Proxmox VE CLI Cheat Sheet 2026 — Quick Command Reference

Proxmox VE CLI Cheat Sheet is the complete quick-reference of Proxmox VE CLI commands grouped by function. Copy any command with one click and find what you need with Ctrl+F in under 3 seconds.

VMs (QEMU/KVM)

Action	Command	Useful flags
Qemu/kvm	`qm - QEMU/KVM Virtual Machine Manager`
Is the	`qm is the tool to manage QEMU/KVM virtual machines on Proxmox VE. You can`
List all VMs	`qm list`
Start a VM	`qm start <VMID>`
Graceful shutdown VM	`qm shutdown <VMID>`
Stop VM immediately	`qm stop <VMID>`
Reset a VM	`qm reset <VMID>`
Clone a VM	`qm clone <VMID> <NEWNAME>`	`--full --name`
Migrate VM to node	`qm migrate <VMID> <TARGET_NODE>`	`--online`
Create VM snapshot	`qm snapshot <VMID> <SNAPSHOT_NAME>`
Rollback to snapshot	`qm rollback <VMID> <SNAPSHOT_NAME>`
Enter VM monitor	`qm monitor <VMID>`

LXC Containers

Action	Command	Useful flags
Tool	`pct - Tool to manage Linux Containers (LXC) on Proxmox VE`
(destroy) lxc	`Delete (destroy) LXC`
Create container	`pct create <CT_ID> <template> --storage <storage>`	`--storage --rootfs --hostname`
Start container	`pct start <CT_ID>`	`--debug`
Stop container	`pct stop <CT_ID>`	`--skiplock`
Shutdown container	`pct shutdown <CT_ID>`	`--timeout`
Enter container	`pct enter <CT_ID>`
List containers	`pct list`	`--verbose`
Clone container	`pct clone <CT_ID> <new_CT_ID>`	`--full --storage`
Migrate container	`pct migrate <CT_ID> <target_node>`	`--online --restart`
Set container options	`pct set <CT_ID> --memory <MB> --swap <MB>`	`--memory --swap --cores --hostname`

Storage & ZFS

Action	Command	Useful flags
Subvolumes: these	`ZFS subvolumes: these are technically bind mounts, but with managed storage,`
Set	`qm set <vmid> -efidisk0 <storage>:1,format=<format>,efitype=4m,pre-enrolled-keys=1`	`-efidisk0 -enrolled-keys`
Set	`qm set <vmid> -tpmstate0 <storage>:1,version=<version>`	`-tpmstate0`
Move-disk 300	`qm move-disk 300 scsi0 other-storage`	`-disk -storage`
Move-volume 100	`pct move-volume 100 mp0 other-storage`	`-storage -volume`
Get	`pvesh get /storage/`

Clustering & HA

Action	Command	Useful flags
Set	`qm set <vmid> -amd-sev type=std,no-debug=1,no-key-sharing=1,kernel-hashes=1`	`-amd-sev -debug -hashes -key-sharing`
Set	`qm set <vmid> -amd-sev type=snp,allow-smt=1,no-debug=1,kernel-hashes=1`	`-amd-sev -debug -hashes -smt`
Set	`qm set <vmid> -spice_enhancements foldersharing=1,videostreaming=all`	`-spice`
Set	`pct set 100 -mp0 /mnt/bindmounts/shared,mp=/shared`	`-mp0`
Enable HA for a VM	`qm set <vmid> -ha 1`	`-ha`

Networking & Bridges

Action	Command	Useful flags
Restart networking service	`systemctl restart networking`
List network bridges	`brctl show`	`-s`

Backups & Snapshots

Action	Command	Useful flags
Create VM snapshot	`qm snapshot 100 snap1`
List VM snapshots	`qm listsnapshot 100`
Rollback VM to snapshot	`qm rollback 100 snap1`
Create container snapshot	`pct snapshot 100 snap1`
List container snapshots	`pct listsnapshot 100`
Rollback container to snapshot	`pct rollback 100 snap1`

pvesh & API

Action	Command	Useful flags
Shell	`pvesh - Shell interface for the Proxmox VE API`
Delete	`pvesh delete`
Get	`pvesh get`
Help	`pvesh help`
Ls	`pvesh ls`
Set	`pvesh set`

Diagnostics & Logs

Action	Command	Useful flags
View pveproxy journal logs	`journalctl -u pveproxy`	`-f -n 100`
Tail live syslog	`tail -f /var/log/syslog`	`-f`
Grep errors in syslog	`grep -i error /var/log/syslog`	`-i`
Show pveproxy access log	`tail -f /var/log/pveproxy/access.log`	`-f`

⚠️ Dangerous / Destructive Commands

These commands are irreversible. Verify your environment (dev/staging vs prod) before running them.

Action	Command	Warning
⚠️ (destroy) lxc	`Delete (destroy) LXC`	Irreversible — verify the target before running
⚠️ Set	`qm set <vmid> -efidisk0 <storage>:1,format=<format>,efitype=4m,pre-enrolled-keys=1`	Irreversible — verify the target before running
⚠️ Delete	`pvesh delete`	Irreversible — verify the target before running

FAQ — Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between VMs (QEMU/KVM) and LXC Containers?

Each group in this Proxmox VE CLI cheat sheet covers a distinct area. VMs (QEMU/KVM) focuses on its specific scope, while LXC Containers and the remaining groups cover networking, storage, security and diagnostics respectively.

How do I check the installed Proxmox VE CLI version?

Run the version command (usually proxmox version or proxmox --version). The output shows the client and, when applicable, the server version.

Why does Proxmox VE CLI return ‘permission denied’?

A ‘permission denied’ error in Proxmox VE CLI usually means the current user lacks sufficient privileges or credentials are not configured. Check: (1) assigned IAM/RBAC roles, (2) an active authentication context via the corresponding login command.

How do I filter Proxmox VE CLI output by status or name?

Use flags such as --filter, --selector or --query depending on the tool. You can also pipe into grep or jq to process JSON:

proxmox list | grep RUNNING

What is the fastest way to debug a Proxmox VE CLI error?

Add the verbose flag (--verbose, -v or --debug) to the failing command. This reveals the underlying HTTP/API calls and the full error response body.

Official sources & references

Commands cross-checked against vendor documentation and high-authority repositories: