How to Install Ubuntu and Windows 11 VMs on Proxmox

By /

With Proxmox running, the next step is getting virtual machines up and running. This guide walks through creating Ubuntu Server, Ubuntu Desktop, and Windows 11 VMs — including how to handle Windows 11’s TPM 2.0 and UEFI requirements inside Proxmox.

🎥 Watch the Video Tutorial

💡 Why Run VMs?

Virtual machines let you run multiple operating systems on one machine, snapshot and roll back changes, and tear down and rebuild environments in minutes. For a home lab this means you can have a Windows Server domain controller, an Ubuntu web server, and a security monitoring VM all running simultaneously on a single host.

ℹ️ Note: Prerequisite: Proxmox VE must be installed. See: Proxmox VE Home Lab Setup

🛠 What You’ll Need

📋 Step-by-Step Setup

1. Upload ISOs to Proxmox storage

In the Proxmox web UI navigate to local → ISO Images → Upload. Upload each ISO you want to use, or use Download from URL to pull ISOs directly onto the Proxmox host.

2. Create an Ubuntu Server VM

Click Create VM. Work through the wizard:

  • OS: Select your Ubuntu Server ISO. Type: Linux, Version: 6.x – 2.6 Kernel
  • System: Leave defaults (SeaBIOS, no TPM needed for Ubuntu)
  • Disk: 32 GB minimum; 64 GB if you’ll run services
  • CPU: 2 cores minimum; 4 recommended. Memory: 2048 MB minimum; 4096 MB recommended
  • Network: VirtIO on the default bridge (vmbr0)

Click Finish, start the VM, and open the console to run through the Ubuntu installer.

3. Create a Windows 11 VM (with TPM 2.0)

Windows 11 requires UEFI firmware and a TPM 2.0 chip. Enable both in the VM wizard:

  • OS: Select your Windows 11 ISO. Type: Microsoft Windows, Version: 11/2022/2025
  • System: Machine: q35, BIOS: OVMF (UEFI), check Add TPM → Storage: local-lvm, Version: v2.0
  • Disk: 64 GB minimum. CPU: 4 cores. Memory: 4096–8192 MB

4. Install QEMU Guest Agent

The QEMU Guest Agent enables clean shutdown, IP address reporting, and snapshot consistency. Install inside each Ubuntu VM:

sudo apt install -y qemu-guest-agent
sudo systemctl enable --now qemu-guest-agent

Then enable it in Proxmox: VM → Options → QEMU Guest Agent → Enable.

💡 Tip: VM disk performance is heavily influenced by the underlying storage. If your Proxmox host has an NVMe drive, store VM disks on local-lvm. Spinning disk storage will make Windows VMs noticeably sluggish.

✅ Conclusion

You now have Ubuntu and Windows 11 running as virtual machines on Proxmox. From here you can clone VMs, snapshot before changes, or use them as base templates for more complex setups. Next: setting up Docker on an Ubuntu VM.

📺 Watch the full video guide here: https://youtu.be/c6tYdVujOwk

If you found this helpful, like and subscribe to IT HomeLab Online on YouTube for more tutorials.

☕ Support the channel: Patreon · Buy Me a Coffee

Leave a Comment

Scroll to Top