How to Install Proxmox VE 9.2: Your First VM and Container

Install Proxmox VE on a spare PC or server and you can run several operating systems and Linux services from one web interface. The 9.2 installer handles the host setup; after that, you choose between a full virtual machine and a lighter LXC container. Back up the target disks first, because installation erases them.

Proxmox Virtual Environment (Proxmox VE) is a free, open source platform for running virtual machines and Linux containers on one box, all managed from a web page. If you are still deciding what hardware to use, our beginner’s guide to home servers and NAS boxes covers that part first.

Proxmox VE 9.2 is the release used here. Proxmox released it on 21 May 2026, and it is based on Debian 13 “Trixie” (13.5) with a 7.0 Linux kernel as the stable default, QEMU 11.0, LXC 7.0 and ZFS 2.4.

VM or container: which one you are creating

Proxmox runs two kinds of guests, and the difference decides which one you should reach for first.

My rule of thumb: a plain Linux service goes in a container; Windows, other operating systems and anything needing strong isolation go in a VM. Proxmox itself recommends running application containers such as Docker inside a VM rather than directly on the host.

What you need

Proxmox publishes a minimum list, meant for evaluation only, and a recommended list for real use.

You also need a USB flash drive larger than the ISO (the 9.2 installer is 1.71 GB), a second computer with a supported browser for the web interface, and a wired network connection for the server. Proxmox lists current versions of Firefox, Chrome, Edge and Safari as supported browsers.

Two notes: Avoid placing ZFS on hardware RAID, so connect disks directly if you want ZFS. And Proxmox recommends enterprise SSDs with power-loss protection for serious workloads, though a consumer SSD is fine for learning.

To check an existing Linux machine for hardware virtualization, look for the vmx (Intel) or svm (AMD) flag:

egrep '(vmx|svm)' /proc/cpuinfo

If that prints nothing, enable Intel VT-x or AMD-V (sometimes called SVM) in the BIOS/UEFI before you go any further.

Step 1: Download the Proxmox VE ISO

Get the installer from the official downloads page at proxmox.com. At the time of writing, the current file is proxmox-ve_9.2-1.iso, listed as the “Proxmox VE 9.2 ISO Installer” (version 9.2-1, 1.71 GB, updated 21 May 2026). Proxmox publishes a SHA256 checksum next to every download, so verify it once the file finishes.

On Linux or macOS:

sha256sum proxmox-ve_9.2-1.iso
# macOS: shasum -a 256 proxmox-ve_9.2-1.iso

On Windows, in PowerShell:

Get-FileHash .\proxmox-ve_9.2-1.iso -Algorithm SHA256

Compare the result with the checksum on the download page. If they differ, download the file again before you write it to a USB stick.

Step 2: Create the USB installer

The Proxmox ISO is a hybrid image, so it works on a CD/DVD or written directly to a USB stick. Proxmox recommends USB because it is faster. Writing it erases the stick. Do not use UNetbootin, which Proxmox says does not work.

Windows: Etcher or Rufus

Etcher works out of the box and walks you through selecting the ISO and the USB drive. Rufus is a lighter option, but it needs one specific setting. Select the drive and the Proxmox ISO, then click Start. When Rufus asks whether to download a different version of GRUB, click No. In the next dialog, choose DD mode. Proxmox says Rufus only works with its image in DD mode.

Linux: dd

Find the USB device name first. Run lsblk before and after plugging the stick in, and the new entry is your drive. Make sure it is not mounted, then write the image. Double-check the device name, because dd will overwrite whichever disk you point it at.

lsblk
# plug in the USB stick, then run lsblk again
sudo dd bs=1M conv=fdatasync if=./proxmox-ve_9.2-1.iso of=/dev/XYZ

Replace /dev/XYZ with the whole device, such as /dev/sdb, not a partition like /dev/sdb1.

macOS: hdiutil and dd

On a Mac, convert the ISO, find the disk, unmount it and write it. macOS usually adds .dmg to the output file name automatically. Using rdisk instead of disk in the last command makes the write faster.

hdiutil convert proxmox-ve_9.2-1.iso -format UDRW -o proxmox-ve_9.2-1.dmg
diskutil list
# plug in the USB stick, run diskutil list again and note /dev/diskX
diskutil unmountDisk /dev/diskX
sudo dd if=proxmox-ve_9.2-1.dmg bs=1M of=/dev/rdiskX

Step 3: Install Proxmox VE

The installer wipes the disks you select and does not add boot entries for other operating systems, so this machine should be dedicated to Proxmox. Plug in the USB stick, open the boot menu or firmware settings, and boot from it. Proxmox says Secure Boot only has to be disabled for installers older than Proxmox VE 8.1, so a current ISO boots with it left on.

