Running umbrelOS on your own hardware
What to expect when you run umbrelOS on a mini PC, desktop, server, Raspberry Pi, or virtual machine
umbrelOS is free and complete on any hardware. The image you install on your own device is the same umbrelOS that ships on Umbrel Home and Umbrel Pro, with the same features and the same updates. There is no paid tier and nothing is held back.
What depends on your hardware
umbrelOS uses whatever your device has. A few features only appear when the hardware supports them:
- Storage Manager and FailSafe need two or more internal NVMe or SATA drives. With one drive, umbrelOS simply uses it. Not available on Raspberry Pi.
- GPU acceleration needs an NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel GPU, including Thunderbolt eGPUs, on an Intel or AMD device. umbrelOS detects it automatically and apps like Ollama and Jellyfin use it. There are no drivers to install.
- Wi-Fi needs a wireless adapter that Linux supports. Ethernet is recommended either way.
Where to install umbrelOS
umbrelOS boots from one drive and uses the rest of your drives for apps and data. Pick the option that matches your device:
- Onboard storage (eMMC) — Many mini PCs have a small eMMC chip alongside an M.2 slot. Install umbrelOS on the eMMC and leave your internal drives for apps and data. Recommended when your device has it.
- A USB drive — Flash umbrelOS straight onto a USB drive and leave it plugged in. umbrelOS boots from it and uses your internal drives for apps and data. Recommended for everything else, including devices with a single internal drive.
- An internal drive — If you'd rather not keep a USB drive plugged in, you can install umbrelOS onto an internal drive instead. umbrelOS then shares that drive with your apps and data, and that drive can't be part of a Storage Manager pool.
Step-by-step instructions are in Installing umbrelOS on amd64, Installing umbrelOS on Raspberry Pi, and Installing umbrelOS in a virtual machine.
Support
We support umbrelOS the same way on every device. If something in umbrelOS isn't working on your hardware, get in touch and we'll help. What we can't do is diagnose faults in hardware we didn't build, such as a failing drive, power supply, or network adapter. For those, the device's manufacturer is the right place to go.
Prefer not to think about hardware?
Umbrel Home and Umbrel Pro ship with umbrelOS pre-installed on hardware we test end to end, and can be covered by Umbrel Protect for extended warranty and priority support.