Getting Started

Follow these 4 steps to create and run your first virtual machine.

1. Create a VM

Run qvm create <name> <iso> [virtio_driver_iso]:

# Linux VM
qvm create my-arch ~/Downloads/archlinux-x86_64.iso

# Windows VM (with optional VirtIO driver ISO)
qvm create win11 ~/Downloads/Win11_x64.iso ~/Downloads/virtio-win.iso

This creates a dedicated directory at ~/vms/<name>/ with a 40GB qcow2 virtual disk and UEFI NVRAM.

2. Boot with Installer ISO

Start the VM for installation:

qvm launch win11

• QEMU and TPM 2.0 (swtpm) start in the background.
• If remote-viewer or virt-viewer is installed, the graphical display opens automatically.
• Otherwise, connect with any SPICE client: remote-viewer spice://localhost:5900.

3. Boot from Disk (Post-Install)

Once OS installation is complete, shut down the VM. For future boots, start directly from disk without attaching the installer ISO:

qvm launch win11 --no-iso

4. Manage Lifecycle

# View all VMs and their status
qvm list

# Gracefully shut down a running VM
qvm stop win11

# Delete a VM and remove its files (requires typing VM name to confirm)
qvm disable win11