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Guide · Open source

How to use Quickemu: create and run VMs from the command line

Updated · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data

Quickemu is an open-source command-line tool that wraps QEMU to create and run Windows, macOS and Linux virtual machines with minimal setup. This guide is for people who want to try an operating system without writing QEMU configuration by hand. After reading it, you will know the two commands that create and start a VM, what hosts and guests are supported, and where the limits are.

Quickemuquickemu-project/quickemu · ★ 16.6k · MIT

Quick start

  1. 1Install Quickemu and QEMU. Follow the Installation page on the project wiki to install QEMU and Quickemu with your package manager.
  2. 2List supported operating systems. Run quickget with no arguments to see every OS and edition it supports.
  3. 3Download an operating system. Run quickget with your chosen OS, release and edition to download the image and create a .conf file.
  4. 4Start the virtual machine. Run quickemu --vm with the name of the generated .conf file.
  5. 5Use the guest. Use SPICE clipboard sharing, file sharing or port forwarding as your guest supports.

What Quickemu does

Quickemu is a wrapper for QEMU, a widely used virtualization program. You choose the operating system you want, and Quickemu handles the rest: it downloads the upstream image, creates a configuration file, and launches the VM with settings it considers suitable for your hardware.

The project was originally aimed at quickly testing Linux distributions. The README says VMs and their configuration can be stored on external USB storage or in your home directory, and that no elevated permissions are required to run them.

  • quickget downloads the upstream OS image and creates the configuration file
  • quickemu inspects your hardware and launches the virtual machine
  • Host support is listed for Linux and macOS only

Install Quickemu before you start

The README says Quickemu is installed with a package manager and that QEMU is a prerequisite. Its installation steps are on the project wiki's Installation page, which you should follow for your system.

The README also shows a git clone command for the repository. Use it if you want the source code.

git clone https://github.com/quickemu-project/quickemu

Create and run your first virtual machine

Quick start has two steps. First, quickget downloads the ISO for the operating system you choose and writes a configuration file. The example below uses NixOS unstable minimal, which produces the file nixos-unstable-minimal.conf.

Second, quickemu starts the VM using that configuration file. Run quickget with no arguments to see the full list of supported operating systems.

  • Step one: run quickget with the OS, release and edition
  • Step two: run quickemu with --vm and the .conf file
quickget nixos unstable minimal quickemu --vm nixos-unstable-minimal.conf

Choose a guest operating system

The README lists comprehensive support for macOS and Windows, plus Ubuntu and its official flavours, most of the BSDs, and several non-Linux systems such as FreeDOS, Haiku, KolibriOS, OpenIndiana and ReactOS. It says nearly 1000 operating system editions are supported.

Windows 10 and 11 are supported, including TPM 2.0. Windows Server 2022, 2019 and 2016 are also listed. macOS guests are listed from Mojave through Sequoia. The wiki has separate pages for Linux, macOS and Windows VMs.

  • Linux: see the wiki page on creating Linux virtual machines
  • macOS: see the wiki page on creating macOS virtual machines
  • Windows: see the wiki page on creating Windows virtual machines

Use shared folders, clipboard and networking

The README lists several features you can use once a VM is running. These include full SPICE support with host and guest clipboard sharing, USB device pass-through, automatic SSH port forwarding, and network port forwarding.

File sharing depends on the guest. VirtIO-webdavd is listed for Linux and Windows guests, VirtIO-9p for Linux and macOS guests, and Samba for Linux, macOS and Windows guests, but Samba only works if smbd is installed on the host.

  • Clipboard: SPICE host/guest sharing
  • Files: VirtIO-webdavd, VirtIO-9p or Samba depending on guest
  • Networking: automatic SSH forwarding and port forwarding

Know when to use the wiki for advanced settings

Quickemu is designed with minimal configuration in mind, so it does not expose every QEMU setting by default. The wiki covers advanced quickemu configuration and advanced quickget features for cases the defaults do not handle.

The README mentions separate graphical frontends only in the wiki, under Alternative frontends. The main project is a command-line tool.

  • Advanced quickemu configuration wiki page
  • Advanced quickget features wiki page
  • Alternative frontends wiki page

What people use it for

  • Trying a Linux distribution before installing it on disk
  • Running Windows 10 or 11 as a guest on a Linux or macOS host
  • Testing many operating systems with configs kept in one portable folder
  • Running VMs from an external USB drive without elevated permissions

Frequently asked questions

How do I install Quickemu?

The README says Quickemu is installed with a package manager and requires QEMU. The project wiki's Installation page has the steps for your system.

Is Quickemu free?

Quickemu is released under the MIT licence, as stated in the repository. The README does not list any paid tier.

Can I run Windows 11 with Quickemu?

Yes. The README lists Windows 10 and 11 guests, including TPM 2.0. Its Windows wiki page explains how to create these VMs.

Does Quickemu work on Windows?

The README lists host support only for Linux and macOS, so Windows hosts are not covered by the project's stated support.

What is the difference between Quickemu and virt-manager or GNOME Boxes?

Quickemu is a command-line tool that automates QEMU settings. virt-manager and GNOME Boxes are graphical VM managers; the README mentions graphical frontends only as separate projects in the wiki.

Why won't my VM start, and where do I look first?

The source does not include a troubleshooting section. Start by checking that QEMU is installed as the Installation wiki page describes, and read the advanced configuration wiki page for settings.

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Our verdict

Quickemu suits people who want a fast, command-line way to try Linux, Windows or macOS guests without writing QEMU configuration. It is a poor fit if you need fine-grained control over every VM setting, a graphical VM manager, or a Windows host.

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