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Creating Virtual Machines in Proxmox

This guide walks through creating virtual machines in Proxmox VE, covering recommended settings, storage options, networking, and best practices for homelab and production environments.

Prerequisites​

Before creating a virtual machine, ensure:

  • Proxmox VE is installed and updated
  • ISO images are uploaded to local or shared storage
  • Storage and network bridges are configured

Uploading an ISO Image​

  1. Navigate to Datacenter → Storage
  2. Select your ISO storage
  3. Click Upload
  4. Upload your OS ISO (Windows, Linux, etc.)

Creating a Virtual Machine​

  1. Click Create VM
  2. Assign a VM ID and Name
  3. Select the installation ISO
  4. Configure:
    • System
    • Disks
    • CPU
    • Memory
    • Network

CPU​

  • Type: host
  • Cores: Match workload requirements

Memory​

  • Enable Ballooning for dynamic memory usage

Disk​

  • Storage: local-lvm or ZFS
  • Bus/Device: VirtIO SCSI
  • Cache: Write back (with UPS)

Network​

  • Model: VirtIO (paravirtualized)
  • Bridge: vmbr0

Installing the Operating System​

Start the VM and follow the OS installation steps. For Windows VMs, load VirtIO drivers when prompted.

Post-Install Tasks​

  • Install QEMU Guest Agent
  • Apply updates
  • Take a baseline snapshot