Proxmox VE Commands

Complete Proxmox VE commands reference — 300 commands across 14 categories. Quick reference cheat sheet for Linux (Debian).

QEMU VM (qm) (55)

ShortcutAction
qm agentAn alias for qm guest cmd
qm cleanupCleans up resources like tap devices, vgpus, etc. Called after a vm shuts down, crashes, etc
qm cloneCreate a copy of virtual machine/template
qm cloudinit dumpGet automatically generated cloudinit config
qm cloudinit pendingGet the cloudinit configuration with both current and pending values
qm cloudinit updateRegenerate and change cloudinit config drive
qm configGet the virtual machine configuration with pending configuration changes applied. Set
qm createCreate or restore a virtual machine
qm delsnapshotDelete a VM snapshot
qm destroyDestroy the VM and all used/owned volumes. Removes any VM specific permissions and firewall
qm disk importImport an external disk image as an unused disk in a VM. The image format has to be supported
qm disk moveMove volume to different storage or to a different VM
qm disk rescanRescan all storages and update disk sizes and unused disk images
qm disk resizeExtend volume size
qm disk unlinkUnlink/delete disk images
qm enroll-efi-keysEnroll important updated certificates to the EFI disk with pre-enrolled-keys. Currently, these
qm guest cmdExecute QEMU Guest Agent commands
qm guest execExecutes the given command via the guest agent
qm guest exec-statusGets the status of the given pid started by the guest-agent
qm guest passwdSets the password for the given user to the given password
qm helpGet help about specified command
qm importImport a foreign virtual guest from a supported import source, such as an ESXi storage
qm importdiskAn alias for qm disk import
qm importovfCreate a new VM using parameters read from an OVF manifest
qm listVirtual machine index (per node)
qm listsnapshotList all snapshots
qm migrateMigrate virtual machine. Creates a new migration task
qm monitorEnter QEMU Monitor interface
qm move-diskAn alias for qm disk move
qmAn alias for qm disk move
qm mtunnelUsed by qmigrate - do not use manually
qm nbdstopStop embedded nbd server
qm pendingGet the virtual machine configuration with both current and pending values
qm rebootReboot the VM by shutting it down, and starting it again. Applies pending changes
qm remote-migrateMigrate virtual machine to a remote cluster. Creates a new migration task. EXPERIMENTAL
qm rescanAn alias for qm disk rescan
qm resetReset virtual machine
qm resizeAn alias for qm disk resize
qm resumeResume virtual machine
qm rollbackRollback VM state to specified snapshot
qm sendkeySend key event to virtual machine
qm setSet virtual machine options (synchronous API) - You should consider using the POST method
qm showcmdShow command line which is used to start the VM (debug info)
qm shutdownShutdown virtual machine. This is similar to pressing the power button on a physical machine.
qm snapshotSnapshot a VM
qm startStart virtual machine
qm statusShow VM status
qm stopStop virtual machine. The qemu process will exit immediately. This is akin to pulling the power
qm suspendSuspend virtual machine
qm templateCreate a Template
qm terminalOpen a terminal using a serial device
qm unlinkAn alias for qm disk unlink
qm unlockUnlock the VM
qm vncproxyProxy VM VNC traffic to stdin/stdout
qm waitWait until the VM is stopped

Containers (pct) (39)

ShortcutAction
pct cloneCreate a container clone/copy
pct configGet container configuration
pct consoleLaunch a console for the specified container
pct cpusetsPrint the list of assigned CPU sets
pct createCreate or restore a container
pct delsnapshotDelete a LXC snapshot
pct destroyDestroy the container (also delete all uses files)
pct dfGet the container's current disk usage
pct enterLaunch a shell for the specified container
pct execLaunch a command inside the specified container
pct fsckRun a filesystem check (fsck) on a container volume
pct fstrimRun fstrim on a chosen CT and its mountpoints, except bind or read-only mountpoints
pct helpGet help about specified command
pct listLXC container index (per node)
pct listsnapshotList all snapshots
pct migrateMigrate the container to another node. Creates a new migration task
pct mountMount the container's filesystem on the host. This will hold a lock on the container
pct move-volumeMove a rootfs-/mp-volume to a different storage or to a different container
pctAn alias for pct move-volume
pct pendingGet container configuration, including pending changes
pct pullCopy a file from the container to the local system
pct pushCopy a local file to the container
pct rebootReboot the container by shutting it down, and starting it again. Applies pending changes
pct remote-migrateMigrate container to a remote cluster. Creates a new migration task. EXPERIMENTAL feature!
pct rescanRescan all storages and update disk sizes and unused disk images
pct resizeResize a container mount point
pct restoreCreate or restore a container
pct resumeResume the container
pct rollbackRollback LXC state to specified snapshot
pct setSet container options
pct shutdownShutdown the container. This will trigger a clean shutdown of the container, see lxc-stop(1)
pct snapshotSnapshot a container
pct startStart the container
pct statusShow CT status
pct stopStop the container. This will abruptly stop all processes running in the container
pct suspendSuspend the container. This is experimental
pct templateCreate a Template
pct unlockUnlock the VM
pct unmountUnmount the container's filesystem

