{
  "version": "https://jsonfeed.org/version/1.1",
  "title": "HexOS Updates",
  "description": "Blog posts and Command Deck release notes from HexOS, newest first.",
  "home_page_url": "https://docs.hexos.com",
  "feed_url": "https://feeds.hexos.com/all.json",
  "language": "en-US",
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "HexOS"
    }
  ],
  "items": [
    {
      "id": "https://docs.hexos.com/release-notes/command-deck/2026-10-16",
      "url": "https://docs.hexos.com/release-notes/command-deck/2026-10-16",
      "title": "October 16, 2026 - Rename your server, a tabbed app pane, live backup speeds, and more",
      "summary": "Rename your server, a tabbed app pane, live backup speeds, and more",
      "content_html": "<p>Here is a summary of changes shipped since our <a href=\"https://docs.hexos.com/release-notes/command-deck/2026-10-13\">last update</a>.</p>\n<h2>Settings</h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Rename your server.</strong> Click the pencil beside your server's name in <strong>Settings</strong> &gt; <strong>Preferences</strong> &gt; <strong>Personalization</strong> to give it a new name. It works from Command Deck online or on your local network, and the new name is used everywhere, including in Finder and File Explorer.</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Apps</h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>A tidier app pane.</strong> The installed app pane is now organized into tabs, like the VM pane. Details and notices come first, then <strong>Live metrics</strong> and <strong>Customize</strong>, where you choose what shows on your dashboard.</li>\n<li><strong>Richer app cards.</strong> App card widgets can now show charts, step through slides, and carry notes. As curated apps add them, they appear on your dashboard automatically.</li>\n<li><strong>Update past a maintenance hold.</strong> When an app is held back for maintenance, Expert mode now offers <strong>Update anyway</strong> once you confirm that you accept the risk, so you can still reach later fixes.</li>\n<li>In some cases, an app that TrueNAS offers in two catalogs, like Nextcloud, appeared twice under <strong>Curated</strong>. It now appears once.</li>\n<li>In some cases, an app update could show as failed even though the app was already running the new version, or leave the app stopped when the download service was busy. HexOS now checks what actually happened and starts the app again when needed.</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Storage</h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Accurate free space after adding a drive.</strong> After you add a drive to a RAIDZ pool, its pool card and details now show the free space it really has. You may see more free space than before.</li>\n<li><strong>Clearer guidance for adding drives.</strong> Pool pages now say exactly what adding a drive can do: more space for a RAIDZ pool, a mirror for a single-drive pool, or that none of your unused drives can be added.</li>\n<li><strong>Fairer pool audits.</strong> A drive with old error counts that did not grow during a passing test is now marked as one to keep an eye on, not one to replace. Each drive's results are shown under the drive, and a cable problem points at the cable.</li>\n<li>In some cases, a suspended pool could be reported again every few minutes while its error counts climbed. HexOS now reports it once per incident.</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Folders</h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Restore more folders.</strong> Folders on pools imported through the TrueNAS interface, and folders that use POSIX permissions, can now be restored as HexOS folders.</li>\n<li>A wrong passphrase when unlocking a folder, or a username that is already taken, is now explained right away instead of appearing as a failed task.</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Setup</h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Locked pools explained.</strong> When an imported pool arrives locked, setup now says so and helps you unlock it.</li>\n<li>In some cases, setup could not finish on a server whose apps were on a pool from an earlier install that is no longer connected. HexOS now sets up apps on your new pool and leaves the old one as it is.</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Virtual Machines</h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Know what Uninstall removes.</strong> The <strong>Uninstall VM</strong> dialog now lists what it deletes, counts the disks you selected, and explains why some disks start unchecked.</li>\n<li><strong>A clear virtualization check.</strong> If virtualization is turned off in your server's BIOS, installing or starting a VM now stops right away and tells you which setting to turn on.</li>\n<li><strong>Smoother power controls.</strong> Starting a VM that is already running, or stopping one that is already off, now simply completes, and a paused VM is resumed when needed. A cancelled install shows as cancelled, not failed. If a VM ignores a shutdown while you remove it, you are offered <strong>Force off</strong>.</li>\n<li>In some cases, apps sharing a graphics card with a VM did not start again after the VM was shut down from inside. They now restart automatically.</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Buddy Backups</h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Watch your backups move.</strong> While a backup transfers, its network speed in and out now shows on the <strong>Transfer speed</strong> card, in the backups tables, on folder rows, and on the map.</li>\n<li><strong>Speed limits for the whole connection.</strong> A speed limit now covers your whole connection to a buddy and takes effect right away, even for a backup already running. <strong>Smart</strong> does not limit the speed when both servers are on the same network, and Command Deck says so.</li>\n<li><strong>Removing a backup frees its space.</strong> Removing a backup now also deletes its restore points on your server. Restore points left behind by earlier removals expire on their own after the backup's retention period, and never sooner than 14 days.</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Design and reliability</h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Tooltips that stay out of the way.</strong> Tooltips now open only when you hover over them, and no longer add extra stops when you move through a page with the Tab key.</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Coming soon to apps</h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Install scripts can now size an app's processor limit to your server's processor cores. Curated apps will take advantage of this soon.</li>\n</ul>\n<p><strong>NOTE:</strong> 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 <a href=\"https://docs.hexos.com/troubleshooting/browser-cache\">here</a>.</p>\n",
      "date_published": "2026-10-16T16:03:44.923Z",
      "date_modified": "2026-10-16T16:32:36.815Z",
      "tags": [
        "release-notes"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://docs.hexos.com/release-notes/command-deck/2026-10-13",
      "url": "https://docs.hexos.com/release-notes/command-deck/2026-10-13",
      "title": "October 13, 2026 - Private folders stay private, smarter Custom VMs, and more",
      "summary": "Smarter Custom VMs, Safer Graphics Card Sharing & More",
      "content_html": "<p>Here is a summary of changes shipped since our <a href=\"https://docs.hexos.com/release-notes/command-deck/2026-10-09\">last update</a>.</p>\n<h2>Virtual Machines</h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Custom VMs start their own installer.</strong> Many installers wait for a key press before they boot. HexOS now reads your installation media and presses the key for you only when the installer asks for it, so a Custom VM goes straight to installing.</li>\n<li><strong>Windows recognized automatically.</strong> A Custom VM created from a Windows installer is set up as Windows even if you did not pick an icon. Other Custom VMs without an icon are set up as a general guest.</li>\n<li><strong>Home Assistant opens on the right port.</strong> <strong>Launch</strong> now opens Home Assistant on the port it answers on, for new and older installs alike.</li>\n<li>In some cases, a VM could not be removed from a server with virtualization turned off in its BIOS. Removal now works.</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Graphics card sharing</h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Safer switching for AMD cards.</strong> When you move an AMD graphics card away from <strong>VMs</strong>, your apps get it back the next time the server restarts, and the <strong>Graphics cards</strong> settings say so. Some AMD cards can freeze a server when handed back while it is running. Intel and NVIDIA cards still switch right away.</li>\n<li><strong>Your apps keep their card.</strong> A graphics card that an earlier install reserved for VMs now starts as <strong>Automatic</strong>, so apps already using it keep running.</li>\n<li>In some cases, an app using an Intel or AMD card could fail to start while a VM had the server's last card. It now waits and starts again once the card is back.</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Buddy Backups</h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Backups from your server's own Command Deck.</strong> The <strong>Backups</strong> page now works when you open Command Deck directly from your server.</li>\n<li>Backups can now be stored on a pool whose name contains a space.</li>\n<li>In some cases, a backup could stall for up to an hour after TrueNAS restarted its services. It now continues on its next run.