Overview
This guide shows how to correctly install Home Assistant OS (HAOS) on Proxmox VE and fix the most common boot issue: UEFI Secure Boot / pre-enrolled keys causing a no-boot situation. The steps are tested on a Proxmox host running on modern hardware.
This article is written for EngineerHow.com readers who want a clean, reliable, and production-ready Home Assistant deployment.
________________________________________
Prerequisites
• Proxmox VE 7.x or 8.x installed
• Local storage (local-lvm recommended)
• Internet access from Proxmox host
• Basic Proxmox GUI and SSH access
________________________________________
Step 1: Download Home Assistant OS Image
SSH into your Proxmox host and run:
cd /var/lib/vz/template/iso
wget https://github.com/home-assistant/operating-system/releases/download/16.3/haos_ova-16.3.qcow2.xz
xz -d haos_ova-16.3.qcow2.xz
This will download and extract the Home Assistant OS QCOW2 image.
________________________________________
Step 2: Create a New VM in Proxmox
Create a new VM using the Proxmox GUI with the following settings:
General
• VM ID: 101 (or any free ID)
• Name: HomeAssistant
OS
• Do not use any installation media
System (IMPORTANT)
• Machine: q35
• BIOS: OVMF (UEFI)
• Secure Boot: OFF
• Add EFI Disk: YES
• SCSI Controller: VirtIO SCSI single
Disks
• Remove the default disk (we will import HAOS disk manually)
CPU
• Cores: 2
• Type: host
Memory
• 4096 MB
Network
• Bridge: vmbr0
• Model: VirtIO
Finish the wizard but do not start the VM yet.
________________________________________
Step 3: Import Home Assistant Disk
Run the following command on the Proxmox host:
qm importdisk 101 /var/lib/vz/template/iso/haos_ova-16.3.qcow2 local-lvm
This will import the disk as unused0.
________________________________________
Step 4: Attach Disk to VM
1. Go to VM → Hardware
2. Click Add → Existing Disk
3. Select the imported disk
4. Bus/Device: SCSI
5. Device: scsi0
6. Add the disk
7. Remove any remaining unused0 entry
________________________________________
Step 5: Fix EFI Disk (CRITICAL STEP)
This is the most common cause of Home Assistant not booting on Proxmox.
If EFI Disk already exists:
• Remove the EFI Disk
Re-add EFI Disk with correct settings:
• Storage: local-lvm
• EFI type: Default (4M)
• Disable Pre-Enroll Keys
• Disable Secure Boot
• Do NOT use Microsoft keys
Home Assistant OS does not support Secure Boot. Enabling EFI Secure Boot will result in:
• UEFI boot menu looping
• “No bootable device” errors
• UEFI QEMU disk not loading
________________________________________
Step 6: Set Boot Order
Go to VM → Options → Boot Order:
• Enable: scsi0
• Disable all other boot devices
Save changes.
________________________________________
Step 7: Start the VM
Start the VM. Within 1–2 minutes, Home Assistant OS will complete boot.
Access Home Assistant from your browser:
http://homeassistant.local:8123
Or use the IP address shown in the Proxmox console.
________________________________________
Step 8: Initial Home Assistant Setup
Follow the onboarding wizard:
• Create admin user
• Set location and timezone
• Skip integrations (can be added later)
________________________________________
Recommended VM Resources
Resource Recommended
CPU 2 vCPU
RAM 4 GB
Disk 32 GB
________________________________________
Common Boot Problems and Solutions
Problem: Stuck at UEFI Boot Menu
Cause: EFI Secure Boot or pre-enrolled keys enabled
Fix: Remove EFI disk and re-add without Secure Boot
Problem: SeaBIOS screen appears
Cause: Wrong BIOS selected
Fix: Use OVMF (UEFI), not SeaBIOS
Problem: Disk not detected
Cause: Disk attached via IDE/SATA
Fix: Use SCSI (VirtIO)
________________________________________
Best Practices
• Run Home Assistant OS in a dedicated VM
• Do not install Docker inside HAOS
• Keep smart-home VM separate from media or download servers
• Use Proxmox snapshots and HA backups regularly
________________________________________
Final Notes
This setup provides a stable, fully supported Home Assistant installation suitable for production smart-home environments.
Once Home Assistant is running correctly, you can safely add:
• Zigbee / Z-Wave USB devices
• Cloudflare Tunnel for remote access
• Google Drive or cloud backups
________________________________________
© 2025 EngineerHow.com – Practical Engineering & IT Guides
This guide shows how to correctly install Home Assistant OS (HAOS) on Proxmox VE and fix the most common boot issue: UEFI Secure Boot / pre-enrolled keys causing a no-boot situation. The steps are tested on a Proxmox host running on modern hardware.
