¶ October 9, 2026 - Open beta for Buddy Backups and Virtual Machines, a smarter server setup, and much more
This is one of our biggest updates yet. Buddy Backups and Virtual Machines are now open to every HexOS owner as public betas. Alongside them, seven features graduate to general availability: the new server setup, Health & Capabilities, Drive Certification, Test memory, apps drive recovery, the upgraded file browser, and app card widgets.
Here is a summary of changes shipped since our last update.
¶ Buddy Backups and Virtual Machines: now open to everyone
Buddy Backups and Virtual Machines are now open betas for every HexOS owner. There is no sign-up, no waitlist, and nothing to install: open your Command Deck and they are there. Thank you to everyone in the private beta who helped us get here. Both keep their Beta badge while we gather your feedback. Learn what beta means.
Run Windows, Linux or an appliance like Home Assistant directly on your server, with a hands-off installation that sets up your account and apps before you ever sign in. Get started with Virtual Machines.
- Share graphics cards between apps and VMs. Keep each graphics card for apps, reserve it for VMs, or let HexOS share it automatically: apps using the card pause while a VM needs it and start again afterward. A server's only graphics card can now be offered to VMs.
- Choose exactly what to delete. Removing a VM lists its disks so you choose which ones go. Disks used by another VM or service cannot be selected.
- Keep Windows security intact. In some cases, a VM renamed in TrueNAS 25.10 lost its virtual TPM, which Windows relies on for BitLocker and sign-in. HexOS now restores it at the next start.
- Reliable starts on older TrueNAS. VMs on servers running TrueNAS versions below 25.10 stay on standard firmware so they start reliably.
- Browse in the installation media picker now opens folders inside Install Media correctly.
Protect your folders off-site by backing them up to a second server you own or to a friend's server across the internet, with end-to-end encryption over a private network. Get started with Buddy Backups.
- Recover more. A backup that was paused when its server failed can now be recovered, and a recovered backup keeps all of its copies.
- Patient setup. When your buddy's server is offline, setup waits and checks back less often instead of restarting every five minutes.
- Size limits handled. A backup keeps running after you raise a folder's size limit, and a restored folder gets its size limit back.
- Tidy cleanup. A folder you remove while your buddy is offline has its copy removed once their server is back.
- Respectful resumes. A backup paused for access resumes on its own only when the owner's access is on, and never lifts someone else's newer pause.
- Stronger privacy between buddies. A server that stores your backup shows you only your own copies, the backup key works only over the private link, and a restored folder keeps the access its owner reviewed.
Setting up a new server is now a guided walk with one decision per screen and plain language throughout. HexOS plans your storage for you, explains every choice, and nothing on your drives changes until you confirm on the last screen. Read the setup guide.
- Tell HexOS what matters most. Choose Recommended and pick one goal: Most space, Balanced, or Most protection. HexOS designs your pools around it, choosing mirrors, RAIDZ1, RAIDZ2 or RAIDZ3 to fit your drives.
- See the why before anything happens. Each pool card shows its usable space and how many drives can fail without losing data. Open a pool to see why HexOS chose that layout, then Edit, Rename or Remove it.
- Smart drive grouping. HexOS groups drives of similar sizes so space is not wasted, and never mixes hard drives with SSDs. A drive that does not fit a pool is listed with the reason.
- Prefer to build it yourself? Custom lets you pick the drives and layout for each pool, with every layout your drives allow. If a choice leaves your data poorly protected, HexOS explains the risk and the choice is still yours.
- Bring your pools with you. Setup finds existing pools on your drives automatically. Pools from another server start switched on for import and arrive with their folders, users, apps and virtual machines.
- Keep what you have, or start fresh. On a server that already has pools, every pool starts as kept. Let one go to reuse its drives: it is erased only if a new pool uses them, and only after you confirm. How starting fresh works.
- One last look. The Almost done! screen summarizes your server, your new pools, the pools you kept, and everything that stays. Nothing is erased until you tick the box and click Finish setup.
- A safe first day. After setup, the new server checklist runs a background deep check on any previously used drives and offers a memory test before you copy your data in.
- Your apps drive, backed up every night. When your apps run from a single drive, HexOS keeps a nightly copy on a protected pool, so one failed drive never takes your apps with it. Learn about app backups.
Health & Capabilities is now available to everyone, with no beta badge.
- Know your hardware at a glance. See your server's system, storage, app and virtualization readiness in one place. Run diagnostics, read Hardware Advisor notes about parts with known issues, and copy a report to share with support.
- Every warning explains itself. When a card says Attention required, its panel always tells you why.
- Your hardware data, your choice. A simple introduction asks whether HexOS may monitor your hardware, and you can change your mind at any time. Reports never include drive serial numbers, and nothing is counted from a time when sharing was off.
- Trust every drive before it holds your files. Drive Certification is now available to everyone. Test any new or used drive from its tile on the Storage screen, get a plain-language report, and choose a deeper test when you want more certainty.
- Test memory for everyone. Test memory no longer requires Expert mode.
- Clearer storage lock. On a new server, storage stays locked until the memory test passes or you skip it. The notice now reads Storage locked: test memory, and the Memory card on your dashboard shows when storage is locked.
- In some cases, a memory test that ended sooner than its passes allow could look complete. It is now marked as not run.
- Get your apps back when their drive fails. Apps drive recovery is now available to everyone. If the drive running your apps goes missing, Command Deck identifies the drive, walks you through checking it and restarting, and helps you move your apps to another pool and restore them from their nightly copy.
- HexOS now verifies your apps storage before apps start and during recovery.
The right-click menu, drag and drop, and undo are now available to everyone. Learn about the file browser.
- Right-click menu. Right-click a file or folder, or long-press on a tablet, to see every action available for your selection.
- Drag and drop. Drag files onto a folder, or onto a folder in the path above, and choose Move here or Copy here.
- Undo. Changed your mind? Undo a dropped move or copy.
- Safer file changes. A rename or move never replaces a file someone just saved, and a copy never lands inside itself.
- Live information on your dashboard. Apps can now show live details right on their own dashboard card. As curated apps add widgets, they appear on your dashboard automatically, with no app update or reinstall needed.
- Recheck an unencrypted original. If you kept the unencrypted original after turning on encryption, Recheck compares every file, owner, permission and snapshot with the encrypted folder, and clears the unverified warning when they match.
- In some cases, an encryption conversion could fail on every retry after the folder's size limit changed. It now finishes.
- A folder being encrypted is now protected from changes however it is reached.
- The Recovery key needed window now always opens on top of the folder pane.
¶ Design and reliability
- A cleaner, more consistent look. Every dialog now shares one design, with a single primary action that turns red when it is destructive.
- Your achievements, your notifications. Achievement notifications can now be turned off from the Achievements page.
- Stronger safeguards for your files. Download links serve only the file they were made for, and only once. Copies and uploads are always handed to the right owner.
- In some cases, the welcome dialog could open behind another dialog and freeze the page. It now waits until the other dialog closes.
- In some cases, a selected option in the memory test or size controls could clear itself. Your selection now stays put.
NOTE: All of these updates are applied automatically to your Command Deck. You may need to clear your cache. Help with clearing your cache is available here.