</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Storage</h2>\n<ul>\n<li>In some cases, a pool drive that stayed degraded could be reported again every few minutes, which brought back notices you had dismissed and could escalate to a replace-the-drive recommendation. HexOS now reports it once, and only again if the drive recovers and fails a second time.</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Folders</h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Private folders stay out of sight.</strong> When someone browses your server in Finder or File Explorer, they now see only the folders they are allowed to open. Guests no longer see the names of your private folders. Requires TrueNAS 25.10 or later.  Your existing folders should be updated automatically. If you still see shares that are inaccessible (eg. MacOS) you can apply a one-time benign edit to the folder in the Deck and that will force your Finder or File Explorer to refresh the listing.</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Design and reliability</h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Each browser tab remembers its server.</strong> If you manage more than one server, each tab now stays on the server you picked in it, even after a reload.</li>\n<li><strong>Easier to read.</strong> Small purple labels, links, and tags are now clear in both light and dark themes.</li>\n<li>In some cases, a long script in <strong>Install with custom script</strong> was cut off. The editor now scrolls.</li>\n<li>In some cases, an action sent to your server during a brief connection drop could run twice. Each action now runs once.</li>\n</ul>\n<p><strong>NOTE:</strong> 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 <a href=\"https://docs.hexos.com/troubleshooting/browser-cache\">here</a>.</p>\n",
      "date_published": "2026-10-13T17:03:00.784Z",
      "date_modified": "2026-10-13T17:13:00.931Z",
      "tags": [
        "release-notes"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://docs.hexos.com/release-notes/command-deck/2026-10-09",
      "url": "https://docs.hexos.com/release-notes/command-deck/2026-10-09",
      "title": "October 9, 2026 - Open beta for Buddy Backups and Virtual Machines, a smarter server setup, and much more",
      "summary": "Open beta for Buddy Backups and Virtual Machines, a smarter server setup, and much more",
      "content_html": "<p>This is one of our biggest updates yet. <strong>Buddy Backups</strong> and <strong>Virtual Machines</strong> are now open to every HexOS owner as public betas. Alongside them, seven features graduate to general availability: the new server setup, Health &amp; Capabilities, Drive Certification, Test memory, apps drive recovery, the upgraded file browser, and app card widgets.</p>\n<p>Here is a summary of changes shipped since our <a href=\"https://docs.hexos.com/release-notes/command-deck/2026-10-06\">last update</a>.</p>\n<h2>Buddy Backups and Virtual Machines: now open to everyone</h2>\n<blockquote class=\"is-info\">\n<p><strong>Buddy Backups and Virtual Machines are now open betas for every HexOS owner.</strong> 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 <strong>Beta</strong> badge while we gather your feedback. <a href=\"https://docs.hexos.com/community/beta-programs/buddy-backups-and-virtual-machines\">Learn what beta means</a>.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<h2>Virtual Machines</h2>\n<p>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. <a href=\"https://docs.hexos.com/features/vms\">Get started with Virtual Machines</a>.</p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Share graphics cards between apps and VMs.</strong> 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.</li>\n<li><strong>Choose exactly what to delete.</strong> Removing a VM lists its disks so you choose which ones go. Disks used by another VM or service cannot be selected.</li>\n<li><strong>Keep Windows security intact.</strong> 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.</li>\n<li><strong>Reliable starts on older TrueNAS.</strong> VMs on servers running TrueNAS versions below 25.10 stay on standard firmware so they start reliably.</li>\n<li><strong>Browse</strong> in the installation media picker now opens folders inside <strong>Install Media</strong> correctly.</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Buddy Backups</h2>\n<p>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. <a href=\"https://docs.hexos.com/features/backups\">Get started with Buddy Backups</a>.</p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Recover more.</strong> A backup that was paused when its server failed can now be recovered, and a recovered backup keeps all of its copies.</li>\n<li><strong>Patient setup.</strong> When your buddy's server is offline, setup waits and checks back less often instead of restarting every five minutes.</li>\n<li><strong>Size limits handled.</strong> A backup keeps running after you raise a folder's size limit, and a restored folder gets its size limit back.</li>\n<li><strong>Tidy cleanup.</strong> A folder you remove while your buddy is offline has its copy removed once their server is back.</li>\n<li><strong>Respectful resumes.</strong> 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.</li>\n<li><strong>Stronger privacy between buddies.</strong> 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.</li>\n</ul>\n<hr>\n<h2>A smarter server setup</h2>\n<p>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. <a href=\"https://docs.hexos.com/getting-started/setup/CompleteSetup\">Read the setup guide</a>.</p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Tell HexOS what matters most.</strong> Choose <strong>Recommended</strong> and pick one goal: <strong>Most space</strong>, <strong>Balanced</strong>, or <strong>Most protection</strong>. HexOS designs your pools around it, choosing mirrors, RAIDZ1, RAIDZ2 or RAIDZ3 to fit your drives.</li>\n<li><strong>See the why before anything happens.</strong> 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 <strong>Edit</strong>, <strong>Rename</strong> or <strong>Remove</strong> it.</li>\n<li><strong>Smart drive grouping.</strong> 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.</li>\n<li><strong>Prefer to build it yourself?</strong> <strong>Custom</strong> 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.</li>\n<li><strong>Bring your pools with you.</strong> 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.</li>\n<li><strong>Keep what you have, or start fresh.</strong> 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. <a href=\"https://docs.hexos.com/getting-started/setup/start-fresh\">How starting fresh works</a>.</li>\n<li><strong>One last look.</strong> The <strong>Almost done!</strong> 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 <strong>Finish setup</strong>.</li>\n<li><strong>A safe first day.</strong> After setup, the <a href=\"https://docs.hexos.com/getting-started/setup/new-server-checklist\">new server checklist</a> runs a background <a href=\"https://docs.hexos.com/features/storage/deep-check\">deep check</a> on any previously used drives and offers a memory test before you copy your data in.</li>\n<li><strong>Your apps drive, backed up every night.</strong> 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. <a href=\"https://docs.hexos.com/features/storage/app-backups\">Learn about app backups</a>.</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Health &amp; Capabilities</h2>\n<p><a href=\"https://docs.hexos.com/features/health-and-capabilities\">Health &amp; Capabilities</a> is now available to everyone, with no beta badge.</p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Know your hardware at a glance.</strong> 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.</li>\n<li><strong>Every warning explains itself.</strong> When a card says <strong>Attention required</strong>, its panel always tells you why.</li>\n<li><strong>Your hardware data, your choice.</strong> 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.</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Drive Certification</h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Trust every drive before it holds your files.</strong> <a href=\"https://docs.hexos.com/features/storage/drive-certification\">Drive Certification</a> is now available to everyone. Test any new or used drive from its tile on the <strong>Storage</strong> screen, get a plain-language report, and choose a deeper test when you want more certainty.</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Memory testing</h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Test memory for everyone.</strong> <strong>Test memory</strong> no longer requires Expert mode.</li>\n<li><strong>Clearer storage lock.</strong> On a new server, storage stays locked until the memory test passes or you skip it. The notice now reads <strong>Storage locked: test memory</strong>, and the <strong>Memory</strong> card on your dashboard shows when storage is locked.</li>\n<li>In some cases, a memory test that ended sooner than its passes allow could look complete. It is now marked as not run.</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Apps drive recovery</h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Get your apps back when their drive fails.</strong> <a href=\"https://docs.hexos.com/features/storage/apps-drive-failed\">Apps drive recovery</a> 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.</li>\n<li>HexOS now verifies your apps storage before apps start and during recovery.</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>File browser</h2>\n<p>The right-click menu, drag and drop, and undo are now available to everyone. <a href=\"https://docs.hexos.com/features/file-browser\">Learn about the file browser</a>.</p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Right-click menu.</strong> Right-click a file or folder, or long-press on a tablet, to see every action available for your selection.