This article is written for EngineerHow.com readers who want a clean, reliable, and production-ready Home Assistant deployment.
________________________________________
Prerequisites
• Proxmox VE 7.x or 8.x installed
• Local storage (local-lvm recommended)
• Internet access from Proxmox host
• Basic Proxmox GUI and SSH access
________________________________________
Step 1: Download Home Assistant OS Image
SSH into your Proxmox host and run:
cd /var/lib/vz/template/iso
wget https://github.com/home-assistant/operating-system/releases/download/16.3/haos_ova-16.3.qcow2.xz
xz -d haos_ova-16.3.qcow2.xz
This will download and extract the Home Assistant OS QCOW2 image.
________________________________________
Step 2: Create a New VM in Proxmox
Create a new VM using the Proxmox GUI with the following settings:
General
• VM ID: 101 (or any free ID)
• Name: HomeAssistant
OS
• Do not use any installation media
System (IMPORTANT)
• Machine: q35
• BIOS: OVMF (UEFI)
• Secure Boot: OFF
• Add EFI Disk: YES
• SCSI Controller: VirtIO SCSI single
Disks
• Remove the default disk (we will import HAOS disk manually)
CPU
• Cores: 2
• Type: host
Memory
• 4096 MB
Network
• Bridge: vmbr0
• Model: VirtIO
Finish the wizard but do not start the VM yet.
________________________________________
Step 3: Import Home Assistant Disk
Run the following command on the Proxmox host:
qm importdisk 101 /var/lib/vz/template/iso/haos_ova-16.3.qcow2 local-lvm
This will import the disk as unused0.
________________________________________
Step 4: Attach Disk to VM
1. Go to VM → Hardware
2. Click Add → Existing Disk
3. Select the imported disk
4. Bus/Device: SCSI
5. Device: scsi0
6. Add the disk
7. Remove any remaining unused0 entry
________________________________________
Step 5: Fix EFI Disk (CRITICAL STEP)
This is the most common cause of Home Assistant not booting on Proxmox.
If EFI Disk already exists:
• Remove the EFI Disk
Re-add EFI Disk with correct settings:
• Storage: local-lvm
• EFI type: Default (4M)
• Disable Pre-Enroll Keys
• Disable Secure Boot
• Do NOT use Microsoft keys
Home Assistant OS does not support Secure Boot. Enabling EFI Secure Boot will result in:
• UEFI boot menu looping
• “No bootable device” errors
• UEFI QEMU disk not loading
________________________________________
Step 6: Set Boot Order
Go to VM → Options → Boot Order:
• Enable: scsi0
• Disable all other boot devices
Save changes.
________________________________________
Step 7: Start the VM
Start the VM. Within 1–2 minutes, Home Assistant OS will complete boot.
Access Home Assistant from your browser:
http://homeassistant.local:8123
Or use the IP address shown in the Proxmox console.
________________________________________
Step 8: Initial Home Assistant Setup
Follow the onboarding wizard:
• Create admin user
• Set location and timezone
• Skip integrations (can be added later)
________________________________________
Recommended VM Resources
Resource Recommended
CPU 2 vCPU
RAM 4 GB
Disk 32 GB
________________________________________
Common Boot Problems and Solutions
Problem: Stuck at UEFI Boot Menu
Cause: EFI Secure Boot or pre-enrolled keys enabled
Fix: Remove EFI disk and re-add without Secure Boot
Problem: SeaBIOS screen appears
Cause: Wrong BIOS selected
Fix: Use OVMF (UEFI), not SeaBIOS
Problem: Disk not detected
Cause: Disk attached via IDE/SATA
Fix: Use SCSI (VirtIO)
________________________________________
Best Practices
• Run Home Assistant OS in a dedicated VM
• Do not install Docker inside HAOS
• Keep smart-home VM separate from media or download servers
• Use Proxmox snapshots and HA backups regularly
________________________________________
Final Notes
This setup provides a stable, fully supported Home Assistant installation suitable for production smart-home environments.
Once Home Assistant is running correctly, you can safely add:
• Zigbee / Z-Wave USB devices
• Cloudflare Tunnel for remote access
• Google Drive or cloud backups
________________________________________
© 2025 EngineerHow.com – Practical Engineering & IT Guides
