qubes-doc/user/how-to-guides/how-to-get-started.md

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lang: en
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permalink: /doc/how-to-get-started/
redirect_from:
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ref: 190
title: How to Get Started
---

After [downloading](/downloads/) and [installing](/doc/installation-guide/)
Qubes OS, it's time to dive in and get to work!

## The Basics

Qubes OS is an operating system built out of securely-isolated compartments
called **qubes**. For example, you might have a work qube, a personal qube, a
banking qube, a web browsing qube, and so on. You can have as many qubes as you
want! Most of the time, you'll be using an **app qube**, which is a qube
intended for running software programs like web browsers, email clients, and
word processors. Each app qube is based on a **template qube**. More than one
qube can be based on the same template. Importantly, a qube cannot modify its
template in any way. This means that, if a qube is ever compromised, its
template and any other qubes based on that template will remain safe. This is
what makes Qubes OS so secure. Even if an attack is successful, the damage is
limited to a single qube.

Suppose you want to use your favorite web browser in several different qubes.
You'd install the web browser in a template, then every qube based on that
template would be able to run the web browser software (while still being
forbidden from modifying the template and any other qubes). This way, you only
have to install the web browser a single time, and updating the template serves
to update all the qubes based on it. This elegant design saves time and space
while enhancing security.

There are also some "helper" qubes in your system. Each qube that connects to
the Internet does so through a network-providing **service qube**. If you need
to access USB devices, another service qube will do that. There's also a
**management qube** that automatically handles a lot of background
housekeeping. For the most part, you won't have to worry about it, but it's
nice to know that it's there. As with app qubes, service qubes and management
qubes are also based on templates. Templates are usually named after their
operating system (often a [Linux
distribution](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux_distribution)) and
corresponding version number. There are many ready-to-use
[templates](/doc/templates) to choose from, and you can download and have as
many as you like.

Last but not least, there's a very special **admin qube** which, as the name
suggests, is used to administer your entire system. There's only one admin
qube, and it's called **dom0**. You can think of it as the master qube, holding
ultimate power over everything that happens in Qubes OS. Dom0 is more trusted
than any other qube. If dom0 were ever compromised, it would be "game over."
The entire system would effectively be compromised. That's why everything in
Qubes OS is specifically designed to protect dom0 and ensure that doesn't
happen. Due to its overarching importance, dom0 has no network connectivity and
is used only for running the [desktop
environment](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desktop_environment) and [window
manager](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Window_manager). Dom0 should never be
used for anything else. In particular, you should never run user applications
in dom0. (That's what your app qubes are for!)

### Color & Security

You'll choose a **color** for each of your qubes out of a predefined set of
colors. Each window on your desktop will have its frame colored according to
the color of that qube. These colored frames help you keep track of which qube
each window belongs to and how trustworthy it is. This is especially helpful
when you have the same app running in multiple qubes at the same time. For
example, if you're logged in to your bank account in one qube while doing some
random web surfing in a different qube, you wouldn't want to accidentally enter
your banking password in the latter! The colored frames help to avoid such
mistakes.

[![snapshot_40.png](/attachment/doc/r4.0-snapshot_40.png)](/attachment/doc/r4.0-snapshot_40.png)

Most Qubes users associate red with what's untrusted and dangerous (like a red
light: stop! danger!), green with what's safe and trusted, and yellow and
orange with things in the middle. This color scheme also extends to include
blue and black, which are usually interpreted as indicating progressively more
trusted domains than green, with black being ultimately trusted. Color and
associated meanings are ultimately up to you, however. The system itself does
not treat the colors differently. If you create two identical qubes --- black
and red, say --- they'll be the same until you start using them differently.
Feel free to use the colors in whatever way is most useful to you. For example,
you might decide to use three or four qubes for work activities and give them
all the same color --- or all different colors. It's entirely up to you.

### User Interface

On operating systems like Windows and macOS, the desktop environment is
unchangeable and part of that operating system. With Linux, any of a number of
desktop environments are an option. Qubes OS is installed with XFCE as its
default desktop environment, but it also supports KDE, as well as the i3 and
awesome window managers.

[![r4.0-taskbar.png](/attachment/doc/r4.0-taskbar.png)](/attachment/doc/r4.0-taskbar.png)

The bar at the top of your screen in Qubes 4.0 includes the following XFCE
component areas:

 - The **Tray**, where many functional widgets live.
 - **Spaces**, an interface for [virtual
   desktops](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_desktop). Virtual desktops
   do not have any inherent security isolation properties, but some users find
   them useful for organizing things.
 - The **Task Bar** where buttons for open and hidden windows live.
 - The **App Menu**, where you go to open an application within a qube, to open
   a dom0 terminal, to access administrative UI tools such as the Qube Manager,
   or to access settings panels for your desktop environment.

To learn more about how to customize your desktop environment, we recommend you
spend some time going through [XFCE's documentation](https://docs.xfce.org/).

There are several Tray widgets that are custom to Qubes OS:

 - The **Qubes Domains** widget allows you to manage running qubes, turn them
   on and off, and monitor memory usage.
 - The **Qubes Devices** widget allows you to attach and detach devices ---
   such as USB drives and cameras --- to qubes.
 - The **Qubes Disk Space Monitor** will notify you if you're ever running out
   of disk space.
 - The **Qubes Update** tool will inform you when updates are available.

