Proxmox Virtual Environment (Proxmox VE) is a Debian-based open-source platform for managing virtual machines (KVM) and containers (LXC). This guide covers installation from scratch through accessing the web UI.

System Requirements

  • 64-bit CPU with hardware virtualization support (Intel VT-x / AMD-V)
  • Minimum 4 GB RAM (8 GB+ recommended for running multiple VMs)
  • Minimum 32 GB storage (SSD recommended)
  • Minimum 1 GB USB drive for the bootable installer
  • Network connection (Ethernet)
Note: Make sure virtualization is enabled in BIOS/UEFI (usually under CPU Configuration → Intel Virtualization Technology or AMD SVM Mode).

Installation Steps

  1. 1

    Download the Proxmox VE ISO

    Download the latest ISO from the official Proxmox page. Select the Proxmox VE x.x ISO Installer version.

    URL: proxmox.com/en/downloads/proxmox-virtual-environment

  2. 2

    Create a Bootable USB

    Flash the ISO to a USB using one of these tools:

    • Windows: Rufus — select ISO, use DD Image mode
    • Linux/Mac: balenaEtcher or the dd command
    dd bs=1M if=proxmox-ve_*.iso of=/dev/sdX status=progress

    Replace /dev/sdX with the correct USB device (check with lsblk).

  3. 3

    Boot from USB

    Enter BIOS/UEFI (press F2, DEL, or F12 at startup depending on your motherboard) and set the USB as the first boot device. Save and reboot.

    Warning: The installation process will erase all data on the target disk. Make sure there is no important data on that disk.
  4. 4

    Start the Installer

    At the Proxmox boot menu, select "Install Proxmox VE (Graphical)". Wait for the installer to finish loading.

  5. 5

    Select Target Disk

    The installer will show a list of available disks. Click Options to set the filesystem (default: ext4, or choose ZFS for better snapshot support). Select the target disk and click Next.

  6. 6

    Set Location & Time

    Select:

    • Country: Your country
    • Time zone: Your timezone
    • Keyboard Layout: U.S. English
  7. 7

    Set Password & Email

    Enter a password for the root account and an admin email address. The email is used for system notifications.

  8. 8

    Network Configuration

    Fill in the network configuration for the management interface:

    • Hostname (FQDN): e.g. pve.local
    • IP Address: Static IP for Proxmox, e.g. 192.168.1.100/24
    • Gateway: e.g. 192.168.1.1
    • DNS Server: e.g. 8.8.8.8
    Tip: Use a static IP so Proxmox is always reachable at the same address from the local network.
  9. 9

    Confirm & Install

    Review all settings on the summary page. Click Install to begin. Installation usually takes 3–8 minutes.

  10. 10

    Reboot & Access Web UI

    After installation completes, remove the USB and let the server reboot. Access Proxmox through your browser:

    https://<Proxmox-IP>:8006

    Login with username root and the password you set. If you see a "No valid subscription" warning, click OK — this is normal for use without an enterprise license.

Initial Configuration (Optional but Recommended)

Switch to Free Repository

By default, Proxmox uses the enterprise repository which requires a subscription. For personal/lab use, switch to the free repository via the shell (Proxmox → Node → Shell):

# Disable enterprise repo
echo "# deb https://enterprise.proxmox.com/debian/pve bookworm pve-enterprise" \
  > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/pve-enterprise.list

# Add no-subscription repo
echo "deb http://download.proxmox.com/debian/pve bookworm pve-no-subscription" \
  > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/pve-no-subscription.list

# Update
apt update && apt dist-upgrade -y

Remove Subscription Warning

sed -i.bak "s/data.status !== 'Active'/false/g" \
  /usr/share/javascript/proxmox-widget-toolkit/proxmoxlib.js
systemctl restart pveproxy
Note: The script above removes the subscription notification popup on every login. It needs to be re-applied after a Proxmox update.

Installing Proxmox on Top of a Debian VM (Nested)

Besides the ISO method, Proxmox VE can also be installed on top of an existing Debian installation — including inside a VM within Proxmox (nested virtualization). This is useful for lab purposes, testing, or learning without additional hardware.

Before starting: To run Proxmox inside a VM (nested), enable nested virtualization on the host Proxmox via the host shell:

Intel: echo "options kvm-intel nested=Y" > /etc/modprobe.d/kvm-intel.conf
AMD: echo "options kvm-amd nested=1" > /etc/modprobe.d/kvm-amd.conf

Then reboot the host. After that, set the VM CPU type to host in the Proxmox web UI (VM → Hardware → Processors → Type: host).

Steps

  1. 1

    Create a Debian VM in Proxmox

    In the Proxmox host web UI, create a new VM with:

    • OS: Debian 12 (Bookworm) — download ISO from debian.org
    • CPU: minimum 2 cores, type: host
    • RAM: minimum 4 GB (8 GB recommended)
    • Disk: minimum 32 GB
    • Network: VirtIO, bridge to vmbr0

    Install Debian minimal (no GUI, select only "SSH server" and "standard system utilities" during package selection).

  2. 2

    Set the FQDN Hostname

    Log into the Debian VM via console or SSH, then set the hostname:

    hostnamectl set-hostname pve-lab.local

    Edit /etc/hosts to add the IP and FQDN entry:

    nano /etc/hosts

    Add this line (replace IP with your VM's IP):

    192.168.1.50   pve-lab.local   pve-lab
    Important: Proxmox requires a FQDN hostname that can be resolved locally. This step is mandatory before installing.
  3. 3

    Add the Proxmox Repository

    Create the Proxmox repository file:

    nano /etc/apt/sources.list.d/pve-install-repo.list

    Add the following single line:

    deb [arch=amd64] http://download.proxmox.com/debian/pve bookworm pve-no-subscription

    Save with Ctrl + O → Enter, exit with Ctrl + X.

  4. 4

    Download and Add the Proxmox GPG Key

    wget https://enterprise.proxmox.com/debian/proxmox-release-bookworm.gpg -O /etc/apt/trusted.gpg.d/proxmox-release-bookworm.gpg
  5. 5

    Update and Install Proxmox VE

    apt update
apt full-upgrade
apt install proxmox-ve
apt install postfix
apt install open-iscsi

    When installing postfix, select the "Local only" configuration.

  6. 6

    Remove Debian Kernel (Optional)

    Proxmox has its own optimized kernel. The default Debian kernel can be removed:

    apt remove linux-image-amd64
apt remove linux-image-6.1*
update-grub
  7. 7

    Reboot and Access Web UI

    reboot

    After reboot, access the nested Proxmox through your browser:

    https://192.168.1.50:8006

    Login with user root and the Debian password you set.