Can I give a VM in Proxmox more Memory

​Yes, you can add or give more memory to a proxmox vm . Your machine should have physical memory tho, so that there wont be a performance issue.

In this comprehensive guide will walk you through how to give a VM in Proxmox more memory, whether it’s powered on or off. We’ll cover the step-by-step procedure, explain critical concepts like “Ballooning” and “Hot-Plug,” and provide essential best practices to ensure a smooth upgrade.

Why Would You Need to Increase VM Memory?

Before we dive in, let’s quickly cover why you might need to do this:

• Application Demands: Installing new memory-intensive software (e.g., databases, web servers).
• Increased Workload: The VM is handling more users or processes than initially planned.
• Performance Bottlenecks: You’re seeing high memory usage metrics, swapping, or slow response times.
• Testing & Development: You need to test an application under different resource constraints.

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Method 1: The Standard Way (VM Shutdown)

This is the safest and most recommended method, especially for significant memory increases or if you’re unsure about your VM’s OS compatibility with hot-plugging.

Step 1: Access the Proxmox Web Interface
Log in to your Proxmox VE web interface.

Step 2: Shut Down the Target VM
In the left-hand resource tree, select your VM. Click on “Shutdown” in the upper menu. It’s best to do a graceful shutdown rather than a hard stop. Wait for the VM’s status to show as “stopped”.

Step 3: Open the Hardware Configuration

1. With the VM selected and stopped, click on “Hardware” in the left-hand menu of the VM’s console.
2. Find and click on the “Memory” entry in the list.
3. Click the “Edit” button at the top of the window.

Step 4: Adjust the Memory Value

1. In the “Memory (MiB)” field, enter the new desired amount of RAM in Mebibytes (MiB).
   • Example: For 8 GB of RAM, you would enter 8192 (8 x 1024).
2. (Optional) You can also adjust the “Minimum Memory” value, which is used with the Ballooning Driver.
3. Click “OK” to save the changes.

Step 5: Start the VM and Verify

1. Click “Start” to power on the VM.
2. Once the VM boots up, log in to its operating system and verify that the new memory amount is recognized.
   • Windows: Open Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc) and go to the Performance tab.
   • Linux: Use the command free -h or cat /proc/meminfo.