1. At the boot menu, choose Install Proxmox VE (Graphical). If it misbehaves, use Install Proxmox VE (Terminal UI), which does the same job in text mode.
2. Accept the EULA.
3. Choose the target hard disk. The Options button sets the file system. The default is ext4, which puts the system on LVM. To use ZFS, choose a ZFS layout such as RAID1 for two disks or RAID0 for a single disk, and select the disks in the same dialog. Never put ZFS on top of a hardware RAID volume.
4. Set your country, time zone and keyboard layout. The country picks a nearby download mirror.
5. Set the root password and an email address. The minimum is 8 characters, but Proxmox recommends 12 or more. The email address gets system notifications.
6. Configure the network: pick the management interface, a hostname (for example pve.home.arpa), a static IP address in CIDR form, the gateway and a DNS server. You can set IPv4 or IPv6 here, but not both. Add the other one after installation if you need dual-stack.
7. Check the summary, use Previous to fix anything, then click Install. Remove the USB stick when it finishes; the server reboots on its own.

Pick an IP address outside your router’s DHCP range, or create a DHCP reservation for the server’s MAC address, so nothing else ever claims it. If the installation fails, press Ctrl + Alt + F2 to see the error on the second console.

Step 4: Log in to the web interface

On another computer on the same network, open a browser and go to the IP address you set during installation, on port 8006:

https://192.168.1.50:8006

Use your own IP address. Note the https: the page will not load over plain http. Your browser will warn about the certificate. By default, Proxmox signs the web interface certificate with its own certificate authority, which browsers do not trust automatically. On your own network you can continue. Log in with user name root, realm Linux PAM standard authentication, and the password you set during installation.

You may see a notice about not having a valid subscription. That is expected: Proxmox VE is fully usable without one. Proxmox’s own post-install checklist is short: sort out the package repositories, then check the IP configuration and hostname, the time zone and the firewall settings.

Step 5: Set up the package repositories

A fresh install has the enterprise repository enabled, and it only works with a subscription key. Without one, refreshing the package lists shows errors for that repository. Home users should switch to the free no-subscription repository. Proxmox describes it as suitable for testing and non-production use, and its packages get less validation than the enterprise ones.

You do not need to edit files for this. Proxmox has a repository manager in the web interface:

1. In the left tree, click your node (the server name under Datacenter), then open Updates > Repositories.
2. Select the line for the pve-enterprise component and click Disable.
3. Proxmox VE 9 also configures a Ceph enterprise repository. If you see a Ceph line with the enterprise component, disable it as well unless you have a subscription.
4. Click Add, choose No-Subscription from the list and confirm.
5. Check the status panel at the top. It should no longer show errors, although it will point out that the no-subscription repository is not recommended for production.

Proxmox VE 9 uses the deb822 .sources format. The no-subscription repository lives in /etc/apt/sources.list.d/proxmox.sources:

Types: deb
URIs: http://download.proxmox.com/debian/pve
Suites: trixie
Components: pve-no-subscription
Signed-By: /usr/share/keyrings/proxmox-archive-keyring.gpg

Disabling the enterprise entry simply adds an Enabled: no line to /etc/apt/sources.list.d/pve-enterprise.sources. You always need the Debian base repositories as well (/etc/apt/sources.list.d/debian.sources, with the trixie, trixie-updates and trixie-security suites). The installer sets these up for you, so leave them alone.

Step 6: Install updates

In the web interface, go to your node > Updates, click Refresh to download the package lists, then click Upgrade. A console window opens and runs the upgrade. From the node’s Shell or over SSH, the equivalent is:

apt update
apt full-upgrade

Always use apt full-upgrade (or apt dist-upgrade) on Proxmox, never plain apt upgrade. Proxmox uses a rolling release model on top of Debian, and plain apt upgrade can leave the system partially upgraded or broken, because it cannot remove packages when dependencies change. Reboot if the update included a new kernel. Proxmox also checks for updates daily and emails root@pam when new ones are available.

Point releases, such as 9.1 to 9.2, arrive through these normal updates. Major upgrades, such as 8 to 9, need their own guide and a fresh backup.

Step 7: Understand the default storage

Click Datacenter > Storage and you will see two or three entries. Knowing what each one holds saves a lot of confusion later.

local is file storage for ISOs and backups. local-lvm and local-zfs are block storage for guest disks, thin provisioned, so a 32 GB virtual disk only uses the space the guest has actually written and with snapshot support.

