How to Install Proxmox VE 9.2: Step by Step

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You can install Proxmox VE in a few steps: download the ISO from proxmox.com, write a bootable USB stick, boot the installer, choose the target disk and filesystem, set network and password, done. After the first reboot you manage everything through the web interface at https://SERVER-IP:8006. This guide covers the general bare-metal install on your own or rented hardware. If you are setting Proxmox up at a host without a KVM console, see the provider-specific Install Proxmox on Hetzner guide instead.

The current release as of October 2026 is Proxmox VE 9.2 (download page and installation documentation), based on Debian 13 "Trixie". For a fresh install always grab the latest ISO rather than an older 8.x version.

If the installation will replace an existing environment, move Proxmox to new hardware adds guest transfer and fallback planning.

Check the requirements

• Minimum (evaluation only): 64-bit CPU with Intel VT-x or AMD-V, 1 GB RAM plus memory for the guests, one disk, one NIC. The virtualization extensions must be enabled in the BIOS/UEFI, otherwise no KVM VM will start.
• Production: at least 2 GB RAM for the host plus the memory of all VMs (with ZFS/Ceph about 1 GB per TB of used storage), redundant SSDs and redundant gigabit NICs.

The values come from the Proxmox system requirements. For sizing production systems, see Proxmox hardware and sizing. For background on what Proxmox is and does, read What is Proxmox.

Step 1: Download the ISO

Download the current ISO from proxmox.com/en/downloads under "Proxmox Virtual Environment" (file proxmox-ve_9.2-1.iso, around 1.7 GB; since August 2026 Arm64 servers use proxmox-ve_9.2-1-arm64.iso, see the release notes). Then verify the SHA256 checksum against the value shown on the download page to rule out a corrupted or tampered file:

sha256sum proxmox-ve_9.2-1.iso

Step 2: Create a bootable USB stick

You need a USB stick larger than the ISO (4 GB is plenty). Note: UNetbootin does not work with the Proxmox image, and Rufus must run in DD mode, not ISO mode (installation documentation, installation media).

Be absolutely sure you target the correct drive. dd overwrites the target without asking, and a wrong letter wipes another disk.

Step 3: Boot the installer

Plug the stick into the target server, select it as the boot device in the BIOS/UEFI boot menu and start. The Proxmox installer offers several modes:

• Install Proxmox VE (Graphical) - the normal graphical installer and the right choice for most systems.
• Install Proxmox VE (Terminal UI) - the same steps as a text-based installer, with better compatibility on very old or very new hardware, according to the installation documentation.
• Terminal UI, Serial Console - for headless servers reachable only over a serial console.
• Automated - a fully automated, unattended install driven by an answer file.

For a normal first install, choose the graphical installer and accept the EULA.

Step 4: Choose target disk and filesystem

In the "Target Harddisk" step, select the disk Proxmox will be installed on. Under "Options" you set the filesystem. This choice can only be changed later by reinstalling, so decide deliberately:

Recommendation: for a single disk or an existing hardware RAID, ext4 is enough. If you have two or more disks and want redundancy, snapshots and later cluster replication, choose ZFS (for example RAID1 as a mirror across two SSDs). For a comparison of ZFS, Ceph and LVM for later operation, see Proxmox storage: ZFS, Ceph & LVM.

Step 5: Location, password and email

Next the installer asks for:

• Location and time zone (also used to pick a nearby package mirror) and the keyboard layout.
• Root password with at least 8 characters; the installation documentation recommends at least 12 characters. For production servers use a long, random password.
• Administrator email for system notifications, for example about backup or storage problems. Enter an address that is actually monitored.

Step 6: Network and hostname

In the network step you configure the management interface:

• Hostname (FQDN), for example pve01.example.com. Changing it later takes effort, so set it cleanly now.
• IP address with CIDR (for example 192.168.10.20/24), gateway and DNS server.

