# Install Proxmox VE 9: Step-by-Step Setup on Bare Metal

Source: https://srvscripts.com/guides/install-proxmox-ve-9/
Updated: 2026-10-03
Publisher: srvScripts (https://srvscripts.com/)

This guide shows how to install Proxmox VE 9 on a physical server, from the USB stick to the first running virtual machine. Proxmox VE is a free, open-source hypervisor built on Debian that runs KVM virtual machines and LXC containers from a web interface. Version 9.2 (released May 2026) is based on Debian 13 “Trixie”; the steps are the same for any 9.x release.

**Short answer:** Enable VT-x/AMD-V and VT-d in the BIOS, write the Proxmox VE 9 ISO to a USB stick, boot it and choose the graphical installer. Pick ZFS RAID1 on two disks (or ext4 on hardware RAID), set a static management IP, finish, then open `https://SERVER-IP:8006`. Disable the enterprise repository, enable `pve-no-subscription`, run `apt update && apt full-upgrade`, and upload an ISO to create your first VM.

In short: Enable VT-x/AMD-V and VT-d in the BIOS, write the Proxmox VE 9 ISO to a USB stick, boot it and choose the graphical installer.

## What you need

| Item | Minimum | Recommended |
| --- | --- | --- |
| CPU | 64-bit Intel or AMD with VT-x / AMD-V | Server CPU with VT-d / AMD-Vi for PCI passthrough |
| RAM | 2 GB for Proxmox itself plus guest memory | 32 GB or more; ZFS needs about 1 GB per TB of storage extra |
| Disks | One disk | Two SSDs for ZFS RAID1 boot, separate disks or NVMe for VM storage |
| Network | One NIC | Two or more NICs: management and VM traffic separated |

Download the current ISO from the Proxmox downloads page and write it with `dd`, Rufus (DD mode) or balenaEtcher:

```
lsblk                      # find the USB stick, e.g. /dev/sdX
dd if=proxmox-ve_9.2-1.iso of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress conv=fsync
```

## Step 1: prepare the BIOS

Enable Intel VT-x or AMD-V (SVM), and VT-d or AMD-Vi (IOMMU) if you plan PCI passthrough. Use UEFI boot and disable Secure Boot only if your board’s firmware causes problems; Proxmox VE 9 supports Secure Boot. Set the USB stick as the first boot device.

## Step 2: run the installer

- Choose **Install Proxmox VE (Graphical)**. The terminal UI option works the same way on servers without a graphics card.

- Accept the licence and select the **target disk**. Click Options to choose the file system: ZFS (RAID1) across two identical disks gives bootable redundancy and snapshots; ext4 or xfs with LVM-thin suits a single disk or a hardware RAID controller. Do not put ZFS on top of hardware RAID.

- Set country, time zone and keyboard layout.

- Enter a strong root password and an e-mail address for alerts.

- Set the management network: interface, fully qualified hostname (for example `pve1.example.com`), static IP in CIDR form, gateway and DNS server.

- Check the summary and install. The server reboots after a few minutes; remove the USB stick.

## Step 3: first login and repositories

Browse to `https://SERVER-IP:8006`, accept the self-signed certificate and log in as `root` with realm Linux PAM. Without a subscription, switch to the free repository so updates work. Proxmox VE 9 uses deb822 `.sources` files:

```
cd /etc/apt/sources.list.d/
sed -i 's/^Enabled:.*//; $a Enabled: false' pve-enterprise.sources   # disable enterprise repo
cat > proxmox.sources