Create a virtual machine

The Create VM form sets up a new virtual machine the way the Proxmox web UI wizard does, on one scrolling page: where it runs, what it boots from, its firmware, disk, processors, memory and network. Fill it in, tap Create, and the VM appears in the sidebar, ready to install from its ISO image. Creating virtual machines is part of Aprox Pro.

Where to find it

1. In the sidebar, sign in to your Proxmox VE server.
2. Long-press the server row (right-click on a Mac).
3. Choose Create VM (Android: Create Virtual Machine).

The menu item is available for signed-in Proxmox VE servers, not for Backup Servers and not in the demo. On the free plan it shows "(Pro)" with a lock, and choosing it opens an overview of Aprox Pro.

To install from an ISO image, the image must already be on a storage of the node. Upload or download it first if needed; see Upload a file and Download from a URL.

Create a virtual machine

Work through the form from top to bottom, then tap Create.

1. General

2. Operating System

• OS Type: Linux 6.x / 5.x / 4.x, Linux 2.4, Windows 11/2022/2025, Windows 10/2016/2019, Windows 8/2012/R2, Windows 7/2008r2, Windows XP/2003, Solaris or Other. Proxmox uses it to choose sensible defaults.
• ISO Image: the installation image from one of the node's storages, or Do not use any media. The image goes into a CD/DVD drive.

3. System

• BIOS: SeaBIOS (legacy BIOS) or OVMF (UEFI).
• Machine: leave empty for the default (i440fx), or enter q35 for modern guests and PCI passthrough.
• SCSI Controller: VirtIO SCSI single (a good default), VirtIO SCSI, LSI 53C895A or VMware PVSCSI.
• Enable QEMU Guest Agent: turn on if you will install the agent inside the guest. See Guest agent details.

4. Disk

• The storage for the disk, for example local-lvm.
• Bus: SCSI, VirtIO, SATA or IDE.
• Size in GiB.
• Format: Default, Raw or QCOW2. Which formats work depends on the storage.
• SSD emulation, Discard / TRIM (returns freed blocks to thin storage when the guest trims), IO thread.

5. CPU

• Sockets and Cores per socket.
• Type (Android: CPU type): leave empty for the default, or enter a CPU model such as host (fastest) or x86-64-v2-AES (safe for migration between different processors).

6. Memory

• Memory in MiB, for example 4096.
• Min memory (balloon) in MiB: optional. With a value below Memory, Proxmox can reclaim memory down to this minimum when the node needs it. Leave empty to give the guest its full memory at all times.

7. Network

• The bridge, for example vmbr0.
• Model: VirtIO (fastest; Windows needs the VirtIO drivers), Intel E1000, Realtek RTL8139 or VMware vmxnet3.
• Firewall: lets the guest firewall filter this device.
• VLAN tag: optional.

8. Create

1. Optional: turn on Start after creation.
2. Tap Create. Aprox shows Creating VM….
3. The new VM appears in the sidebar under its node.

The boot order is set to the disk first, then the CD/DVD drive, then the network. An empty disk is skipped, so the VM boots the installer from the ISO image.

Install the operating system

1. Start the VM, if you did not choose Start after creation.
2. Open its Console and run the installer. See Console.
3. After the installation, remove the ISO image: Hardware › CD/DVD drive › Source › Do not use any media › Save.

Requirements on the server

Typically VM.Allocate (on /vms or the pool you choose) and Datastore.AllocateSpace on the disk storage, plus access to the bridge and to the storage that holds the ISO image.

Good to know

• UEFI needs an EFI disk. The form does not create one. If you choose OVMF (UEFI), open the new VM's Hardware tab and add an EFI Disk (and a TPM for Windows 11) before the first start. See Virtual machine hardware.
• More hardware. Everything the form does not cover, such as a second disk, more network devices or passthrough, you add afterwards in the Hardware tab.
• Faster: clone a template. If you create similar VMs often, prepare one, convert it to a template and clone it.

Related

• Virtual machine hardware
• Create a container
• Upload a file
• Console
• Clone a guest