</li>\n<li><strong>Drag and drop.</strong> Drag files onto a folder, or onto a folder in the path above, and choose <strong>Move here</strong> or <strong>Copy here</strong>.</li>\n<li><strong>Undo.</strong> Changed your mind? Undo a dropped move or copy.</li>\n<li><strong>Safer file changes.</strong> A rename or move never replaces a file someone just saved, and a copy never lands inside itself.</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>App card widgets</h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Live information on your dashboard.</strong> 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.</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Folder encryption</h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Recheck an unencrypted original.</strong> If you kept the unencrypted original after turning on encryption, <strong>Recheck</strong> compares every file, owner, permission and snapshot with the encrypted folder, and clears the unverified warning when they match.</li>\n<li>In some cases, an encryption conversion could fail on every retry after the folder's size limit changed. It now finishes.</li>\n<li>A folder being encrypted is now protected from changes however it is reached.</li>\n<li>The <strong>Recovery key needed</strong> window now always opens on top of the folder pane.</li>\n</ul>\n<hr>\n<h2>Design and reliability</h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>A cleaner, more consistent look.</strong> Every dialog now shares one design, with a single primary action that turns red when it is destructive.</li>\n<li><strong>Your achievements, your notifications.</strong> Achievement notifications can now be turned off from the <strong>Achievements</strong> page.</li>\n<li><strong>Stronger safeguards for your files.</strong> Download links serve only the file they were made for, and only once. Copies and uploads are always handed to the right owner.</li>\n<li>In some cases, the welcome dialog could open behind another dialog and freeze the page. It now waits until the other dialog closes.</li>\n<li>In some cases, a selected option in the memory test or size controls could clear itself. Your selection now stays put.</li>\n</ul>\n<p><strong>NOTE:</strong> 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 <a href=\"https://docs.hexos.com/troubleshooting/browser-cache\">here</a>.</p>\n",
      "date_published": "2026-10-09T20:00:00.000Z",
      "date_modified": "2026-10-09T20:00:00.000Z",
      "tags": [
        "release-notes"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://docs.hexos.com/release-notes/command-deck/2026-10-06",
      "url": "https://docs.hexos.com/release-notes/command-deck/2026-10-06",
      "title": "October 6, 2026 - Pool repair tools, Repair access for folders, and a date format setting",
      "summary": "Pool repair tools, Repair access for folders, and a date format setting",
      "content_html": "<p>Here is a summary of changes shipped since our <a href=\"https://docs.hexos.com/release-notes/command-deck/2026-10-02\">last update</a>.</p>\n<h2>Storage</h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>One-click Repair for damaged files.</strong> When ZFS reports data errors, Command Deck now identifies the affected files and offers a <strong>Repair</strong> action that removes them. For damaged TrueNAS catalog files, the repair targets only catalog data: no user files are involved, and the catalog rebuilds on its own.</li>\n<li><strong>Check pool and Reset error count.</strong> Two new pool actions let you verify a pool's integrity after a repair and clear the error count once the issue is resolved. If a repair cannot proceed, the reason is explained.</li>\n<li><strong>Missing apps drive screen.</strong> When the drive holding your apps goes missing after a restart, a dedicated screen shows the drive to look for and offers a <strong>Shut down server</strong> button so you can check the connection safely. If a restart does not bring the drive back, a warning explains the next step.</li>\n<li>A missing pool drive now shows its serial number, model and size, so you can identify which physical drive needs attention.</li>\n<li>In some cases, a restore or pool move that stopped on an unreadable block did not record the damage. The affected folder's damage is now tracked and surfaced.</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Folders</h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Repair access.</strong> After a pool rebuild or restore, a folder's network accounts can lose effective access: the share connects, but files appear empty or show &quot;Permission denied.&quot; Saving the folder now repairs its own directory. For deeper issues across many files, a new <strong>Repair access</strong> action scans every file and restores the correct permissions, with progress shown in real time.</li>\n<li>In some cases, reopening the Edit Folder dialog after a save showed each user's access as it was first loaded. Saving from it could revert a recent change. The dialog now reflects the current access levels.</li>\n<li>In some cases, share permissions left behind by deleted local accounts could prevent TrueNAS 24.10 from reading the share. Saving the folder now cleans up those stale entries.</li>\n<li>The <strong>Lock</strong> tile no longer appears for shares that unlock with another dataset's key.</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Folder encryption</h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Smarter space estimates.</strong> The Turn on encryption dialog now shows only the space the conversion needs, not the pool's total headroom. On large pools, the estimate is dramatically more accurate.</li>\n<li><strong>More reliable conversions.</strong> File-by-file encryption now moves files in batches that fit the available space and handles folders near their size limits without running out of quota. Dangling symlinks no longer stop a conversion. Failed moves that have not transferred any files can be discarded, and every blocker now explains what it is and what to do next.</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Apps</h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Secrets preserved during updates.</strong> App updates now keep live passwords, keys, and environment secrets that the install script would otherwise regenerate. Update logs mask sensitive values.</li>\n<li>In some cases, a failed app upgrade continued to appear at the top of the app's detail pane after the app upgraded successfully. The failure now clears once the upgrade completes.</li>\n<li>In some cases, a run-once app action could not run again after reinstalling the app. Run-once actions now reset on reinstall.</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Date format</h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Choose how dates appear.</strong> A new setting beside the temperature unit lets you choose how dates are displayed throughout Command Deck. Every date, timestamp, and relative-time label follows the format you pick.</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Dashboard and file browser</h2>\n<ul>\n<li>The <strong>Backups</strong> section on the dashboard can now be hidden from its own menu or from <strong>Customize dashboard</strong>.</li>\n<li>File browser delete, rename and move no longer affect shared folders, nested datasets, or paths outside the selected folder. Shared folders nested inside other shared folders are protected from accidental changes.</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Reliability</h2>\n<ul>\n<li>In some cases, error messages from the server were replaced by a generic offline page on <a href=\"http://deck.hexos.com\">deck.hexos.com</a>. Server errors now reach Command Deck with their specific message.</li>\n<li>A server caught in a restart loop now names the cause and links to a troubleshooting guide.</li>\n<li>In some cases, a server installed from a legacy BIOS boot could not run the memory test. Command Deck now explains why and describes the path to UEFI, where the full test is available.</li>\n</ul>\n<p><strong>NOTE:</strong> 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 <a href=\"https://docs.hexos.com/troubleshooting/browser-cache\">here</a>.</p>\n",
      "date_published": "2026-10-06T20:00:00.000Z",
      "date_modified": "2026-10-06T20:00:00.000Z",
      "tags": [
        "release-notes"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://docs.hexos.com/release-notes/command-deck/2026-10-02",
      "url": "https://docs.hexos.com/release-notes/command-deck/2026-10-02",
      "title": "October 2, 2026 - Clearer storage health, folder encryption improvements, and achievements",
      "summary": "Clearer storage health, folder encryption improvements, and achievements",
