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QubesOS A Hypervisor as a Desktop

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Qubes OS Desktop with Multiple Isolated Qubes
Qubes OS Desktop with Multiple Isolated Qubes
By Richard Chamberlain
5 min read
QubesOS A Hypervisor as a Desktop

Introduction

Running a desktop environment inside a hypervisor isn’t new. Tech enthusiasts and home lab users have been doing it for years with tools like VMware Workstation and VirtualBox. These run on top of existing operating systems like Windows, Linux, or macOS, allowing users to spin up VMs without giving up their primary OS.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. What is QubesOS?
  3. Qubes and Application Isolation
  4. Vault Qubes
  5. Work Qubes
  6. Personal Qubes
  7. Untrusted Qubes
  8. Who is QubesOS For?
  9. Links and Resources

However, there’s another class of hypervisors — known as bare-metal or Type 1 hypervisors — like VMware ESXi, Xen, and KVM. These run directly on the hardware, with the virtual machines acting as independent operating environments. In typical enterprise setups, these VMs work together to run business-critical services like web servers, application layers, and databases.

But what happens when you flip that idea and install a bare-metal hypervisor on your laptop — and then use VMs to build your desktop?

That’s where QubesOS comes in.

What is QubesOS?

QubesOS is a security-focused operating system built on the Xen hypervisor. Unlike traditional desktop OSes, Qubes runs on bare metal and splits your computing environment into isolated virtual machines, or “qubes,” that work together to form a fully usable desktop.

At first glance, it might seem like an inefficient use of resources — why fragment your system across multiple VMs just to do everyday tasks? But that’s missing the point.

Qubes doesn’t just virtualize for convenience — it virtualizes for security. Just as enterprise hypervisors isolate business processes into separate VMs, QubesOS isolates your daily activities based on trust levels.

Qubes and Application Isolation

In today’s world of SaaS, social media, and web-based tools, our devices are constantly exposed to risk. A single malicious link or compromised application can lead to data theft, ransomware, or worse.

QubesOS mitigates this risk by letting you group applications by security domains, each running in its own VM. These include predefined qubes like:

  • Untrusted
  • Personal
  • Work
  • Vault

Each qube can be customized, cloned, or further segmented to suit your workflow — all while maintaining strict isolation between domains.

Vault Qubes

The Vault qube is a good example of a high-security domain. It has:

  • No network access
  • Dedicated, isolated storage

This is where you can run password managers, encrypted note apps, or anything that shouldn’t touch the internet.

You can also clone the default Vault to create custom vaults, such as:

  • vault-work
  • vault-personal

Perfect for keeping sensitive credentials or files safely compartmentalized.

Work Qubes

As a content creator, I find the Work qubes particularly useful.

For example, I keep separate qubes for:

  • Writing (work-write)
  • Research (work-research)

This isn’t just about security — there’s a psychological benefit too. When I’m in a focused work qube, I’m less tempted to multitask or get distracted by other apps. The enforced security and separation helps me stay on task.

Also — side note — my laptop’s speakers are terrible, which discourages streaming or social media in my work VMs. Sure, I could pair Bluetooth speakers, but that kind of defeats the purpose of using QubesOS to begin with.

Personal Qubes

Here’s where QubesOS really shines for me.

I’ve cloned the Personal qube into:

  • personal-bills
  • personal-social

This lets me isolate my banking and finance apps from social media, keeping each sphere of my personal life secure and separate. No cross-contamination, no accidental data leakage.

Untrusted Qubes

Untrusted is arguably the most powerful feature of QubesOS.

It provides a sandboxed environment to interact with the riskier parts of the internet — unknown links, shady downloads, etc. And if something goes wrong? That qube is isolated from the rest of your system.

Even better: QubesOS lets you open risky links in Disposable VMs (DispVMs) — temporary qubes that disappear entirely after you close them. It’s a zero-trust model applied to everyday browsing.

With the rise of AI-generated phishing and targeted attacks, this level of containment is becoming more critical than ever.

Who is QubesOS For?

As someone who works in IT and helps users every day, I often hear some version of the same question:

“Is all this security really necessary?”

The short answer is: Yes — but it depends on your mindset.

Most users assume their system is secure enough, right up until it isn’t. QubesOS takes a very different approach. It’s not just about having antivirus or a firewall — it’s about architecting your entire computing experience around isolation.

But here’s the catch: you have to be willing to think in those terms.

You need to approach computing with a “security-first” mindset — where every app, website, or file could potentially be a threat. If that sounds like overkill, QubesOS probably isn’t for you.

But if you’re a developer, sysadmin, journalist, privacy advocate, or anyone handling sensitive data — and you’re okay with a bit of friction in exchange for compartmentalized safety — then QubesOS might just be what you’ve been looking for.

Linux, Security
QubesOS Virtualization LinuxSecurity Compartmentalization Privacy
This post is licensed under CC BY 4.0 by the author.