The installer configures a single IP stack during installation (IPv4 or IPv6; additional addresses for dual stack follow after the installation, installation documentation). By default it creates a bridge vmbr0 that VMs and containers attach to later.

Step 7: Finish the install and first login

Confirm the summary. How long the installation takes depends on hardware and disks. Remove the USB stick after the automatic reboot.

In a browser on another machine on the same network, open:

https://SERVER-IP:8006

The self-signed certificate triggers a browser warning that you accept for first access. Log in with user root, realm PAM and the password set during installation. You are now in the Proxmox web interface.

After the installation: repository, update and first hardening

Step 8: Set up the no-subscription repository

After a fresh install the enterprise repository is active. Without a valid subscription key, apt update fails there with a 401 error. For test and homelab systems, configure the free no-subscription repository instead.

Option A (web UI): Under Node > Updates > Repositories, disable the two enterprise entries (PVE and Ceph) and add the no-subscription repository via "Add".

Option B (CLI): Proxmox VE 9 uses the deb822 format. Disable the enterprise repo by adding the line Enabled: no to /etc/apt/sources.list.d/pve-enterprise.sources, then create /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

Never mix enterprise and no-subscription sources at the same time. At login you will also see a "No valid subscription" notice. How to remove it cleanly is covered in Remove the Proxmox subscription notice. Risks and an operating concept without a subscription are covered in Running Proxmox without a subscription, subscription prices in How much does Proxmox cost?.

Step 9: First update

Bring the fresh system up to date:

apt update
apt full-upgrade -y
reboot

After the reboot, check the version:

pveversion

The output should read pve-manager/9.2.x. The base is now ready: you can attach storage, upload ISOs and create your first VM or container. Three points belong right after that:

Set up a backup target

A fresh installation backs up nothing by itself. The intended target for deduplicated, encrypted backups is Proxmox Backup Server: What is Proxmox Backup Server (PBS)?. A copy outside the site is covered in PBS offsite backup.

Secure access

Two-factor authentication can be set up for logging in to the web interface (Datacenter > Permissions > Two Factor; TOTP, WebAuthn and recovery keys are available, Proxmox documentation). For daily work create separate users with suitable roles instead of working as root permanently.

Check network and bridge

The installer creates the bridge vmbr0 on the first network card; VMs and containers are connected to the network through it. Make network changes preferably via the web interface and check them before applying, because a faulty configuration can make the node unreachable (Proxmox documentation, network). With several nodes, the cluster is the next step: Setting up a Proxmox HA cluster.

The Proxmox hardening checklist organises subsequent checks of SSH, MFA, firewall and permissions.

Common mistakes

• KVM will not start: virtualization extensions not enabled in BIOS/UEFI. Turn on VT-x or AMD-V.
• apt update fails with 401: enterprise repo active without a subscription. Switch to no-subscription (Step 8).
• Web UI unreachable: wrong IP/gateway in the network step, or port 8006 blocked by a firewall.
• Rufus stick will not boot: Rufus was not used in DD mode. Rewrite the ISO in DD mode.
• Installer shows no picture or hangs while booting: Choose Install Proxmox VE (Terminal UI) in the boot menu; according to the installation documentation this mode has better compatibility with very old and very new hardware. If that does not help, the documentation describes the kernel parameter nomodeset: edit the boot menu entry with e, append nomodeset to the end of the linux line and boot with Ctrl-X or F10.

Have Proxmox installed or rent it

The install is the easy part. Production operation means clean storage and network design, hardening, backups with Proxmox Backup Server and monitoring. If you would rather not run the steps yourself, there are three routes: have Proxmox installed (from a single server to a cluster), rent a server with Proxmox installed and operated, or hand over ongoing operations as Managed Proxmox. Or book a free initial consultation directly.

For repeatable host installations, continue with automated Proxmox installation. After host setup, create a VM covers Ubuntu, Linux and Windows as guests.