      "content_html": "<p>Here is a summary of changes included in this update since our <a href=\"https://docs.hexos.com/release-notes/command-deck/2026-09-29\">last update</a>.</p>\n<h2>Storage</h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Clearer warnings before risky actions.</strong> Before replacing a drive, restarting, shutting down, or updating your server, Command Deck explains when a pool has lost its protection or is rebuilding. Actions that require acknowledging a risk now ask you to confirm that you understand it.</li>\n<li><strong>Know why a pool needs attention.</strong> Pool cards now explain when a pool has stopped serving data or has errors. Drive read and write errors remain visible after a restart until a clean scrub or a replacement resolves them. New notifications help you spot failing drives and damaged pool data.</li>\n<li><strong>More useful storage details.</strong> Updated pool cards and info panels make capacity, drive roles, and pool usage easier to read, with clearer controls for managing hot spares.</li>\n<li>In some cases, a running RAIDZ expansion did not appear in Command Deck. Expansion activity and progress now follow the state reported by TrueNAS.</li>\n<li>In some cases, SAS drives triggered overheating alerts in TrueNAS at normal operating temperatures. HexOS now filters those low-threshold alerts and checks drive temperatures against its own limits.</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Folders</h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Encrypt folders that contain app datasets.</strong> Encryption can now include datasets inside a folder, such as those created by photo and document apps. HexOS verifies the complete dataset tree and its snapshots before switching to the encrypted copy.</li>\n<li><strong>Clearer encryption guidance.</strong> Folder actions and app actions that could interfere with an encryption conversion are temporarily unavailable, with an explanation of why. The file browser also pauses access during a file-by-file move. If a conversion cannot switch over, the error includes more detail about what is holding the folder open.</li>\n<li><strong>See which apps use a folder.</strong> A new <strong>Used by</strong> card lists the apps using a folder, including stopped apps, and links to their details.</li>\n<li><strong>Faster folder loading.</strong> Folder lists now avoid unnecessary TrueNAS lookups. Editing folders and deleting users also require fewer permission lookups on older TrueNAS versions.</li>\n<li>In some cases, users denied access through TrueNAS share permissions still appeared to have access in HexOS, and saving the folder could turn that denial into an allow. Command Deck now respects those denials when showing and saving folder access.</li>\n<li>In some cases, trying to encrypt a share inside another dataset returned a generic retry message. The warning now explains the parent dataset's role and only suggests encrypting the parent when it is a HexOS folder.</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Achievements</h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Celebrate your progress.</strong> Achievements are now available to everyone. Open <strong>Achievements</strong> from your account menu to see the milestones you have earned, track your progress toward the next ones, and see how rare each achievement is across the HexOS community.</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Apps and reliability</h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Consistent app details.</strong> App info panels now use the same layout whether you open them from the dashboard, the installed apps list, or the <strong>Apps</strong> tab.</li>\n<li><strong>Smoother controls.</strong> Buttons, tabs, collapsible sections, and checkboxes now have quick transitions that make interactions feel more responsive.</li>\n</ul>\n<p><strong>NOTE:</strong> 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 <a href=\"https://docs.hexos.com/troubleshooting/browser-cache\">here</a>.</p>\n",
      "date_published": "2026-10-02T20:00:00.000Z",
      "date_modified": "2026-10-02T20:00:00.000Z",
      "tags": [
        "release-notes"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://docs.hexos.com/release-notes/command-deck/2026-09-29",
      "url": "https://docs.hexos.com/release-notes/command-deck/2026-09-29",
      "title": "September 29, 2026 - Managed folder encryption and recovery keys",
      "summary": "Managed folder encryption and recovery keys",
      "content_html": "<p>Here is a summary of changes shipped since our <a href=\"https://docs.hexos.com/release-notes/command-deck/2026-09-27\">last update</a>.</p>\n<h2>Folder encryption</h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Managed folder encryption.</strong> Folders can now be encrypted with an autogenerated key that HexOS manages for you. The key is stored securely with your HexOS account, so your folders unlock automatically when your server restarts, and you have nothing to remember. Passphrase encryption is still available for anyone who prefers it.</li>\n<li><strong>Turn on encryption for existing folders.</strong> If you have folders that were created without encryption, you can now turn it on from the folder's page. HexOS handles the conversion: it creates an encrypted copy of your data, verifies every file, swaps the folder into place, and removes the unencrypted original only after everything checks out. Your data is protected at rest from that point on, and the folder becomes eligible for Buddy Backup. Encryption is a one-way change: if you need an unencrypted copy later, create a new folder and transfer the files from the file browser.</li>\n<li><strong>Per-server recovery keys.</strong> Each server gets its own recovery key, a short code that protects every managed folder key on it. By default, HexOS keeps the recovery key for you (&quot;Managed&quot;). If you prefer end-to-end encryption where HexOS holds nothing that can open your data, choose <strong>End-to-end encryption</strong> in <strong>Settings &gt; Recovery key</strong> and save the key yourself. An <strong>Emergency kit</strong> button downloads a branded PDF with your key and instructions for using it. The key can be rotated or handed back to HexOS at any time.</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Storage</h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Grow a pool with bigger drives.</strong> You can now add or swap in a drive that is larger than the others in a pool. Pick one and the dialog explains what you get: <strong>You can use this disk, but some capacity won't be available until all disks are replaced with larger ones.</strong> To unlock the full capacity, replace each drive one at a time. After the last replacement finishes, HexOS expands the pool on its own: the Activity Center shows <strong>Growing pool into its bigger drives</strong> and then <strong>Pool grown to use its bigger drives</strong>, with no action needed from you. <a href=\"https://docs.hexos.com/features/storage#using-drives-of-different-sizes\">Learn about using drives of different sizes.</a></li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Settings</h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>System folder locations are easier to manage.</strong> Each location's <strong>Used by</strong> list now shows exactly which apps and VMs use it, and only those block a change. A location is always a folder inside a pool, and one saved as a whole pool on an earlier version shows a notice so it can be moved to a folder. Changing a location only changes where new files go: nothing is moved or deleted.</li>\n</ul>\n<hr>\n<h2>Beta feature updates</h2>\n<blockquote class=\"is-info\">\n<p><strong>Virtual Machines and Buddy Backup are in public beta.</strong> Both features are rolling out to everyone, first in small batches and then in larger ones as we monitor for any scaling issues. Both keep their Beta label until they leave beta on November 27. The updates below are for our current beta participants. Everyone else will get them as the rollout reaches their server.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<h3>Virtual Machines</h3>\n<p>Virtual Machines let you run Windows, Linux or an appliance like Home Assistant directly on your server, with a hands-off installation that sets up your account and installs the apps you choose before you ever sign in. <a href=\"https://docs.hexos.com/blog/2026-09-23\">Read the full announcement.</a></p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Slow Network Mode.</strong> A new toggle in the console's <strong>More</strong> menu asks the guest to drop its animations and wallpaper, so a remote Windows desktop uses a fraction of the bandwidth. Measured on a Windows 11 guest: opening the Start menu went from 3.2 MB of screen updates to 0.8 MB, and dragging a window went from 5.7 MB to 40 KB.</li>\n<li><strong>Ctrl+Shift+Esc in the console toolbar.</strong> A Windows guest's Task Manager can now be opened from the console with one click, since the key combination is normally caught by the viewer's own machine.</li>\n</ul>\n<h3>Buddy Backup</h3>\n<p>Buddy Backup lets you back up folders from one HexOS server to another, whether it is a second server you own or a friend's server across the internet, with end-to-end encryption over a private mesh network. <a href=\"https://docs.hexos.com/blog/2026-09-09\">Read the full announcement.</a></p>\n<ul>\n<li>The <strong>Backups</strong> section on the dashboard now loads only the server you are looking at, so it appears right away even if you have backups on several servers.</li>\n<li><strong>Recover backups onto a new server.</strong> If you replace a server, a <strong>Recover</strong> button on the <strong>Backups</strong> page lets you pick a connection that belonged to the old server and restore your folders onto the new one. For managed keys, the restore continues on its own while you are signed in. For a self-managed recovery key, you are asked for it once.</li>\n<li><strong>Move where a backup is stored.</strong> A donor can move a hosted backup to another of their own servers from the connection's <strong>Change server</strong> action. The backup moves with all of its restore points, verified snapshot by snapshot, and the owner of the data sees no interruption.</li>\n</ul>\n<hr>\n<p><strong>NOTE:</strong> 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 <a href=\"https://docs.hexos.com/troubleshooting/browser-cache\">here</a>.</p>\n",
      "date_published": "2026-09-29T20:00:00.000Z",
      "date_modified": "2026-09-29T20:00:00.000Z",
      "tags": [
        "release-notes"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://docs.hexos.com/release-notes/command-deck/2026-09-27",
      "url": "https://docs.hexos.com/release-notes/command-deck/2026-09-27",
