2013-09-25 21:32:27 -04:00
---
2021-03-13 13:06:18 -05:00
lang: en
2015-04-10 16:17:45 -04:00
layout: doc
2021-06-16 22:56:25 -04:00
permalink: /doc/system-requirements/
2015-10-11 03:04:59 -04:00
redirect_from:
2018-05-26 19:10:06 -04:00
- /system-requirements/
2015-10-28 18:14:40 -04:00
- /en/doc/system-requirements/
2015-10-11 03:04:59 -04:00
- /doc/SystemRequirements/
- /wiki/SystemRequirements/
2021-03-13 13:06:18 -05:00
ref: 142
2021-06-16 02:19:45 -04:00
title: System Requirements
2013-09-25 21:32:27 -04:00
---
2017-08-08 22:27:36 -04:00
< div class = "alert alert-warning" role = "alert" >
< i class = "fa fa-exclamation-triangle" > < / i >
< b > Notice:< / b >
2021-06-18 09:25:06 -04:00
The system requirements on this page are < em > necessary, but not
sufficient,< / em > for Qubes compatibility at a minimal or recommended level.
In other words, just because a computer satisfies these requirements doesn't
mean that Qubes will successfully install and run on it. We strongly
recommend consulting the < a href = "/hcl/" > Hardware Compatibility List< / a > to
verify that Qubes can install and run on your specific model in the ways you
need it to.
2017-08-08 22:27:36 -04:00
< / div >
2020-11-19 00:36:22 -05:00
## Minimum
2016-09-02 14:28:17 -04:00
2021-03-13 12:03:23 -05:00
- **CPU:** 64-bit Intel or AMD processor (also known as `x86_64` , `x64` , and `AMD64` )
2021-04-10 18:09:05 -04:00
- [Intel VT-x ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X86_virtualization#Intel_virtualization_.28VT-x.29 ) with [EPT ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Level_Address_Translation#Extended_Page_Tables ) or [AMD-V ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X86_virtualization#AMD_virtualization_.28AMD-V.29 ) with [RVI ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Level_Address_Translation#Rapid_Virtualization_Indexing )
- [Intel VT-d ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X86_virtualization#Intel-VT-d ) or [AMD-Vi (also known as AMD IOMMU) ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X86_virtualization#I.2FO_MMU_virtualization_.28AMD-Vi_and_Intel_VT-d.29 )
2021-05-20 09:20:05 -04:00
- **Memory:** 6 GB RAM
2021-03-13 12:03:23 -05:00
- **Storage:** 32 GB free space
2016-03-14 05:22:46 -04:00
2020-11-19 00:36:22 -05:00
## Recommended
2016-09-02 14:28:17 -04:00
2021-03-13 12:03:23 -05:00
- **CPU:** 64-bit Intel or AMD processor (also known as `x86_64` , `x64` , and `AMD64` )
2021-04-10 18:09:05 -04:00
- [Intel VT-x ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X86_virtualization#Intel_virtualization_.28VT-x.29 ) with [EPT ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Level_Address_Translation#Extended_Page_Tables ) or [AMD-V ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X86_virtualization#AMD_virtualization_.28AMD-V.29 ) with [RVI ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Level_Address_Translation#Rapid_Virtualization_Indexing )
- [Intel VT-d ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X86_virtualization#Intel-VT-d ) or [AMD-Vi (also known as AMD IOMMU) ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X86_virtualization#I.2FO_MMU_virtualization_.28AMD-Vi_and_Intel_VT-d.29 )
2021-03-13 12:03:23 -05:00
- **Memory:** 16 GB RAM
- **Storage:** 128 GB free space
- High-speed solid-state drive strongly recommended
- **Graphics:** Intel integrated graphics processor (IGP) strongly recommended
2021-06-18 09:25:06 -04:00
- Nvidia GPUs may require significant
[troubleshooting ](/doc/install-nvidia-driver/ )
- AMD GPUs have not been formally tested, but Radeons (especially RX580 and
earlier) generally work well
2021-03-13 12:03:23 -05:00
- **Peripherals:** A non-USB keyboard or multiple USB controllers
2021-06-18 09:25:06 -04:00
- **TPM:** Trusted Platform Module (TPM) with proper BIOS support (required for
[Anti Evil Maid ](/doc/anti-evil-maid/ ))
- **Other:** Satisfaction of all [hardware certification requirements for Qubes
4.x](/news/2016/07/21/new-hw-certification-for-q4/)
2016-09-02 14:28:17 -04:00
2020-11-19 00:36:22 -05:00
## Choosing Hardware
2016-03-14 05:22:46 -04:00
2021-06-18 09:25:06 -04:00
- Please see the [Hardware Compatibility List ](/hcl/ ) for a compilation of
hardware reports generated and submitted by users across various Qubes
versions. (For more information about the HCL itself, see [here ](/doc/hcl/ ).)
2021-04-10 18:09:05 -04:00
- See the [Certified Hardware ](/doc/certified-hardware/ ) page.
- See the [Hardware Testing ](/doc/hardware-testing/ ) page.
2013-09-25 21:32:27 -04:00
2020-11-19 00:36:22 -05:00
## Important Notes
2013-09-25 21:32:27 -04:00
2021-06-18 09:25:06 -04:00
- **Installing Qubes in a virtual machine is not recommended, as it uses its
own bare-metal hypervisor (Xen).**
- Qubes **can** be installed on systems which do not meet the recommended
requirements. Such systems will still offer significant security improvements
over traditional operating systems, since things like GUI isolation and
kernel protection do not require special hardware.
- Qubes **can** be installed on a USB flash drive or external disk, and testing
has shown that this works very well. A fast USB 3.0 flash drive is
recommended for this. (As a reminder, its capacity must be at least 32 GiB.)
Simply plug the flash drive into the computer before booting into the Qubes
installer from a separate installation medium, choose the flash drive as the
target installation disk, and proceed with the installation normally. After
Qubes has been installed on the flash drive, it can then be plugged into
other computers in order to boot into Qubes. In addition to the convenience
of having a portable copy of Qubes, this allows users to test for hardware
compatibility on multiple machines (e.g., at a brick-and-mortar computer
store) before deciding on which computer to purchase. (See
[hcl-report ](/doc/hcl/#generating-and-submitting-new-reports ) for advice on
hardware compatibility testing.) Remember to change the devices assigned to
your NetVM and USB VM if you move between different machines.
- [Advice on finding a VT-d capable
notebook](https://groups.google.com/d/msg/qubes-users/Sz0Nuhi4N0o/ZtpJdoc0OY8J).
- You can check whether an Intel processor has VT-x and VT-d on
[ark.intel.com ](https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark.html#@Processors ).
