client ignores the .rdp scaling settings, enforce scaling on the host server with the following per-user registry keys:
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop]
"Win8DpiScaling"=dword:00000001
"LogPixels"=dword:00000096 ; 96=100%, 120=125%, 144=150%, etc.
The Win8DpiScaling=1 value forces Windows to honor the LogPixels value. Without it, Windows may ignore LogPixels and rely only on client DPI sync.
A logoff or restart is required to apply these changes.