      "title": "September 27, 2026 - Public beta for Virtual Machines and Buddy Backup, restart history, and protected app data",
      "summary": "Public beta for Virtual Machines and Buddy Backup, restart history, and protected app data",
      "content_html": "<p>Here is a summary of changes shipped since our <a href=\"https://docs.hexos.com/release-notes/command-deck/2026-09-18\">last update</a>.</p>\n<h2>Servers</h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>See when your server last restarted.</strong> The <strong>Activity</strong> page now shows when your server last restarted. A <strong>Restart history</strong> button beside <strong>Archive</strong> opens the full log, including restarts from the power button, from TrueNAS, or after a power cut.</li>\n<li><strong>Clearer answers when a server is unavailable.</strong> Every screen that stands in for a page now shares one layout that tells you what is happening and what to do next. When a server is not answering, Command Deck tells you right away, and any section that cannot load offers <strong>Try again</strong>.</li>\n<li><strong>Know when TrueNAS needs attention.</strong> When the HexOS app on your server is running but TrueNAS has stopped responding to it, the server list shows <strong>TrueNAS not responding</strong> and the unavailable page walks you through recovery. HexOS also recognizes common causes, such as the TrueNAS <strong>Allowed IP Addresses</strong> setting or a TrueNAS version with a known connection issue, and tells you exactly what to change.</li>\n<li>On your local Command Deck, a banner lets you know when online services are reconnecting or when your server is still starting up.</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Apps</h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>App data stays protected.</strong> When you reinstall an app with <strong>Start clean</strong>, or uninstall it and delete its data, HexOS keeps any folder that another installed app or a network share uses. The reinstall dialog tells you exactly which apps and shares are using it.</li>\n<li>Your installed apps stay listed even when your server cannot reach HexOS.</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Storage and folders</h2>\n<ul>\n<li>When a folder cannot be unlocked, the unlock dialog now tells you why.</li>\n<li>Creating or expanding a pool, replacing a drive, and adding a hot spare now wait until any drive being formatted has finished.</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Network</h2>\n<ul>\n<li>When one of your server's DNS servers stops answering, HexOS now sends you a notice naming it, and your DNS settings stay exactly as you set them.</li>\n<li><strong>A more helpful DNS rebind warning.</strong> The warning appears only after HexOS confirms your router is blocking local access, and only on devices that cannot reach your server locally. It explains the fix in your router settings, stays dismissed once you close it, and a <strong>Check connection</strong> button confirms your change right away. <a href=\"https://docs.hexos.com/troubleshooting/dns-rebind-protection\">Learn more about DNS rebind protection</a>.</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Sign-in</h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Signing in is faster and works with more browser extensions and privacy settings.</li>\n</ul>\n<hr>\n<h2>Beta feature updates</h2>\n<blockquote class=\"is-info\">\n<p><strong>Virtual Machines and Buddy Backup are moving to public beta.</strong> Thank you to everyone in the private beta for helping us test. Beta signups are now closed, and starting the week of September 28 both features begin rolling out to everyone, first in small batches and then in larger ones as we monitor for any scaling issues. Both keep their Beta label until they leave beta on November 27. The updates below are for our current beta participants. Everyone else will get them as the rollout reaches their server.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<h3>Virtual Machines</h3>\n<p>Virtual Machines let you run Windows, Linux or an appliance like Home Assistant directly on your server, with a hands-off installation that sets up your account and installs the apps you choose before you ever sign in. <a href=\"https://docs.hexos.com/blog/2026-09-23\">Read the full announcement.</a></p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Use the VM console from your phone.</strong> The console now supports touch input, a soft keyboard, pinch-to-zoom up to 4x, and a key strip with Esc, Tab, arrows, function keys and sticky modifiers. A trackpad mode is available for targets smaller than a fingertip, and the console adapts its layout to phone-width screens with a collapsible menu.</li>\n<li><strong>Attach and swap ISOs on an existing VM.</strong> The Disks tab now lists a VM's disc drives with Remove and Eject actions. Attach ISO is available beside Add Disk, and ISOs can be inserted into a running VM without a restart.</li>\n<li><strong>Power controls where you need them.</strong> A Power menu in the console toolbar lets you shut down, restart or force power off without leaving the session, and a Reboot option is available in the VM details Power menu.</li>\n<li><strong>Clear minimum requirements.</strong> VMs need 4 CPU cores, 8 GB of RAM and 32 GB of free storage. When a server falls short, the VMs page lists each requirement next to what HexOS detected, and the setup hardware scan warns about CPU or memory.</li>\n<li><strong>Device discovery and IPv6 in your VMs.</strong> VMs now receive the network discovery traffic that Home Assistant and similar software rely on, such as mDNS and Matter, along with IPv6 addresses.</li>\n</ul>\n<h3>Buddy Backup</h3>\n<p>Buddy Backup lets you back up folders from one HexOS server to another, whether it is a second server you own or a friend's server across the internet, with end-to-end encryption over a private mesh network. <a href=\"https://docs.hexos.com/blog/2026-09-09\">Read the full announcement.</a></p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Detect and repair damaged backups.</strong> If a drive problem on your buddy's server leaves part of a backup unreadable, HexOS lets you both know, marks the affected folder and restore points as <strong>Damaged</strong>, and offers <strong>Repair backup</strong> to send a fresh copy once their storage is healthy.</li>\n<li><strong>Hourly schedule for your own servers.</strong> Backups between two servers you own can now run hourly for a tighter recovery window.</li>\n<li><strong>Interrupted backups resume automatically.</strong> When a server restart interrupts a backup, it picks up where it stopped.</li>\n<li><strong>Stopping a backup keeps your progress.</strong> A backup you stop stays stopped, even through a server restart, and the next run continues from the last completed backup.</li>\n<li><strong>Offline buddies are put on hold.</strong> When your backup partner's server goes offline, the backup waits and resumes on its own when the connection returns.</li>\n<li><strong>Stall detection.</strong> A transfer whose progress stops moving for ten minutes is flagged as stalled, with a suggested next step.</li>\n<li><strong>Safer connection removal.</strong> Removing a connection clearly states that every restore point it holds is permanently deleted, points to pause as the reversible alternative, and asks you to confirm with a checkbox.</li>\n<li><strong>Clearer storage messages.</strong> When a backup needs more space than is available, the notification shows exactly how much is needed and how much is free.</li>\n<li><strong>Accepted request notification.</strong> When someone accepts your backup request, you receive a notification on your server.</li>\n<li><strong>A smarter folder picker.</strong> Whether you are setting up a backup or adding folders to one, HexOS keeps you from choosing a folder that is inside, or contains, a folder already in the backup, so nothing is backed up twice. The folder picker also scrolls smoothly on touchscreens.</li>\n<li><strong>The backup map shows partial connections.</strong> A server whose HexOS app is connected while its TrueNAS link is not shows as <strong>Partly connected</strong> on the backup map, matching the server list. Screen readers now name each card and line on the map, and a keyboard can open a card.</li>\n</ul>\n<hr>\n<p><strong>NOTE:</strong> 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 <a href=\"https://docs.hexos.com/troubleshooting/browser-cache\">here</a>.</p>\n",
      "date_published": "2026-09-27T20:00:00.000Z",
      "date_modified": "2026-09-27T20:00:00.000Z",
      "tags": [
        "release-notes"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://docs.hexos.com/blog/2026-09-23",
      "url": "https://docs.hexos.com/blog/2026-09-23",
      "title": "HexOS VM Beta Has Begun",
      "summary": "Virtual Machines are now in beta on HexOS. Run a full Windows or Linux desktop, a home lab, or appliances like Home Assistant on your server, with apps preinstalled and setup handled for you. Join the beta or share the news.",