[![q40_widgets.png](/attachment/doc/r4.0-q40_widgets.png)](/attachment/doc/r4.0-q40_widgets.png)

To see all of your qubes at the same time, you can use the **Qube Manager** (go
to the App Menu → System Tools → Qube Manager), which displays the states of
all the qubes in your system, even the ones that aren't running.

[![r4.0-qubes-manager.png](/attachment/doc/r4.0-qubes-manager.png)](/attachment/doc/r4.0-qubes-manager.png)

#### Command-line interface

All aspects of Qubes OS can be controlled using command-line tools. Opening a
terminal emulator in dom0 can be done in several ways:

 - Go to the App Menu and select **Terminal Emulator** at the top.
 - Press <kbd>Alt</kbd>+<kbd>F3</kbd> and search for `xfce terminal`.
 - Right-click on the desktop and select **Open Terminal Here**.

Terminal emulators can also be run in other qubes as normal programs. Various
command-line tools are described as part of this guide, and the whole reference
can be found [here](/doc/tools/).

## First boot

When you install Qubes OS, a number of qubes are pre-configured for you:

 - **Templates:** `fedora-XX` (`XX` being the version number)
 - **Admin qube:** `dom0`
 - **Service qubes:** `sys-usb`, `sys-net`, `sys-firewall`, and `sys-whonix`
 - **App qubes** configured to prioritize security by compartmentalizing tasks
   and types of data: `work`, `personal`, `untrusted`, and `vault`. (There is
   nothing special about these qubes. If you were to create a black qube and
   name it `vault`, it would be the same as the pre-configured `vault` qube.
   They're just suggestions to get you started. )

A variety of open-source applications such as file managers, command-line
terminals, printer managers, text editors, and "applets" used to configure
different things like audio or parts of the user interface are also installed
by default—most within the templates. Most are bundled with each template.

### Adding, removing, and listing qubes

You can easily create a new qube with the **Create Qubes VM** option in the App
Menu. If you need to add or remove qubes, simply use the Qube Manager's **Add**
and **Remove** buttons. You can also add, remove, and list qubes from the
command line using the following tools:

 - `qvm-create`
 - `qvm-remove`
 - `qvm-ls`

### How many qubes do I need?

That's a great question, but there's no one-size-fits-all answer. It depends on
the structure of your digital life, and this is at least a little different for
everyone. If you plan on using your system for work, then it also depends on
what kind of job you do.

It's a good idea to start out with the qubes created automatically by the
installer: `work`, `personal`, `untrusted`, and `vault`. If and when you start
to feel that some activity just doesn't fit into any of your existing qubes, or
you want to partition some part of your life, you can easily create a new qube
for it. You'll also be able to easily [copy any
files](/doc/how-to-copy-and-move-files) you need to the newly-created qube.

Still not sure? You might find it helpful to read [this
article](https://blog.invisiblethings.org/2011/03/13/partitioning-my-digital-life-into.html),
which describes how one of the Qubes OS architects partitioned her digital life
into security domains.

## Secure Habits

It is *very important* to [keep Qubes updated](/doc/how-to-update/) to ensure
you have the latest security updates. Frequently updating is one of the best
ways to remain secure against new threats.

It's also *very important* to make regular backups so that you don't lose your
data unexpectedly. The [Qubes backup
system](/doc/how-to-back-up-restore-and-migrate/) allows you to do this
securely and easily.

## How-to Guides

Here are some basic tasks you're likely to want to perform often that are
unique to Qubes as a multi-environment system. A full list is available in the
[How-to Guides](/doc/#how-to-guides) section in the docs.

 - [How to Update](/doc/how-to-update/)
 - [How to Back Up, Restore, and Migrate](/doc/how-to-back-up-restore-and-migrate/)
 - [How to Copy and Paste Text](/doc/how-to-copy-and-paste-text/)
 - [How to Copy and Move Files](/doc/how-to-copy-and-move-files/)
 - [How to Copy from Dom0](/doc/how-to-copy-from-dom0/)
 - [How to Install Software](/doc/how-to-install-software/)
 - [How to Use Devices (block storage, USB, and PCI devices)](/doc/how-to-use-devices/)

If you encounter any problems, please visit the [Help, Support, Mailing Lists,
and Forum](/support/) page.

## Compatible Hardware

Make sure your hardware satisfies the [system
requirements](/doc/system-requirements/), as Qubes OS cannot run on every type
of computer. You may also want to check out [Qubes-certified
Hardware](/doc/certified-hardware/) and take a look at the [Hardware
Compatibility List (HCL)](/hcl/).

## Downloads

[Download an ISO](/downloads/), learn how to [verify its
authenticity](/doc/verifying-signatures/), and follow our [guide to install
Qubes OS](/doc/installation-guide/). Looking for the [source
code](/doc/source-code/)? You'll find it [on
GitHub](https://github.com/QubesOS).

## Documentation

Peruse our extensive library of [documentation](/doc/) for users and developers
of Qubes OS. You can even [help us improve it](/doc/doc-guidelines/)!