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Flesh out the Windows VM chapter

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Cover the KVM and disk requirements, the resources and credentials the
installer asks for, the launch/stop/status commands and --keep-alive,
what the RDP session carries, and what removal deletes.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
This commit is contained in:
David Heinemeier Hansson
2026-08-13 18:18:46 +02:00
co-authored by Claude Fable 5
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commit 5b8fef406f
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# Windows VM
Omarchy offers an easy way to run Windows through a Docker VM. You can install it using _Install > Windows_ from the Omarchy menu (`Super + Space`). It takes a while, but you can follow the progress in the browser.
Omarchy offers an easy way to run Windows through a Docker VM. You can install it using _Install > Windows_ from the Omarchy menu (`Super + Space`).
When the installation is complete, you can launch Windows using the app launcher, and that'll give you a RDP connection to your installation. When you close the RDP session, the VM automatically stops again. If you want to get rid of the whole thing, use _Remove > Windows_ from the Omarchy menu. There's no GPU passthrough with this setup, so it's not suitable for gaming or video editing, but it's a great way to run apps like Microsoft Office or whatever else if you absolutely must have that.
Your machine needs KVM virtualization for this, which most do — but it's sometimes switched off in the BIOS, and the installer will tell you if that's the case. You'll also want the disk space: whatever you give Windows, plus about 10GB for the image itself.
The directory `~/Windows` in your home directory is automatically shared with this Windows VM. So you put files there if you want to make them accessible to Windows. The VM does not have access to any other files on your system, so you're safe from malware or viruses on the Linux side.
You can change the resource allocation by editing `~/.config/windows/docker-compose.yml`. You can also edit this file to mount USB devices. See all the options on [the Dockur Windows project](https://github.com/dockur/windows).
The version of Windows installed is 11 Pro. It's unactivated. You will need to activate with your own license key to use all gated features.
The installer asks how much RAM, how many CPU cores, and how much disk to hand over (64GB or more is the sensible floor), then for a Windows username and password. Leave those blank and you get `docker` / `admin`. The download takes a while — 10-15 minutes is normal — and you can follow the progress in the browser at `http://127.0.0.1:8006`.
![windows.png](https://learn.omacom.io/u/windows-bhXSXL.png)
## Using it
Once it's installed, launch _Windows_ from the app launcher. That starts the VM if it isn't already running and connects you over RDP, full screen. Give it 15-30 seconds on a cold start.
The RDP session carries sound, your microphone, and a shared clipboard, so copying text between Linux and Windows just works. The resolution follows your window, and Omarchy passes your display scaling through, so it's not a blurry mess on a HiDPI screen.
When you close the RDP window, the VM shuts down automatically. If you'd rather leave it running — say you've got something working away in there — launch it with `omarchy windows vm launch --keep-alive` instead.
The rest of the controls are on the same command:
```bash
omarchy windows vm status # is it running?
omarchy windows vm stop # shut it down
omarchy windows vm launch # start and connect
```
## Sharing files
The directory `~/Windows` in your home directory is automatically shared with the VM. Put files there if you want them accessible to Windows. The VM has no access to any other part of your file system, so you're safe from anything nasty on the Windows side. Its own virtual disk lives in `~/.windows`.
The VM's ports are bound to localhost only, so nothing on your network can reach the Windows machine.
## Limits and licensing
There's no GPU passthrough with this setup, so it's not suitable for gaming or video editing. It's a great way to run Microsoft Office or whatever else you absolutely must have.
The version installed is Windows 11 Pro, unactivated. You'll need your own license key to use the gated features.
You can change the resource allocation later by editing `~/.config/windows/docker-compose.yml`, which is also where you'd mount a USB device. See all the options on [the Dockur Windows project](https://github.com/dockur/windows).
To get rid of the whole thing, use _Remove > Windows_ from the Omarchy menu. That deletes the VM's disk and all its data, so make sure anything you care about is out of `~/Windows` first.