      "content_html": "<p>Your HexOS server just learned a new trick. It can now run entire computers inside itself.</p>\n<p>That's what a virtual machine is: a complete, separate computer with its own operating system, running on your server's hardware alongside your storage and your apps. It can be Windows. It can be Linux. It can be a purpose-built appliance like Home Assistant. And it gets the same HexOS treatment as everything else: pick what you want, answer a few questions, and let the server do the rest.</p>\n<p>Virtual Machines are in beta today, rolling out automatically to everyone over the next few weeks, and they lose the Beta tag alongside Buddy Backup on Black Friday.</p>\n<p><img src=\"https://docs.hexos.com/blog/1-vms-main-page.png\" alt=\"1-vms-main-page.png\" class=\"medium framed\"></p>\n<h2>Why would I want one?</h2>\n<p>There are more uses for a VM than we could list, but here are a few of our favorites to get you thinking.</p>\n<p><strong>Your server can also be your desktop.</strong> Set up Windows 11 or a friendly Linux desktop like Mint or Zorin, and you've got a full PC living on your server that you can reach from any computer on your home network. Prefer to game? Bazzite and SteamOS are on the menu. And because the desktop is its own computer, you can reboot it whenever you like. HexOS keeps running, your files stay reachable, and your apps stay up while the desktop comes back.</p>\n<p><strong>A lab you're allowed to break.</strong> If you tinker, you know the feeling of wanting to try something without risking the machine you rely on. Spin up that Linux distro you keep hearing about before you commit your laptop to it. Keep a few test environments around for different operating systems and browsers. Stand up an enterprise platform at home to learn it for work. When you're done, delete it and start over.</p>\n<p><strong>Virtual appliances.</strong> Some applications are built to be delivered as a complete virtual machine rather than as a standard app, and they work better that way. Think of the VM as the packaging: instead of installing the app, you install a small, purpose-built computer that has the app already inside it. Home Assistant OS is the headline example, with the complete, feature-rich version rather than the more limited app edition. OpenWrt is here for people who want to run their own router software. Game-server platforms like CubeCoders AMP3 fit the same mold. And soon there will be a dedicated media server VM for Plex and Jellyfin built around older graphics cards, so a GTX 10-series card you've had in a drawer can go back to work transcoding your media.</p>\n<h2>Setting one up</h2>\n<p>Here's the whole flow for Windows 11. Other operating systems are similar, and appliances skip most of it.</p>\n<p><strong>Name it and point at the installer.</strong> For Windows, you paste a download link from Microsoft's official page and your server fetches the installation media directly. You can also supply your own installation media file.</p>\n<p><img src=\"https://docs.hexos.com/blog/2-vms-win11-vm-details-b.png\" alt=\"2-vms-win11-vm-details.png\" class=\"medium framed\"></p>\n<p><strong>Create your login.</strong> Pick a username and password. This is the account you'll sign into the first time; you can add others inside the VM later. On Windows, this is a local account, and you can sign in with a Microsoft account afterward if you prefer.</p>\n<p><img src=\"https://docs.hexos.com/blog/3-vms-win11-account-b.png\" alt=\"3-vms-win11-account-b.png\" class=\"medium framed\"></p>\n<p><strong>Pick your apps.</strong> This is the part we're most excited about. Tick the boxes for the software you want, and it will already be installed when you first sign in. Browsers like Chrome, Firefox, and Brave. Discord, Slack, Signal, Zoom. Spotify, VLC, OBS. LibreOffice, Steam, VS Code, and more. The same list works for Windows and Linux desktops, and it's growing.</p>\n<p><img src=\"https://docs.hexos.com/blog/4-vms-win11-apps.png\" alt=\"4-vms-win11-apps.png\" class=\"medium framed\"></p>\n<p><strong>Storage.</strong> HexOS proposes a sensible install disk on your fastest pool. You can change the size or the pool, and you can add extra disks on whatever pool makes sense. The install disk can always be grown later.</p>\n<p><img src=\"https://docs.hexos.com/blog/5-vms-win11-storage.png\" alt=\"5-vms-win11-storage.png\" class=\"medium framed\"></p>\n<p><strong>Resources.</strong> Two sliders for processor cores and memory. HexOS shows you what's reserved for itself, what your other apps and VMs are already using, and where the sweet spot is for this particular operating system. If you'd rather not think about it, press Set recommended.</p>\n<p><img src=\"https://docs.hexos.com/blog/6-vms-win11-resources.png\" alt=\"6-vms-win11-resources.png\" class=\"medium framed\"></p>\n<p><strong>Review and create.</strong> Then walk away.</p>\n<p><img src=\"https://docs.hexos.com/blog/7-vms-win11-review.png\" alt=\"7-vms-win11-review.png\" class=\"medium framed\"></p>\n<h2>What happens next</h2>\n<p>This is where a HexOS virtual machine differs from every other VM you may have tried.</p>\n<p>HexOS writes a custom, hands-off installation script for your VM on the spot. It installs the operating system, loads the drivers a virtual machine needs to run well, sets up your account, enables Remote Desktop on Windows, and installs every app you selected. You never click through a setup screen. You don't get shown the VM at all until it's completely finished, so nothing can interrupt the process. When it's ready, you sign in to a computer that's already set up the way you asked.</p>\n<p><img src=\"https://docs.hexos.com/blog/8-win11-installing.png\" alt=\"8-win11-installing.png\" class=\"medium framed\"></p>\n<p>One note on Windows: HexOS installs it and gets it ready to use, but activation is up to you. Enter your own Windows license inside the VM whenever you're ready, exactly as you would on any new PC.</p>\n<h2>Connecting and keeping an eye on it</h2>\n<p>Every VM gets a Connect button, and HexOS picks the right door for each kind. Windows offers a Remote Desktop session or a built-in console. Linux desktops and servers get the console. Home Assistant and OpenWrt open straight to their own web interface, with the console available as a backup. For now, console access works from devices on the same network as your server.</p>\n<p><img src=\"https://docs.hexos.com/blog/9-win11-connecting-b.png\" alt=\"9-win11-connecting.png\" class=\"medium framed\"></p>\n<p>That built-in console deserves a word of its own. It's based on SPICE, an open-source project for viewing virtual machines in a browser, and our own Eric Schultz has spent the past month rebuilding large parts of it. Smooth video streaming in the console, audio that plays reliably, touch and trackpad support so you can drive a VM from a phone or tablet, fixes for keyboard quirks like Num Lock and international layouts, faster drawing, and a long list of stability improvements. The best part is that this work is going back to the SPICE project itself, with nineteen of those changes already accepted upstream and more on the way, so everyone who uses SPICE benefits, not only HexOS users.</p>\n<p>The VM's info panel gives you a live preview thumbnail, its IP address, and real-time CPU, memory, network, and disk activity, so you can see what a VM is doing without connecting to it. It also shows the address to paste inside the VM to reach your server's folders, so getting your new desktop connected to your storage is a copy-and-paste job.</p>\n<p><img src=\"https://docs.hexos.com/blog/10-win11-info-panel-live-metrics.png\" alt=\"10-win11-info-panel-live-metrics.png\" class=\"medium framed\"></p>\n<p>Nothing you chose in the wizard is locked in. Open the Resources tab to give a VM more cores or memory. Open Disks to grow the install disk, and on Windows, HexOS extends the partition for you so the extra space just appears. Power, Rename, and Uninstall are right there too.</p>\n<p><img src=\"https://docs.hexos.com/blog/11-win11-change-resources.png\" alt=\"11-win11-change-resources.png\" class=\"medium framed\"></p>\n<h2>What's on the menu</h2>\n<p>Browse categories and you'll find three groups.</p>\n<p><strong>Desktops:</strong> Windows 11 Pro, Windows 10 Pro, Ubuntu Desktop, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, Zorin OS, Fedora Workstation, Fedora KDE Plasma, openSUSE Leap, CachyOS, Bazzite, SteamOS, and Omarchy.</p>\n<p><strong>Servers:</strong> Ubuntu Server, Debian, Fedora, Fedora CoreOS, Flatcar, Rocky Linux, and AlmaLinux, in current and previous versions.</p>\n<p><strong>Appliances:</strong> Home Assistant OS and OpenWrt.  More are coming!</p>\n<p>If what you want isn't listed, Custom VM lets you bring your own installation media and set it up yourself.</p>\n<h2>Coming during the beta</h2>\n<p>A few things will arrive before the Beta tag comes off: assigning a graphics card or USB device directly to a VM (so your server-desktop can drive a monitor and peripherals, and the media server VM can use that older GPU). We'll share more as each one lands.</p>\n<h2>Try it, or tell someone</h2>\n<p>If you'd like to help test, <a href=\"https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfDWcQzKR6wnGHV8lKNQhZH8DmSAuXIIXsgmK4BpswLJg36LA/viewform\">sign up for the beta here</a>. Otherwise, everyone will get Virtual Machines automatically over the coming weeks.</p>\n<p>And if you're as excited about this as we are, the best thing you can do for a small team is share it. Post it, send it to a friend who's been thinking about a home server, and tell them what you plan to run on yours.</p>\n",
      "date_published": "2026-09-23T18:20:48.432Z",
      "date_modified": "2026-09-23T18:21:53.837Z",
      "tags": [
        "blog",
        "beta",
        "vms",
        "passthrough"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://docs.hexos.com/release-notes/command-deck/2026-09-18",
      "url": "https://docs.hexos.com/release-notes/command-deck/2026-09-18",
      "title": "September 18, 2026 - A clearer walk through multi-step screens",
      "summary": "A clearer walk through multi-step screens",
