Requirements
Before installing OSX Proxmox Next, verify your hardware and software meet the following requirements.
Hardware
| Component | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | 2 cores (power of 2), VT-x or AMD-V | 8+ cores |
| RAM | 8 GB host (4 GB allocated to VM) | 16+ GB host |
| Storage | 64 GB minimum (defaults: 80-160 GB by version) | 128+ GB SSD/NVMe |
| GPU | Integrated | Discrete (for passthrough) |
CPU core count must be a power of 2 (2, 4, 8, 16). Non-power-of-2 values like 6 or 12 can cause the macOS kernel to hang at the Apple logo.
Host RAM Is Checked Before the VM Is Created
macOS has no balloon driver, so every VM is built with --balloon 0 and its full allocation is pinned at qm start. Asking for more RAM than the host has free either fails the start or gets the VM OOM-killed mid-install, so both the TUI and the bash script refuse the request up front:
Not enough free RAM on this host for a 32768 MiB VM
Host has only 8192 MiB free for a VM (MemAvailable minus 1024 MiB host reserve).
Lower the VM memory or free up host RAM, then run the script again.
The limit is MemAvailable from /proc/meminfo minus a 1024 MiB reserve kept for the Proxmox host itself. MemAvailable is used rather than MemFree because reclaimable page cache is genuinely available to a starting VM.
The suggested default is half the host's total RAM, capped to that same free-RAM limit and clamped to 4096-32768 MiB. When /proc/meminfo cannot be read the default is 8192 MiB and no cap is applied.
CPU Compatibility
| CPU Type | How It Works |
|---|---|
| Intel (Skylake+) | Native host passthrough -- best performance |
| Intel Xeon | Native host passthrough with e1000 NIC (vmxnet3 unsupported on most Xeon hosts) |
| Intel (pre-Skylake) | Penryn mode with e1000 NIC for install stability |
| AMD | Cascadelake-Server emulation -- functional but slower |
All CPU types are auto-detected. No manual configuration needed.
Software
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| Proxmox VE | Version 8.x or 9.x with root shell access (9.x is the most-tested target) |
| Python | 3.9+ (only for pipx/pip install method) |
| dmg2img | Installed automatically by the tool |
| Internet | Required for bootstrap and downloading macOS recovery images |
ISO Storage
The tool needs access to a Proxmox ISO storage directory. Common locations:
/var/lib/vz/template/iso(default local storage)/mnt/pve/*/template/iso(shared NAS or additional storage pools)
BIOS Settings
These settings must be enabled in your motherboard BIOS/UEFI before creating a macOS VM.
| Setting | Where to Find It |
|---|---|
| VT-x (Intel) or AMD-V (AMD) | CPU or Advanced settings |
| VT-d (Intel) or AMD IOMMU (AMD) | Chipset or Advanced settings -- required for GPU passthrough |
Without VT-x/AMD-V enabled, the VM will not start. If you plan to use GPU passthrough, VT-d/IOMMU is also required.
TSC Check (Recommended)
Stable TSC (Time Stamp Counter) flags reduce clock drift and VM lag. Verify with:
lscpu | grep -E 'Model name|Flags'
Look for constant_tsc and nonstop_tsc in the output. Most modern CPUs have these flags.
Once your hardware is confirmed, proceed to Installation.