Storage (pvesm) (27)

ShortcutAction
pvesm addCreate a new storage
pvesm allocAllocate disk images
pvesm apiinfoReturns APIVER and APIAGE
pvesm cifsscanAn alias for pvesm scan cifs
pvesm exportUsed internally to export a volume
pvesm extractconfigExtract configuration from vzdump backup archive
pvesm freeDelete volume
pvesm helpGet help about specified command
pvesm importUsed internally to import a volume
pvesm iscsiscanAn alias for pvesm scan iscsi
pvesm listList storage content
pvesm lvmscanAn alias for pvesm scan lvm
pvesm lvmthinscanAn alias for pvesm scan lvmthin
pvesm nfsscanAn alias for pvesm scan nfs
pvesm pathGet filesystem path for specified volume
pvesm prune-backupsPrune backups. Only those using the standard naming scheme are considered. If no keep options
pvesm removeDelete storage configuration
pvesm scan cifsScan remote CIFS server
pvesm scan iscsiScan remote iSCSI server
pvesm scan lvmList local LVM volume groups
pvesm scan lvmthinList local LVM Thin Pools
pvesm scan nfsScan remote NFS server
pvesm scan pbsScan remote Proxmox Backup Server
pvesm scan zfsScan zfs pool list on local node
pvesm setUpdate storage configuration
pvesm statusGet status for all datastores
pvesm zfsscanAn alias for pvesm scan zfs

Cluster (pvecm) (14)

ShortcutAction
pvecm addAdds the current node to an existing cluster
pvecm addnodeAdds a node to the cluster configuration. This call is for internal use
pvecm apiverReturn the version of the cluster join API available on this node
pvecm createGenerate new cluster configuration. If no links given, default to local IP address as link0
pvecm delnodeRemoves a node from the cluster configuration
pvecm expectedTells corosync a new value of expected votes
pvecm helpGet help about specified command
pvecm keygenGenerate new cryptographic key for corosync
pvecm mtunnelUsed by VM/CT migration - do not use manually
pvecm nodesDisplays the local view of the cluster nodes
pvecm qdevice removeRemove a configured QDevice
pvecm qdevice setupSetup the use of a QDevice
pvecm statusDisplays the local view of the cluster status
pvecm updatecertsUpdate node certificates (and generate all needed files/directories)

Ceph (pveceph) (32)

ShortcutAction
pveceph createmgrAn alias for pveceph mgr create
pveceph createmonAn alias for pveceph mon create
pveceph createosdAn alias for pveceph osd create
pveceph createpoolAn alias for pveceph pool create
pveceph destroymgrAn alias for pveceph mgr destroy
pveceph destroymonAn alias for pveceph mon destroy
pveceph destroyosdAn alias for pveceph osd destroy
pveceph destroypoolAn alias for pveceph pool destroy
pveceph fs createCreate a Ceph filesystem
pveceph fs destroyDestroy a Ceph filesystem. Refuses if any PVE storage entry of type cephfs still references
pveceph helpGet help about specified command
pveceph initCreate the initial Ceph default configuration and set up symlinks. Idempotent on re-call: if
pveceph installInstall ceph related packages
pveceph lspoolsAn alias for pveceph pool ls
pveceph mds createCreate Ceph Metadata Server (MDS)
pveceph mds destroyDestroy Ceph Metadata Server
pveceph mgr createCreate Ceph Manager
pveceph mgr destroyDestroy Ceph Manager
pveceph mon createCreate a Ceph Monitor. Also auto-creates a Manager for the first monitor
pveceph mon destroyDestroy a Ceph Monitor. Refuses to remove the last monitor of the cluster. Does not destroy any
pveceph osd createCreate OSD
pveceph osd destroyDestroy OSD
pveceph osd detailsGet OSD details
pveceph pool createCreate Ceph pool
pveceph pool destroyDestroy pool
pveceph pool getShow the current pool status
pveceph pool lsList all pools and their settings (which are settable by the POST/PUT endpoints)
pveceph pool setChange POOL settings
pveceph purgeDestroy ceph related data and configuration files
pveceph startStart ceph services
pveceph statusGet Ceph Status
pveceph stopStop ceph services

API Shell (pvesh) (7)

ShortcutAction
pvesh createCall API POST on <api_path>
pvesh deleteCall API DELETE on <api_path>
pvesh getCall API GET on <api_path>
pvesh helpGet help about specified command
pvesh lsList child objects on <api_path>
pvesh setCall API PUT on <api_path>
pvesh usageprint API usage information for <api_path>

User Management (pveum) (48)

ShortcutAction
pveum acl deleteUpdate Access Control List (add or remove permissions)
pveum acl listGet Access Control List (ACLs)
pveum acl modifyUpdate Access Control List (add or remove permissions)
pveum acldelAn alias for pveum acl delete
pveum aclmodAn alias for pveum acl modify
pveum group addCreate new group
pveum group deleteDelete group
pveum group listGroup index
pveum group modifyUpdate group data
pveum groupaddAn alias for pveum group add
pveum groupdelAn alias for pveum group delete
pveum groupmodAn alias for pveum group modify
pveum helpGet help about specified command
pveum passwdChange user password
pveum pool addCreate new pool
pveum pool deleteDelete pool
pveum pool listList pools or get pool configuration
pveum pool modifyUpdate pool
pveum realm addAdd an authentication server
pveum realm deleteDelete an authentication server
pveum realm listAuthentication domain index
pveum realm modifyUpdate authentication server settings
pveum realm syncSyncs users and/or groups from the configured LDAP to user.cfg. NOTE: Synced groups will have
pveum role addCreate new role
pveum role deleteDelete role
pveum role listRole index
pveum role modifyUpdate an existing role
pveum roleaddAn alias for pveum role add
pveum roledelAn alias for pveum role delete
pveum rolemodAn alias for pveum role modify
pveum ticketCreate or verify authentication ticket
pveum user addCreate new user
pveum user deleteDelete user
pveum user listUser index
pveum user modifyUpdate user configuration
pveum user permissionsRetrieve effective permissions of given user/token
pveum user tfa deleteDelete TFA entries from a user
pveum user tfa listList TFA entries
pveum user tfa unlockUnlock a user's TFA authentication
pveum user token addGenerate a new API token for a specific user. NOTE: returns API token value, which needs to be
pveum user token deleteRemove API token for a specific user
pveum user token listGet user API tokens
pveum user token modifyUpdate API token for a specific user. NOTE: when regenerate is set, the returned token value
pveum user token permissionsRetrieve effective permissions of given token
pveum user token removeAn alias for pveum user token delete
pveum useraddAn alias for pveum user add
pveum userdelAn alias for pveum user delete
pveum usermodAn alias for pveum user modify

Node (pvenode) (26)

ShortcutAction
pvenode acme account deactivateDeactivate existing ACME account at CA
pvenode acme account infoReturn existing ACME account information
pvenode acme account listACMEAccount index
pvenode acme account registerRegister a new ACME account with a compatible CA
pvenode acme account updateUpdate existing ACME account information with CA. Note: not specifying any new account
pvenode acme cert orderOrder a new certificate from ACME-compatible CA
pvenode acme cert renewRenew existing certificate from CA
pvenode acme cert revokeRevoke existing certificate from CA
pvenode acme plugin addAdd ACME plugin configuration
pvenode acme plugin configGet ACME plugin configuration
pvenode acme plugin listACME plugin index
pvenode acme plugin removeDelete ACME plugin configuration
pvenode acme plugin setUpdate ACME plugin configuration
pvenode cert deleteDELETE custom certificate chain and key
pvenode cert infoGet information about node's certificates
pvenode cert setUpload or update custom certificate chain and key
pvenode config getGet node configuration options
pvenode config setSet node configuration options
pvenode helpGet help about specified command
pvenode migrateallMigrate all VMs and Containers
pvenode startallStart all VMs and containers located on this node (by default only those with onboot=1)
pvenode stopallStop all VMs and Containers
pvenode task listRead task list for one node (finished tasks)
pvenode task logRead task log
pvenode task statusRead task status
pvenode wakeonlanTry to wake a node via wake on LAN network packet