      "content_html": "<p>Here is a summary of changes shipped since our <a href=\"https://docs.hexos.com/release-notes/command-deck/2026-09-17\">last update</a>.</p>\n<h2>Multi-step screens</h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Creating a pool, expanding a pool, creating or editing a folder, installing a custom app, and burning an ISO to a USB drive now walk the same way: one named step at a time with a progress bar across the top, and <strong>Continue</strong> ready as soon as the step is complete.</li>\n<li>Every one of these flows ends on a review of your choices, laid out on cards. Each card now has an edit control that opens that step right where you are and brings you back to the review when you are done, so changing one answer at the end no longer means walking back through the whole screen.</li>\n<li>Screens that ask you to confirm something you cannot undo now state what will happen in one line you check off, in the same place every time.</li>\n<li>Dialogs now fit what is in them. A short form no longer stretches to fill a fixed height, and the multi-step screens have more room for the review cards.</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Mobile</h2>\n<ul>\n<li>On a phone, a multi-step screen opens full screen with its heading and content at the top, while a single-step dialog slides up from the bottom. Dialogs opened from inside another dialog now open full screen as well, instead of stacking.</li>\n</ul>\n<p><strong>NOTE:</strong> 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 <a href=\"https://docs.hexos.com/troubleshooting/browser-cache\">here</a>.</p>\n",
      "date_published": "2026-09-18T20:00:00.000Z",
      "date_modified": "2026-09-18T20:00:00.000Z",
      "tags": [
        "release-notes"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://docs.hexos.com/release-notes/command-deck/2026-09-17",
      "url": "https://docs.hexos.com/release-notes/command-deck/2026-09-17",
      "title": "September 17, 2026 - Multiple authenticators, folder and app fixes, and server reliability",
      "summary": "Multiple authenticators, folder and app fixes, and server reliability",
      "content_html": "<p>Here is a summary of changes shipped since our <a href=\"https://docs.hexos.com/release-notes/command-deck/2026-09-03\">last product update</a>.</p>\n<h2>Account security</h2>\n<ul>\n<li>You can now enroll more than one authenticator app on your HexOS account from the <strong>Security</strong> pane. Each authenticator gets a device name so you can tell them apart, and <strong>Make primary</strong> lets you choose which one confirms sensitive changes.</li>\n<li>In some cases, accounts with more than one authenticator could not change their password: a code from any authenticator other than the oldest one was rejected as incorrect. Password changes now verify against your primary authenticator, and the error message explains what to do if a code is rejected.</li>\n<li>The password form now asks for your verification code up front when an authenticator is enrolled, instead of reporting a wrong password after the fact.</li>\n<li>Password managers such as 1Password and LastPass no longer offer to save folder encryption passphrases, unlock passphrases, or TrueNAS user passwords. Your HexOS login is still offered for saving as usual.</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Folders</h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Folder sizes now reflect the files in the folder. Space still held by restore points is shown separately on the folder page, and sizes refresh shortly after you copy, move, delete, or upload files. Previously, a folder could report the same size after a large delete because restore points still held the deleted files.</li>\n<li>In some cases, editing a folder that contained a TrueNAS app's data failed with a generic error, even for a change as small as a quota. These edits now succeed, and when app data does conflict with folder permissions, the message explains the conflict.</li>\n<li>In some cases, a folder edit that failed partway left the folder's network share switched off with nothing on screen to explain it. The share now comes back online whenever it is safe to do so.</li>\n<li>The folder encryption help link now opens the correct section of the documentation.</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Apps</h2>\n<ul>\n<li>The dashboard now shows the name you gave a TrueNAS catalog app when you installed it, instead of the catalog's default title. Apps installed under their default name are unchanged.</li>\n<li>In some cases, an app install or update failed with a message about a missing folder when the real cause was a damaged app catalog on the server. Command Deck now names the cause, repairs the catalog automatically, and keeps a copy of the damaged one aside.</li>\n<li>The <strong>Update all</strong> confirmation now shows the app version and the TrueNAS catalog version side by side with arrows, and marks a version that is not changing as unchanged.</li>\n<li>App update cards now show the day each update was found in your server's timezone and in your locale's date format. Duplicate cards for the same day are folded together, dismissed cards no longer come back on their own, and only the newest update card is pinned above other messages so a critical alert is never pushed down the list.</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Storage</h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Pools created in TrueNAS with layouts HexOS does not build itself, such as dRAID or pools with cache, log, or special devices, are now described accurately. A distributed spare taking over no longer appears as a removed drive, a layout HexOS does not recognize reads as &quot;Layout not recognized&quot; rather than as unprotected, and a hot spare covering a special or log mirror is now promoted like any other spare.</li>\n<li>In some cases, a pool whose root dataset is mounted somewhere other than the default location showed a blank capacity card. Capacity is now read directly from the pool.</li>\n<li>Drives that report themselves as failing are no longer offered or accepted as hot spares.</li>\n<li>In some cases, a drive much smaller than a pool's members could be offered as a hot spare for a degraded pool. Hot spare sizing now considers only the pool's data drives.</li>\n<li>When a drive cannot be used as a hot spare, Command Deck now tells you why: the drive is failing, it is the wrong type, it is too small, or the pool layout does not support spares.</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>TrueNAS updates</h2>\n<ul>\n<li>New TrueNAS stable releases now appear in Command Deck once the HexOS team has verified them, rather than the moment TrueNAS publishes them. Releases already verified continue to be offered as before.</li>\n<li>In some cases, servers running a TrueNAS pre-release were not offered newer pre-releases on the same train. They are now.</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Memory testing</h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Memory testing is now available on servers running as virtual machines. The confirmation dialog explains that the test covers the memory assigned to the virtual machine rather than the host's physical RAM.</li>\n<li>In some cases, the green <strong>PASS</strong> banner appeared after the first clean pass. Anyone reading it as the end of the test pressed Esc and returned to a run that HexOS reported as cut short. The banner now appears only once the final pass completes.</li>\n<li>A memory test no longer starts while long-running work that its reboot would interrupt is in progress, and that work waits while a memory test reboot is pending.</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>File browser</h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Pressing Enter in the <strong>New folder</strong> or <strong>Rename</strong> dialog no longer opens a second, empty dialog after completing the action.</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Setup and recovery</h2>\n<ul>\n<li>In some cases, when a server rebooted and its drives took a while to appear, automatic recovery could move the app configuration to a different pool and hide your installed apps. Recovery now waits for the original pool to come back and shows why it is waiting.</li>\n<li>The hosted mode and reconnect banners no longer appear over the setup wizard, where neither had anywhere to send you.</li>\n</ul>\n<p><strong>NOTE:</strong> 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 <a href=\"https://docs.hexos.com/troubleshooting/browser-cache\">here</a>.</p>\n",
      "date_published": "2026-09-17T15:51:21.078Z",
      "date_modified": "2026-09-17T16:43:28.525Z",
      "tags": [
        "release-notes"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://docs.hexos.com/blog/2026-09-09",
      "url": "https://docs.hexos.com/blog/2026-09-09",
      "title": "Buddy Backups:  Now in Beta",
      "summary": "Buddy Backup is now in beta: back up your HexOS server to a friend's, fully encrypted, with no monthly cloud storage bills. Learn how it works, what your buddy can (and can't) see, and how to join the rollout.",
