# Enabling VNC on Existing KVM Instances

This article outlines the steps needed to enable VNC on existing virtual machines.

## KVM

### Step 1 - Shutdown the Instance

SSH into the host where the virtual machine of interest resides. To shut down the virtual machine gracefully, invoke the following command on the terminal:

{% tabs %}
{% tab title="Bash" %}

```bash
virsh shutdown test-vm
```

{% endtab %}
{% endtabs %}

where test-vm is the name of the virtual machine.

Check to see if the instance is in the shut off state by invoking the following:

{% tabs %}
{% tab title="Bash" %}

```bash
virsh list --all
```

{% endtab %}
{% endtabs %}

You may also SSH into the instance and power off the instance from the terminal.

If all else fails, you may want to shutdown the instance ungracefully.

{% hint style="warning" %}
**Warning**

This is the equivalent of pulling the power cord
{% endhint %}

{% tabs %}
{% tab title="Bash" %}

```bash
virsh destroy test-vm
```

{% endtab %}
{% endtabs %}

### Step 2 - Edit the Virtual Machine's XML Configuration

After verifying that the instance is shut off, open the instance's XML configuration:

{% tabs %}
{% tab title="Bash" %}

```bash
virsh edit test-vm
```

{% endtab %}
{% endtabs %}

Add the following inside the `<devices>` element:

It should look similar to this:

{% tabs %}
{% tab title="Bash" %}

```bash
<graphics type='vnc' port='-1' autoport='yes' listen='127.0.0.1' keymap='en-us'>
  <listen type='address' address='127.0.0.1'/>
  </graphics>
```

{% endtab %}
{% endtabs %}

### Step 3 - Start the Instance

Start the instance after saving the configuration:

{% tabs %}
{% tab title="Bash" %}

```bash
virsh start test-vm
```

{% endtab %}
{% endtabs %}

To verify whether the configuration succeeded, run the following on the terminal:

{% tabs %}
{% tab title="Bash" %}

```bash
virsh vncdisplay test-vm
```

{% endtab %}
{% endtabs %}

You should see something similar to this:

{% tabs %}
{% tab title="Bash" %}

```bash
root@localhost:~# virsh vncdisplay test-vm
127.0.0.1:0
```

{% endtab %}
{% endtabs %}


---

# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://docs.platform9.com/managed-openstack/5.4/accessing-vm/accessing-vms-vmware-vnc.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.