Proxmox VE repositories and updates: enterprise vs no-subscription

Proxmox VE installs packages from the normal Debian repositories plus Proxmox’s own. Right after installation the enterprise repository is enabled. It needs a valid subscription key, so on a host without one apt update reports an error for that repository and you get no Proxmox updates. This guide shows how to check your repositories, switch to the free no-subscription repository and install updates.

The three Proxmox VE repositories

• pve-enterprise: the most tested packages, recommended for production. Requires a subscription.
• pve-no-subscription: free to use, intended for testing and non-production use. The documentation notes these packages are not always as heavily tested and validated.
• pve-test: the newest packages for testing upcoming changes. Not for production.

You can see and toggle repositories in the web UI under Node → Updates → Repositories. The node’s Summary panel also shows a warning when no working Proxmox repository is configured. The command-line steps below do the same thing.

Repository file formats

Repositories are defined in /etc/apt/sources.list and files in /etc/apt/sources.list.d/. Older releases used one-line .list files. Current releases based on Debian 13 “Trixie” (Proxmox VE 9) use the multi-line deb822 format in .sources files, and apt complains about the old format. apt modernize-sources converts most old files automatically. The examples below use the deb822 format for Proxmox VE 9; on an older release, use the suite name that matches your Debian version (for example bookworm for Proxmox VE 8).

Switch to the no-subscription repository

1. Open a shell on the node (SSH, or Node → Shell in the web UI) as root.
2. Disable the enterprise repository by adding Enabled: no to its entry in /etc/apt/sources.list.d/pve-enterprise.sources.
3. Create /etc/apt/sources.list.d/proxmox.sources with the no-subscription entry shown below.
4. Run apt update and check that no repository errors remain.

# /etc/apt/sources.list.d/pve-enterprise.sources
Types: deb
URIs: https://enterprise.proxmox.com/debian/pve
Suites: trixie
Components: pve-enterprise
Signed-By: /usr/share/keyrings/proxmox-archive-keyring.gpg
Enabled: no

# /etc/apt/sources.list.d/proxmox.sources
Types: deb
URIs: http://download.proxmox.com/debian/pve
Suites: trixie
Components: pve-no-subscription
Signed-By: /usr/share/keyrings/proxmox-archive-keyring.gpg

If you use Ceph, it has its own repository file with matching enterprise and no-subscription variants. Check it the same way in the Repositories panel.

Install updates

Always use apt full-upgrade (or the equivalent apt dist-upgrade) on Proxmox VE, never plain apt upgrade. A plain upgrade cannot remove or replace packages to resolve changed dependencies, which can leave the system partially upgraded.

apt update
apt full-upgrade

You can also do this from Node → Updates: Refresh runs the update check and Upgrade opens a console with the upgrade. If a new kernel was installed, reboot the node when convenient. In a cluster, update and reboot one node at a time, after moving its guests elsewhere.

Good habits

• Read the release notes before moving to a new major version. Major upgrades (for example 8 to 9) have their own documented upgrade procedure; they are not just apt full-upgrade.
• Back up important guests before large updates.
• Keep all nodes of a cluster on the same package versions.

Official documentation

• Host System Administration: Package Repositories and updates
• Installing Proxmox VE