--- title: How to install Qubes OS and replace Windows (step by step) description: A step-by-step walkthrough demonstrates how to replace Windows with Qubes OS, a security-focused Linux distribution praised by Edward Snowden, Mullvad, and the... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/how-to-install-qubes-os-and-replace-windows-step-by-step--zocdohcts twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: How to install Qubes OS and replace Windows (step by step) | daily.dev og:description: A step-by-step walkthrough demonstrates how to replace Windows with Qubes OS, a security-focused Linux distribution praised by Edward Snowden, Mullvad, and the... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/how-to-install-qubes-os-and-replace-windows-step-by-step--zocdohcts og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/zOcDohcts.png og:image:alt: How to install Qubes OS and replace Windows (step by step) og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # How to install Qubes OS and replace Windows (step by step) **[David Bombal](https://daily.dev/sources/davidbombal)** · 11 min read · 1 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary A step-by-step walkthrough demonstrates how to replace Windows with Qubes OS, a security-focused Linux distribution praised by Edward Snowden, Mullvad, and the EFF for its strong VM isolation. It covers checking system requirements (64-bit CPU with virtualization support, 6GB+ RAM, 32GB+ storage), creating a bootable USB with Rufus, disabling secure boot in BIOS, and completing the Qubes OS installation including disk encryption, user creation, and template setup (Debian or Fedora). The video also includes a sponsored segment for DeleteMe, a personal data removal service. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Questions this post answers ### What are the minimum hardware requirements to install Qubes OS 4.3.1? Qubes OS requires a 64-bit Intel or AMD processor with hardware virtualization support (Intel VT-x or AMD-V), at least 6 GB of RAM, and 32 GB of storage. Recommended specs are 16 GB of RAM and 128 GB of free space, with Intel integrated graphics strongly preferred over discrete GPUs for compatibility. _Comparing security-focused operating systems before a switch is easier with daily.dev's developer community insights._ ### How do I create a bootable USB drive to install Qubes OS from Windows? Download the portable version of Rufus from rufus.ie and the Qubes OS ISO (around 8 GB) from qubes-os.org, then use Rufus to write the ISO to a USB drive in DD image mode, which erases all existing data on the drive. Afterward, disable secure boot in BIOS/UEFI and boot from the USB drive to start installation. _Developers setting up secure workstations track OS installation guides like this one on daily.dev._ ### Why do organizations like Mullvad and the EFF recommend Qubes OS over Windows for security? Qubes OS is favored for its strong virtual machine isolation, which separates different tasks and applications into isolated compartments to limit the impact of a compromise. Edward Snowden, Mullvad, and the EFF have publicly praised it, with Mullvad stating they run it on most of their workstations and Snowden calling it the best OS available for security-conscious users. _Weighing OS security trade-offs is simpler when developers follow real endorsements on daily.dev._ ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [Getting started with Ubuntu 26.04: Your Linux installation guide](https://daily.dev/posts/getting-started-with-ubuntu-26-04-your-linux-installation-guide-ezbj3cazv) · All Things Open · 7 upvotes · 0 comments - [Virtual machines are the easiest way to try Linux without causing unnecessary headaches](https://daily.dev/posts/virtual-machines-are-the-easiest-way-to-try-linux-without-causing-unnecessary-headaches-alj0kqxrk) · XDA Developers · 1 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#security](https://daily.dev/tags/security), [#linux](https://daily.dev/tags/linux), [#infrastructure](https://daily.dev/tags/infrastructure) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/how-to-install-qubes-os-and-replace-windows-step-by-step--zocdohcts) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"How to install Qubes OS and replace Windows (step by step)","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/how-to-install-qubes-os-and-replace-windows-step-by-step--zocdohcts","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/how-to-install-qubes-os-and-replace-windows-step-by-step--zocdohcts"},"datePublished":"2026-08-18T14:00:29.267Z","dateModified":"2026-09-14T07:55:01.356Z","description":"A step-by-step walkthrough demonstrates how to replace Windows with Qubes OS, a security-focused Linux distribution praised by Edward Snowden, Mullvad, and the...","image":"https://i.ytimg.com/vi/JZK6h-4QZgQ/sddefault.jpg","thumbnailUrl":"https://i.ytimg.com/vi/JZK6h-4QZgQ/sddefault.jpg","isAccessibleForFree":true,"articleSection":"David Bombal","inLanguage":"en","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180}},"author":{"@type":"Organization","name":"David Bombal","logo":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--Dz6oUxSb--/f_auto/v1710503980/logos/davidbombal","url":"https://daily.dev/sources/davidbombal"},"commentCount":0,"discussionUrl":"https://daily.dev/posts/how-to-install-qubes-os-and-replace-windows-step-by-step--zocdohcts","interactionStatistic":[{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":1},{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"CommentAction"},"userInteractionCount":0}],"keywords":"security,linux,infrastructure","timeRequired":"PT11M","video":{"@type":"VideoObject","name":"How to install Qubes OS and replace Windows (step by step)","description":"A step-by-step walkthrough demonstrates how to replace Windows with Qubes OS, a security-focused Linux distribution praised by Edward Snowden, Mullvad, and the...","thumbnailUrl":"https://i.ytimg.com/vi/JZK6h-4QZgQ/sddefault.jpg","uploadDate":"2026-08-18T14:00:29.267Z","duration":"PT11M","url":"https://api.daily.dev/r/zOcDohcts","embedUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/embed/JZK6h-4QZgQ"}} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://daily.dev"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"David Bombal","item":"https://daily.dev/sources/davidbombal"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"How to install Qubes OS and replace Windows (step by step)"}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/how-to-install-qubes-os-and-replace-windows-step-by-step--zocdohcts#faq","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"What are the minimum hardware requirements to install Qubes OS 4.3.1?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Qubes OS requires a 64-bit Intel or AMD processor with hardware virtualization support (Intel VT-x or AMD-V), at least 6 GB of RAM, and 32 GB of storage. 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