Which one should you pick at install time? ext4 with LVM-thin is the simple default and works on a single disk. ZFS adds checksums against silent data corruption, compression and software mirroring across two or more disks, at the cost of more RAM. With two identical SSDs and enough memory, I would pick a ZFS mirror. On one disk with limited RAM, the ext4 default is fine.

Step 8: Create your first virtual machine

This example creates a Debian or Ubuntu server VM; most Linux distributions work the same way.

Upload the installer ISO

Download the ISO for your distribution from its official site. In Proxmox, expand your node in the left tree, click the local storage, open ISO Images and click Upload. You can also paste a direct link with Download from URL, so the server fetches the file itself.

Run the Create VM wizard

Click Create VM at the top right and go through the tabs. Tick Advanced at the bottom of the wizard if you want to see every option.

1. General: keep the suggested VM ID (the first is usually 100) and give the VM a name, such as debian-01.
2. OS: choose Use CD/DVD disc image file (iso), pick the local storage and your ISO, and set the guest OS type to Linux.
3. System: the defaults are fine. Tick QEMU Agent now, because you will install the agent inside the guest. Proxmox suggests switching from the default SeaBIOS to OVMF (UEFI) mainly if you plan to use PCIe passthrough.
4. Disks: keep the bus as SCSI with the VirtIO SCSI single controller. Proxmox has used this as the default for new Linux VMs since version 7.3. Set storage to local-lvm (or local-zfs) and choose a size, such as 32 GiB. On thin storage, tick Discard so deleted files inside the VM free up space on the host, and tick IO thread, which Proxmox recommends together with VirtIO SCSI single.
5. CPU: 2 cores is a sensible start. The default CPU type in the wizard is x86-64-v2-AES. On a single server, host exposes every feature of your CPU.
6. Memory: 2048 MiB is plenty for a minimal Debian or Ubuntu server. Leave the ballooning device enabled. Leave at least 2 GB for the host and its services, with more for ZFS or other storage workloads.
7. Network: keep bridge vmbr0 and set the model to VirtIO (paravirtualized). The VM then gets an address from your router like any other device.
8. Confirm: review the summary, tick Start after created if you like, and click Finish.

Why VirtIO? Proxmox cites double the sequential write throughput of an emulated IDE disk, and up to three times the network throughput of an emulated Intel E1000. Linux has the drivers built in, while Windows needs the extra VirtIO driver ISO.

Install the OS and the guest agent

Select the VM, open Console and run through the normal Debian or Ubuntu installer. Then remove the ISO from the VM’s Hardware tab and reboot. Then install the QEMU guest agent inside the VM:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install qemu-guest-agent
sudo systemctl start qemu-guest-agent

If you did not tick QEMU Agent in the wizard, enable it under the VM’s Options tab, then fully shut the VM down and start it again. A reboot from inside the guest is not enough. With the agent running, Proxmox can shut the VM down cleanly and freeze its file system for consistent backups.

A VM like this is a good place to try heavier projects without touching your main computer, such as running AI models locally with Ollama.

Step 9: Create your first LXC container

Containers start from a template, which is a small, pre-built root file system. Proxmox provides basic templates for the most common Linux distributions, and TurnKey Linux appliance templates are also available.

Download a template

Click the local storage, open CT Templates and click Templates. Pick a Debian or Ubuntu “standard” template and click Download. From the shell, the same job looks like this:

pveam update
pveam available --section system
pveam download local <template-file-name>
pveam list local

Replace <template-file-name> with a name from the pveam available list.

Run the Create CT wizard

1. Click Create CT at the top right.
2. General: keep the CT ID, set a hostname and a root password, and optionally paste an SSH public key. Leave Unprivileged container ticked. It is the default and maps root inside the container to an unprivileged user on the host.
3. Template: choose the local storage and the template you downloaded.
4. Root Disk: put it on local-lvm (or local-zfs). 8 GB is enough for a small service.
5. CPU and Memory: 1 core and 512 MiB to 1 GiB of RAM is enough for most light services.
6. Network: keep bridge vmbr0 and set IPv4 to DHCP, or enter a static address in CIDR form (for example 192.168.1.60/24) with your router as the gateway.
7. DNS: leave it on the host settings unless you have a reason to change it.
8. Confirm: review and click Finish, then start the container.

Open the container’s Console and log in as root, or enter it straight from the host shell with pct enter followed by its ID. Then update it like any Debian or Ubuntu system:

pct enter 101
apt update && apt full-upgrade

Proxmox VE 9.1 also added the option to build containers from OCI images, the format Docker images use. You can pull one with Pull from OCI registry in a storage’s CT Templates view. Proxmox still labels application containers built this way a technology preview, so start with the regular templates.

