What you need before you start

Proxmox runs on a bare metal server — a physical machine with nothing else on it. You cannot install it on top of Windows or Linux the way you would install a regular program. Instead, Proxmox replaces your operating system entirely and becomes the foundation that everything else runs on top of.

You will need a server or desktop computer with at least 2 CPU cores, 4 GB of RAM, and 32 GB of storage. A second network port is helpful but not required. The machine must support virtualization in the BIOS — Intel calls this VT-x, AMD calls it AMD-V. Most modern processors have it, but you may need to turn it on in your BIOS settings before Proxmox will work correctly.

You also need a USB drive with at least 1 GB of space to hold the Proxmox installer, and a second computer to create that USB drive and manage Proxmox once it is running. Proxmox itself has no graphical interface on the server — you control it from another machine through a web browser.

Key Takeaways

  • Proxmox installs as your operating system, not as a program, so the server must be empty or you must be willing to erase it completely.
  • You create a bootable USB drive on another computer, then boot your server from that drive and follow the installer's prompts to partition the disk and set networking.
  • After installation finishes, you access Proxmox through a web browser on another machine by typing the server's IP address and port 8006.
  • The first login uses the root account, and you should change the root password and create additional user accounts before you start building virtual machines.
  • Virtualization must be enabled in your server's BIOS before Proxmox will run virtual machines — check this before you begin the installation.

Creating the Proxmox installer on a USB drive

read the Proxmox ISO file from proxmox.com/en/downloads. The ISO is a single file that contains the entire Proxmox operating system. You will use this file to create a bootable USB drive that your server can boot from.

On Windows, use Rufus (rufus.ie) to write the ISO to your USB drive. Open Rufus, select your USB drive from the Device dropdown, click Select next to Boot selection, choose the Proxmox ISO file you downloaded, and click Start. Rufus will erase the USB drive and write Proxmox to it — this takes a few minutes.

On macOS or Linux, open a terminal and use the dd command. First, insert your USB drive and run diskutil list (macOS) or lsblk (Linux) to find its device name — it will look like /dev/disk2 or /dev/sdb. Then run sudo dd if=proxmox-ve_*.iso of=/dev/rdisk2 bs=1m, replacing the ISO filename and device name with your own. This takes several minutes and shows no progress — wait until the command returns to the prompt.

Booting your server from the USB drive

Insert the USB drive into your server and power it on. when ready start pressing the boot menu key — usually F12, F2, Esc, or Del depending on your hardware. You should see a menu listing your boot options. Select the USB drive (it may be labeled as a removable device or by the USB drive's brand name) and press Enter.

Your server will boot from the USB drive and show the Proxmox installer menu. You will see several options; select "Install Proxmox VE" and press Enter. The installer will load, which takes about a minute.

If your server does not show a boot menu, restart it and try a different key. If you still cannot reach the boot menu, you may need to enable USB boot in your BIOS. Restart the server, enter the BIOS setup (usually by pressing F2 or Del during startup), find the Boot or Boot Order section, and make sure USB is listed before your hard drive. Save and exit, then try again.

Running the Proxmox installer

The installer will ask you to accept the license terms. Read them if you wish, then click I Agree to continue.

Next, you will choose which disk to install Proxmox on. The installer will show all the disks in your server. Select the disk you want to use — usually the largest one if you have multiple disks. Click Next. The installer will ask about disk layout; the default option (ext4 with LVM) is fine for most setups. Click Next again.

You will then set your location, time zone, and keyboard layout. These settings affect how Proxmox displays dates and how your keyboard behaves. Choose the options that match your location and click Next.

The installer will ask for a root password. This is the main administrator password for your Proxmox server — make it strong and write it down somewhere safe. You will also enter an email address for system notifications. Click Next.

Finally, you will configure networking. The installer will show your network interfaces (usually eth0 or enp0s3). Set a static IP address — do not use DHCP, because you need the server's IP address to stay the same so you can reach it from other machines. Enter an IP address on your network (for example, 192.168.1.100), the netmask (usually 255.255.255.0), the gateway (usually your router's IP, like 192.168.1.1), and a DNS server (8.8.8.8 works). Click Next to review your settings, then click Install to begin writing Proxmox to the disk.

Waiting for installation and first boot

The installer will copy files to your disk and configure Proxmox. This takes 5 to 15 minutes depending on your disk speed. Do not interrupt this process — let it finish completely.

When installation finishes, the installer will ask you to remove the USB drive and reboot. Remove the USB drive, click Reboot, and wait for your server to restart. It will boot into Proxmox for the first time.

After Proxmox boots, you will see a login prompt on the server's screen showing the IP address you configured. Write down this IP address — you will use it to access Proxmox from another machine.

Accessing Proxmox from another computer

On any computer on the same network as your Proxmox server, open a web browser and type https:// followed by your server's IP address and :8006. For example, if your server's IP is 192.168.1.100, you would type https://192.168.1.100:8006.

Your browser will show a security warning because Proxmox uses a self-signed certificate. This is normal and expected. Click through the warning to proceed — the exact button depends on your browser, but it usually says "Advanced" or "Continue Anyway".

You will see the Proxmox login page. Log in with username root and the password you set during installation. After you log in, you will see the Proxmox dashboard showing your server's resources and any virtual machines you have created.

Securing your Proxmox installation

Your first task after logging in should be to change the root password. Click the user icon in the top right corner, select "Password", enter your current password, then enter a new strong password twice. Click Update.

Next, create additional user accounts so you do not have to share the root password. Click Datacenter in the left sidebar, then Users. Click Create to add a new user. Give them a username and password, and optionally assign them to a group with limited permissions. This way, you can give other people access to manage specific virtual machines without giving them full root access.

You should also enable virtualization in your server's BIOS if you have not already. Restart your Proxmox server, enter the BIOS setup, find the CPU or Processor settings, and look for an option called VT-x (Intel) or AMD-V (AMD). Enable it, save, and reboot. Without this, you will not be able to create virtual machines.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I install Proxmox on a computer that already has Windows or Linux on it?

No. Proxmox must be installed as your operating system, which means erasing everything on the disk. If you want to keep your existing system, you need a separate physical machine for Proxmox. Alternatively, you can run Proxmox inside a virtual machine on your existing system, but this is slower and more complicated than a bare metal installation.

What if the installer does not recognize my network card?

Some older or unusual network cards may not have drivers in the Proxmox installer. If you cannot configure networking during installation, you can skip it, complete the installation, and configure networking after Proxmox boots by editing the /etc/network/interfaces file from the command line. You can also try downloading a different version of Proxmox or checking the Proxmox forums for your specific hardware.

Do I need to install Proxmox on an SSD or can I use a regular hard drive?

Proxmox will run on either, but an SSD is much faster and recommended if you plan to run multiple virtual machines. A regular hard drive works for testing or light use, but you will notice slower performance when starting virtual machines or moving data between them.

What should I do if I forget the root password?

You will need to boot into single-user mode or use the GRUB bootloader to reset it. This requires physical access to the server and some command-line knowledge. To avoid this, write down your root password and store it somewhere find before you forget it.

Can I access Proxmox from outside my local network?

Yes, but you should use a VPN or firewall rules to protect it. Proxmox should never be exposed directly to the internet without authentication and encryption. Set up a VPN on your Proxmox server or use your router's firewall to allow access only from trusted IP addresses.