High Availability (ha-manager) (24)

ShortcutAction
ha-manager addCreate a new HA resource
ha-manager configList HA resources
ha-manager crm-command arm-haRequest re-arming the HA stack after it was disarmed
ha-manager crm-command disarm-haRequest disarming the HA stack, releasing all watchdogs cluster-wide
ha-manager crm-command migrateRequest resource migration (online) to another node
ha-manager crm-command node-maintenance disableChange the node-maintenance request state
ha-manager crm-command node-maintenance enableChange the node-maintenance request state
ha-manager crm-command relocateRequest resource relocation to another node. This stops the service on the old node
ha-manager crm-command stopRequest the service to be stopped
ha-manager groupaddCreate a new HA group. (deprecated in favor of HA rules)
ha-manager groupconfigGet HA groups. (deprecated in favor of HA rules)
ha-manager groupremoveDelete ha group configuration. (deprecated in favor of HA rules)
ha-manager groupsetUpdate ha group configuration. (deprecated in favor of HA rules)
ha-manager helpGet help about specified command
ha-manager migrateAn alias for ha-manager crm-command migrate
ha-manager relocateAn alias for ha-manager crm-command relocate
ha-manager removeDelete resource configuration
ha-manager rules addCreate HA rule
ha-manager rules configGet HA rules
ha-manager rules listGet HA rules
ha-manager rules removeDelete HA rule
ha-manager rules setUpdate HA rule
ha-manager setUpdate resource configuration
ha-manager statusDisplay HA manager status

Storage Replication (pvesr) (14)

ShortcutAction
pvesr create-local-jobCreate a new replication job
pvesr deleteMark replication job for removal
pvesr disableDisable a replication job
pvesr enableEnable a replication job
pvesr finalize-local-jobFinalize a replication job. This removes all replications snapshots with timestamps different
pvesr helpGet help about specified command
pvesr listList replication jobs
pvesr prepare-local-jobPrepare for starting a replication job. This is called on the target node before replication
pvesr readRead replication job configuration
pvesr runThis method is called by the systemd-timer and executes all (or a specific) sync jobs
pvesr schedule-nowSchedule replication job to start as soon as possible
pvesr set-stateSet the job replication state on migration. This call is for internal use. It will accept
pvesr statusList status of all replication jobs on this node
pvesr updateUpdate replication job configuration

Appliance Templates (pveam) (6)

ShortcutAction
pveam availableList available templates
pveam downloadDownload appliance templates
pveam helpGet help about specified command
pveam listGet list of all templates on storage
pveam removeRemove a template
pveam updateUpdate Container Template Database

Backup (vzdump) (1)

ShortcutAction
vzdumpCreate backup

Subscription (pvesubscription) (6)

ShortcutAction
pvesubscription deleteDelete subscription key of this node
pvesubscription getRead subscription info
pvesubscription helpGet help about specified command
pvesubscription setSet subscription key
pvesubscription set-offline-keyInternal use only! To set an offline key, use the package proxmox-offline-mirror-helper instead
pvesubscription updateUpdate subscription info

Restore (qmrestore) (1)

ShortcutAction
qmrestoreRestore QemuServer vzdump backups
📄 View Printable Cheat Sheet — Download as PDF or print · 🧩 Combine with other tools

Related Shortcut Pages

VMware ESXi ZFS LVM (Logical Volume) Docker Kubernetes (kubectl) Linux

Search 13,500+ shortcuts across 269 platforms

Explore All Platforms Practice Shortcuts

🤖 Ask AI about Proxmox VE shortcuts

Open your assistant with this page preloaded as the source — great for follow-up questions like "which of these work in other apps?"

ChatGPT Claude Perplexity Gemini Grok
📜 Every shortcut on this page is taken from the official Proxmox VE documentation — pve.proxmox.com
🔧 Spotted an error or a missing shortcut? Suggest an edit on GitHub — every accepted fix goes live on this page, the API and the CLI.