Step 10: Backups and snapshots

Snapshots and backups solve different problems, and you want both.

Snapshots

Select a VM or container, open Snapshots and click Take Snapshot. For a VM you can include RAM, so the rollback returns to the exact running state. Snapshots need storage that supports them. local-lvm and local-zfs both do. From the shell:

qm snapshot 100 before-upgrade
qm rollback 100 before-upgrade
pct snapshot 101 before-upgrade

Snapshots are a short-term safety net that lives on the same disk as the guest, so do not keep them for weeks.

Backups with vzdump

A vzdump backup includes the guest configuration and eligible disks. Check exclusions: container bind mounts, device mounts and disks marked to skip backup need a separate backup plan. On a fresh install the only backup target is local, on the same disk as everything else. For backups that survive a disk failure, add an NFS or SMB share from a NAS under Datacenter > Storage, or use a separate Proxmox Backup Server, which is the option Proxmox recommends.

Use snapshot mode, the default. It backs up running guests with the least downtime. Stop mode gives the highest consistency at the cost of a short shutdown. Choose ZSTD compression: Proxmox calls it the fastest of the three available algorithms, and it is multi-threaded. A one-off backup from the shell looks like this:

vzdump 100 --mode snapshot --compress zstd --storage local

For scheduled backups, go to Datacenter > Backup > Add. Pick the guests, the target storage, a schedule and a retention policy, such as keep-last 3 and keep-daily 7. Enable Repeat missed in the Advanced tab if the server is sometimes off at the scheduled time. Test a restore once so you know it works.

Common mistakes and troubleshooting

• The USB stick does not boot. Write it again with Etcher, or with Rufus in DD mode, and check that USB boot is enabled in the firmware. Do not use UNetbootin.
• The graphical installer shows a blank or garbled screen. Use Install Proxmox VE (Terminal UI). Proxmox also documents adding the nomodeset kernel parameter for display driver problems.
• Installer problems on a MegaRAID server. Proxmox lists a known issue with the 9.2 ISO’s kernel (7.0.2-6), the megaraid_sas driver and some NVMe drives in JBOD mode. On affected hardware, install from the 9.1 ISO and then upgrade to 9.2.
• VMs refuse to start with a KVM error. Intel VT-x or AMD-V is usually turned off in the BIOS/UEFI. Turn it on and reboot.
• Refreshing updates shows repository errors. The enterprise repository is probably still enabled without a subscription. Disable it and add no-subscription, as in Step 5.
• The web page will not load. Use https:// and port 8006.
• The disk filled up. Thin provisioning lets you allocate more virtual disk space than you have. Watch the usage of local-lvm or the ZFS pool on the node’s Summary page, and enable Discard plus TRIM inside guests.
• Docker installed directly on the host. Proxmox does not recommend it. Run Docker inside a VM instead.

FAQ

Is Proxmox VE free?

Yes. Proxmox VE is open source software licensed under the GNU AGPL v3, and every feature works without paying. A subscription gives access to the enterprise repository and, depending on the level, technical support. Home users typically run the no-subscription repository.

Can I run Proxmox VE on a Raspberry Pi?

No. The official arm64 build of Proxmox VE 9.2 supports NVIDIA Grace and Vera platforms, and Proxmox states that Raspberry Pi and other single-board computers that depend on device trees are not supported. Use a 64-bit x86 machine with Intel VT or AMD-V instead.

How long is Proxmox VE 9 supported?

Proxmox supports each major release at least as long as the matching Debian release gets security support, which is about three years after its first release. Proxmox VE 9 is based on Debian 13 and was first released in August 2025. Proxmox has not yet listed its end-of-life date.

Can I run Windows in a Proxmox VM?

Yes. Set the guest OS type to Microsoft Windows, add the VirtIO driver ISO as a second CD drive so Windows can see the VirtIO disk and network card, and install the drivers and guest agent after setup. In 9.2, the wizard now defaults that second CD drive to the IDE controller.

• SourceProxmox VE Roadmap and release notes

• SourceProxmox VE ISO downloads

• SourceProxmox VE system requirements

• SourceProxmox VE wiki: Prepare installation media

• SourceProxmox VE wiki: Installation

• SourceProxmox VE wiki: Package repositories

• SourceProxmox VE wiki: Storage

• SourceProxmox VE wiki: QEMU/KVM virtual machines

• SourceProxmox VE wiki: Linux containers

• SourceProxmox VE wiki: Backup and restore

• SourceProxmox VE Administration Guide