Hello! 🚀 Today, we will learn how to set the boot order of virtual machines (VMs) in Proxmox Virtual Environment (PVE), a powerful tool for virtualization management. When using PVE, there are often times when you need to boot from a specific ISO file, attempt network boot, or only boot from a specific disk. This guide will help anyone, from beginners to advanced users, to easily control the boot order of their VMs. — ### 💡 Why set the boot order? Setting the boot order of a virtual machine is essential in many situations, including: Reinstalling the operating system: When you need to boot the VM from an ISO image file to install a new OS. Entering rescue mode: When you need to boot a VM in the form of a Live CD/USB to recover a VM that has crashed. Network booting (PXE): When booting over the network to deploy the same OS to a large number of VMs. Booting from a specific disk: When you want to force a VM to boot from a specific disk when there are multiple disks connected. Testing & Debugging: When you need to test different boot environments. This guide will focus on setting the boot order of virtual machines (VMs) created within Proxmox VE, not on the BIOS/UEFI boot order settings of the Proxmox VE host itself. The boot order of a physical server needs to be changed in its BIOS/UEFI settings. — ### 1. Set the boot order of a virtual machine (VM) (via GUI) This is the easiest and most intuitive method for most users. #### 1.1 Access the Proxmox VE web interface First, access the Proxmox VE web interface via a web browser. (e.g. https://your-proxmox-ip:8006) #### 1.2 Select the target VM From the left menu, select the virtual machine (VM) whose boot order you want to change. Once selected, the VM’s overview screen will appear on the right. #### 1.3 Click the Options tab After selecting the VM, click the Options tab in the top right corner of the tabs. This tab contains various advanced settings for your VM. 
(Explanation instead of actual image: After selecting VM, click 'Options' tab)Boot Order entry Scroll down in the Options tab and you will find an entry called Boot Order. By default, it will show you the disks attached to your VM. #### 1.5 Click the Edit button Click the Edit button next to the Boot Order entry. A new pop-up window will appear showing you the available bootable devices. 
(Explanation instead of actual image: The window that appears when you click the 'Edit' button next to 'Boot Order')cdrom(ide0) to the top of the list. 💾 If you want to boot only from the hard disk (scsi0), move scsi0 to the top and uncheck or leave all other devices below it. #### 1.7 Click the OK button to save Once you are done changing the order, click the OK button at the bottom of the pop-up window to save your settings. #### 1.8 Restart VM (if necessary) You need to Reboot the VM in question for the changes to take effect immediately. The new boot order will take effect when the VM is fully shutdown and then restarted. 🔄 — ### 2. Set VM boot order (via CLI) This is useful for advanced users who are not familiar with the GUI or who need to change settings for multiple VMs at once via scripts. #### 2.1 Connect to Proxmox VE shell or SSH Connect to the Proxmox VE host directly via shell, or using an SSH client (PuTTY, MobaXterm, etc.). 🧑💻 #### 2.2 Check the boot order To check the current boot order for a specific VM, use the following command: bash qm config ` Enter the target VM ID in the section. For example, if the VM ID is 100: ```bash qm config 100 ``` You can check the currently set boot order by finding the line starting withboot:in the output. #### 2.3 Command to change the boot order To change the boot order, use theqm set` command. bash qm set -boot order="<device1>;<device2>;<device3>;..." `: The ID of the virtual machine to change the boot order for. *order=”…”: List the devices to be set in the boot order, separated by semicolons (;). The device names can be found in theqm configoutput, or are typicallyscsi0,ide0,net0,bootdisk, etc. *scsi0: The first disk connected to the SCSI controller *ide0: The first disk connected to the IDE controller (usually the CD/DVD drive) *net0: The first network interface (PXE boot) *bootdisk: The primary OS disk (the boot disk automatically assigned when the VM is created) **Examples:** 1. Set VM ID 100 to boot from the CD/DVD drive (ide0) first, and then from the SCSI disk (scsi0): ```bash qm set 100 -boot order="ide0;scsi0" ``` 2. Set VM ID 101 to boot from the network (net0) first, and then from the SCSI disk (scsi0): ```bash qm set 101 -boot order="net0;scsi0" ``` 3. If you want VM ID 102 to boot only from the SCSI disk (scsi0): ```bash qm set 102 -boot order="scsi0" ``` #### 2.4 Check and apply changes After changing the settings, runqm config again. command to verify that the changes have been applied correctly. You may need to **reboot** the VM for the changes to take effect. 🔄 --- ### 3. Set the Host (Physical Server) Boot Order (brief) **Caution: This setting cannot be changed directly from the Proxmox VE GUI.** To change the boot order of the physical server itself where Proxmox VE is installed, you need to go directly into the server's BIOS/UEFI settings. 🖥️ * **How to enter:** Power on the server and immediately press and hold a specific key (usuallyDel,F2,F10,F12, etc.) repeatedly to enter the BIOS/UEFI settings screen. The key may vary from server to server, so please refer to your server documentation. * **Change settings:** In the BIOS/UEFI settings menu, locate theBootorStartupsection and change the priority of your desired boot device (USB, CD/DVD, Network, etc.). * **Save & Exit:** Save the settings and reboot. ⚙️ This setting is usually used when installing Proxmox VE to a USB drive or over a network. --- ### 4. Example usage scenarios #### 4.1 Reinstall OS with ISO file 🚀 1. In theHardwaretab of the VM, add aCD/DVD Drive, or click theEditbutton of an existing CD/DVD drive. 2. SelectUse CD/DVD disc image file (iso), and select the desired OS ISO file. 3. Go to theOptionstab,EdittheBoot Order, and setcdrom(ide0)as the highest priority. Temporarily disable other disks or lower their priorities. 4. After restarting the VM, you can boot from the ISO file and proceed with the OS installation. #### 4.2 Recovery boot with Live CD/USB 💾 Just mount the Live CD/USB ISO file for recovery and adjust the boot order in the same way as the OS reinstallation above. #### 4.3 PXE (Network) Boot 🌐 1. In theHardwaretab of your VM, make sure your network adapter is set up correctly. 2. Go to theOptionstab,EdittheBoot Orderand setnet0(or your network interface) to the highest priority. Temporarily disable other disks or lower their priorities. 3. Restart the VM and it will attempt to boot via the PXE server. --- ### 5. Tips & Caution ⚠️ * **Save and Reboot:** After changing the boot order, you must **restart the VM** for the changes to take effect. 🔄 * **Check bootable devices:** Only devices listed in theBoot Orderwill be attempted to boot. If a specific disk is not listed or unchecked, the VM will not boot from that disk. ✅ * **VMs using EFI firmware:** If you choseEFI (OVMF)firmware instead of BIOS when creating your VM, the boot order can be additionally influenced by the EFI shell or boot manager inside the VM. Proxmox'sBoot Order` setting will take precedence, but if the internal settings are messed up, problems may occur. 🧠 Snapshots and boot order: VM snapshots do not include boot order changes. The boot order currently set in the VM will be applied, not the boot order saved at the time of snapshot restoration. Backups: It is always a good idea to make a backup before changing important VM settings. 💾 — ### Conclusion 👋 Now you have a complete understanding of how to configure the boot order of your virtual machines in Proxmox VE. From easy configuration via GUI to advanced configuration via CLI, we hope this guide will be of great help to you in operating Proxmox VE. Feel free to ask questions in the comments! Happy virtualizing! 😊 G
