System Requirements
- An Intel/AMD 64-bit Windows PC running Windows 11 or newer.
- At least 1 GB of free RAM.
- At least 20 GB of free storage.
While Homey Self-Hosted Server does not run natively on Windows, you can set up a virtual machine with Linux. We recommend the free VMware Workstation Pro.
Installing Homey Self-Hosted Server with VMware Workstation
VMwre Workstation is free virtualization software owned by Broadcom.
1. Download & Install VMware Workstation
Visit over to the VMware Workstation website and click Download. You'll be asked to create a free Broadcom account.
After signing in, navigate to Downloads and select the latest release. At the time of writing, that is 25H2.
Download the installer and follow the installation instructions.
2. Import the Virtual Machine
We've already set up a Debian virtual machine, pre-configured to automatically download the latest version of Homey Self-Hosted Server on every boot.
Download Homey Self-Hosted Server for VMware.zip and extract the archive.
Open the file named Homey Self-Hosted Server.ovf to import it into VMware Workstation.
Start the Virtual Machine, and wait until you'll see that Homey Self-Hosted Server is ready to be activated.
3. Continue on iPhone & Android
Open the Homey app for iOS or Android to add a new Homey, and select Self-Hosted Server.
Installing Homey Self-Hosted Server with VirtualBox
VirtualBox is open source virtualization software owned by Oracle.
1. Download & Install VirtualBox
Visit over to the VirtualBox website and click Download.
Download the installer and follow the installation instructions.
2. Import the Virtual Machine
We've already set up a Debian virtual machine, pre-configured to automatically download the latest version of Homey Self-Hosted Server on every boot.
Download Homey Self-Hosted Server for VirtualBox.zip and extract the archive.
Open the file named Homey Self-Hosted Server.ova to import it into VirtualBox.
Start the Virtual Machine, and wait until you'll see that Homey Self-Hosted Server is ready to be activated.
3. Continue on iPhone & Android
Open the Homey app for iOS or Android to add a new Homey, and select Self-Hosted Server.
Updating Homey Self-Hosted Server
Simply reboot the Virtual Machine. Every time it starts, it will check for updates and install them automatically before starting Homey Self-Hosted Server.
Creating a Backup
To create a backup, copy the files & folders in /root/.homey-shs inside the VM to a safe location. You might need to install an SSH server, or another file transfer program, to access these files from Windows. Alternatively, you could mount a USB disk inside the VM and copy the files to that filesystem.
To restore a backup, put them back before starting Homey Self-Hosted Server.
Help & Troubleshooting
If you're stuck and need help, head over to the Homey Community Forum.
