Getting Started with Proxmox

Posted Apr 3, 2026

promox

By David Tranberg

5 min read

Getting Started with Proxmox

Proxmox Server Guide.

New to Proxmox? No worries. By the end of this guide, you’ll have a fully working Proxmox server up and running — no prior experience required.

What you’ll need:

Hardware: Any server or PC — I personally used an Intel NUC i3 with 16GB RAM, and it worked great for years.

Software: The Proxmox ISO file, a USB tool (I recommend Rufus if you’re on Windows)

Let’s get started

Let’s start by putting the Proxmox ISO onto a USB stick so we can install it. If you’re on Windows, Rufus is a super easy tool to use for this

Rufus

Now click Select and find your Proxmox ISO file.

Rufus

And then hit start say yes to erase the drive.

Rufus

Alright, time to start the installation!

Before plugging in the USB and booting from it, we need to check a BIOS setting. Restart your computer and enter the BIOS (usually Delete, F2, or F12 — if not, check your motherboard manual).

Then go to Advanced → CPU Configuration and make sure virtualization is turned on:

VT-x if you’re using Intel (VT-x = VMX = Intel Virtualization Technology )
AMD-V if you’re using AMD

Bios

Additionally, ensure that Secure Boot is disabled in the BIOS settings. Just double-check that Secure Boot is turned off in the BIOS before continuing.

Bios

In my case, I actually managed to install with Secure Boot still on (I forgot to turn it off), but it can cause problems like:

Fail to boot
Reject unsigned kernel modules

Now go ahead and boot from your USB stick.

Choose “Install Proxmox VE (Graphical)” from the menu.

Proxmox Install GUI

Next, pick the hard drive where you want to install Proxmox. I only had one option, but if you have multiple drives, make sure you pick the right one!

Proxmox Install GUI

By default, it uses ext4, which is perfectly fine. You can change it by clicking Options next to the drive, but I just stick with the default.

File system

Now set your country, time zone, and keyboard layout (this is really important if you’re not using an English keyboard!).

Proxmox Install GUI

Next up, create a password for the root user and add your email (you dont need to put in a valid email but if you want erros reports it needs a valid email)

Proxmox Install GUI

If your machine has more than one network port, pick the one you want to use and give your server a hostname (basically its name). mine is nuc.local (is a special-use domain reserved for link-local multicast DNS. It allows devices on the same local network to discover each other by hostname without needing a DNS server)

Then set the IP address — I recommend using a static IP so it doesn’t change. Just fill in your IP + gateway and DNS (same as your normal network settings).

Proxmox Install GUI

At the bottom, uncheck “Automatically reboot after successful installation” — this makes it easier to remove the USB stick. Then click Install.

Proxmox Install GUI

When it’s done, you’ll see “Installation Successful”. Remove the USB and reboot.

After reboot, you can connect to your server through the web interface.

Proxmox Install GUI

https://your-ip:8006

Connect to your Proxmox server.

Open a browser and type in url for you promox sever shown above

Proxmox login

Click on advanced

Proxmox login

Then proced

Proxmox login

You’ll probably see a “No valid subscription” message — don’t worry, that’s normal. Just click OK.

Proxmox login

Great! Your Proxmox server is now up and running