# Importing a Virtual Machine OVA into ProxMox

1. Log into ProxMox VE either via SSH or the web based shell
2. Run the following commands to download the .ova and import it
   NOTE: in the example we are installing TurnKey Core
   # make a working directory
   mkdir ova_import && cd ova_import
   # download the ova
   wget -O TurnKey.ova https://laotzu.ftp.acc.umu.se/mirror/turnkeylinux/images/ova/turnkey-core-16.1-buster-amd64.ova
   # extract the downloaded ova
   tar xvf TurnKey.ova
   # create a new vm from the ova
   # usage
   # qm importovf <unused vmid> <path to ova> <destination storage pool name> [OPTIONS]
   qm importovf 300 ./turnkey-core-16.1-buster-amd64.ovf HDD_500GB --format qcow2
3. After the VM has been successfully imported, open a web browser and navigate to the ProxMox VE web UI
4. Select the imported VM from the left navigation menu
5. Review the imported VM details and tweak as needed
6. Click the Start button in the top right of the screen
7. Click the Console link to watch the boot process
8. After confirming the imported VM is working, run the following command to clean up the downloaded ova data
   cd ..
   rm ova_import/ -r