      "content_html": "<p><em>Offsite backups without the cloud bill, powered by the people you trust.</em></p>\n<video controls playsinline preload=\"metadata\" width=\"1686\" height=\"1042\" style=\"display:block; width:100%; max-width:1000px; height:auto; margin:1rem auto; border-radius:7px; box-shadow:0 2px 8px 0 rgba(0,0,0,.12);\">\n  <source src=\"https://docs.hexos.com/videos/buddy-backup-demo-video.mp4\" type=\"video/mp4\">\n</video>\n<p>There's a moment every home server owner eventually has. You've got your photos, your projects, your family's digital life all safely stored on your own hardware, protected against a drive failure, running without a problem. And then you wonder: <em>but what if something happens to the whole server?</em> Natural disasters or horrible mishaps: a fire, a flood, a drop down the stairs mid-move, or a toddler lovingly pouring a juice box into the chassis. All your redundancy lives in one box, in one building.</p>\n<p>The traditional answer is to rent space from a cloud storage company and pay them every month, forever, based on how much data you have. Which is a strange ending to the self-hosting story, isn't it? You built your own server to get away from renting your digital life from someone else, and then the industry tells you the only way to protect it is to start renting again.</p>\n<p>We think there's a better answer, and it has been on our feature list since day one: <strong>Buddy Backups</strong>, the ability to back up your HexOS server to a friend's HexOS server. It's now entering early rollout, so it's time to talk about exactly what it is, how it works, and what to expect.</p>\n<h2>The idea: back up to people, not corporations</h2>\n<p>Buddy Backups is built on a simple premise. You probably already know someone you trust: a friend, a sibling, your parents. And that person's home is, conveniently, not your home. If they have a HexOS server too (or you help them set one up), their server can hold an encrypted copy of your most important folders. If disaster ever strikes your house, your data is safe at theirs.</p>\n<p>No monthly per-terabyte bill. No terms of service that can change without warning. No mega-corporation that can lock your account, throttle you, or decide your data is suddenly against policy. Just an arrangement between two people who trust each other, the way keeping a spare house key with a neighbor has worked for generations.</p>\n<p>And to be clear about the trust involved: your buddy holds your backup, but they can never <em>read</em> it. More on that below.</p>\n<h2>How it works</h2>\n<p><strong>You ask.</strong> From the Command Deck, you send a backup request to your buddy using their email address, along with how much space you'd like to reserve on their server.</p>\n<p><strong>They accept, on their terms.</strong> Your buddy receives the request through HexOS notifications. To accept, they choose which of their servers will receive your backup, which storage pool it lands on, and they can adjust the storage limit up or down from what you asked for. Their server, their rules.</p>\n<p><strong>Your servers connect directly whenever possible.</strong> By default, the two servers connect directly to each other over a secure, encrypted, peer-to-peer link. If your network blocks direct connections (some ISPs do), traffic automatically falls back to a relay so your backups keep flowing. During the beta, relay access will be free for all users.</p>\n<p><strong>Your data gets backed up, fully encrypted.</strong> Your data is encrypted <em>before</em> it leaves your server and it stays encrypted on your buddy's server. It never exists in readable form on their machine, even for a moment. Your buddy can see how much space your backup is using, but never what's inside it.</p>\n<p>Requests are one-directional, and nobody has to back up in return. If you and a friend want to back up to each other, you each send a request and that's all it takes. If your parents just want to host your backup and never send one back, that works too. You decide what arrangement makes sense; HexOS just makes it easy.</p>\n<p>You're also not limited to a single buddy. At launch you can back up to multiple buddies and host backups for multiple buddies, so you can spread your protection (and your generosity) however you like. You control the schedule, too: each backup can be set to run daily or weekly, on the day of the week and time of day you choose. So if you're running backups with several people, you can spread them out so they're not all competing for the same overnight window.</p>\n<h2>What your buddy controls</h2>\n<p>Hosting a backup should never mean giving up control. The recipient of a backup can set and adjust how much space is reserved for each buddy, see how much of it is in use, and end a backup arrangement at any time, for any reason. Storage stays under the owner's control, always.</p>\n<p>The same is true in reverse, of course: the person holding your backup can stop holding it whenever they choose. Which is exactly why Buddy Backups is designed around real relationships. Back up to people you genuinely know and trust, not strangers.</p>\n<h2>Backups between your own servers</h2>\n<p>If you own two or more HexOS servers (say, one at home and one at the office or a relative's house), you can create backups between them without any permission requests, since you're on both ends of the arrangement. Encryption is also optional in that case.</p>\n<h2>A few things to know</h2>\n<p><strong>Your passphrase is yours.</strong> For your privacy and security, HexOS does not store a copy of your passphrase in our cloud. Nobody can unlock your data but you, and that includes us.</p>\n<blockquote class=\"is-danger\">\n<p><strong>Danger:</strong> If you lose your passphrase, nobody can recover your data, including HexOS. Any backup you restore will stay locked forever. Keep your passphrase somewhere safe, and not only on the server being backed up.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p><strong>Bandwidth controls are built in.</strong> Backup traffic won't take over your connection. You can set a rate limit yourself, or choose <strong>Smart</strong> and let HexOS handle it: the system measures your connection's throughput and caps backup traffic at half the maximum, so your streaming, gaming, and video calls keep running normally while your backups run. One clarification: this is a rate limit, not a data limit. Your full backup will still transfer regardless of the speed it runs at, so if your ISP imposes a data cap, watching it is still up to you.</p>\n<p><strong>Both sides need HexOS at launch.</strong> Sending and receiving backups will require each participant to own a HexOS license and run a HexOS server. Non-HexOS systems won't be attachable to the buddy network at launch.</p>\n<h2>The technical details</h2>\n<p>If you want a comprehensive explanation of what's happening underneath, read <a href=\"https://docs.hexos.com/features/backups/how-it-works\">How Buddy Backups works</a> in our documentation for the full breakdown.</p>\n<h2>The rollout has begun</h2>\n<p>Buddy Backups is rolling out right now, starting with a select group of users for early testing. From there, we'll expand access in waves as we harden the feature, until it's ready to be marked complete and stable for everyone. Backup software has exactly one job (being there when you need it), so we're going to earn your trust the slow way.</p>\n<p>Want in? <a href=\"https://docs.google.com/forms/d/18XKSC5U0DPcaJL0RxrqRKqLl-mr7aS1WkTR9eftxOZw/viewform\">Sign up here to participate in the beta</a>. And in the meantime, start thinking about who your buddy is going to be. Bonus points if they owe you a favor.</p>\n<p><em>The HexOS Team</em></p>\n",
      "date_published": "2026-09-09T16:42:13.154Z",
      "date_modified": "2026-09-09T17:19:52.426Z",
      "tags": [
        "blog",
        "buddy backup"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://docs.hexos.com/release-notes/command-deck/2026-09-09",
      "url": "https://docs.hexos.com/release-notes/command-deck/2026-09-09",
      "title": "September 9, 2026 - New app curations (Donetick & RomM)",
      "summary": "New app curations (Donetick & RomM)",
      "content_html": "<h2>New curated apps</h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://donetick.com\">Donetick</a> — Donetick is a smart task manager that keeps individuals and families organized with intelligent scheduling and fair task distribution.</li>\n<li><a href=\"https://romm.app\">RomM</a> — Scan, enrich, browse and play your ROM collection from one beautiful app.</li>\n</ul>\n<blockquote class=\"is-contribute\">\n<p><strong>Thank you:</strong> pshickeydev for submitting the RomM Curation.</p>\n</blockquote>\n",
      "date_published": "2026-09-09T12:00:00.000Z",
      "date_modified": "2026-09-10T02:50:10.140Z",
      "tags": [
        "release-notes"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://docs.hexos.com/blog/2026-09-08",
      "url": "https://docs.hexos.com/blog/2026-09-08",
      "title": "The Biggest HexOS Update Yet: Buddy Backups, Virtual Machines, and More",
      "summary": "Buddy Backups, VMs, the road to 1.1, the end of early access pricing, and what's up next for the team.",
      "content_html": "<p>We've shipped a lot lately: a built-in file browser, USB ISO burning, live per-app metrics, redesigned navigation, community translations, and a steady run of new curated apps. You can find the full rundown on our <a href=\"https://docs.hexos.com/release-notes/command-deck\">release notes page</a>. This post is about what's next, and there's a lot to cover.</p>\n<p><strong>In short</strong></p>\n<ul>\n<li>Buddy Backups and Virtual Machines are beginning to roll out to test users now.</li>\n<li>The file browser and app cards are both getting deeper integrations with apps.</li>\n<li>All of this makes up HexOS 1.1, which ships on Black Friday this year (Nov 27, 2026).</li>\n<li>The $199 early access sale ends December 1, when standard pricing of $299 per server takes effect.</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Buddy Backups</h2>\n<p><img src=\"https://docs.hexos.com/blog/buddy-backups-collage-1.png\" alt=\"buddy-backups-collage-1.png\"></p>\n<p>If you've followed HexOS for a while, you know we've been working toward this one for a long time. Buddy Backups let you back up your data to a server owned by someone you trust, whether that's a friend across town or a second HexOS box of your own in another location. No monthly per-terabyte bill. No giant cloud company holding your files. Just people backing each other up, on hardware they control.</p>\n<p>We're starting to roll out access slowly, beginning with a small group of testers and expanding from there as the feature matures. Our target is to have Buddy Backups exit beta by the end of November.</p>\n<details>\n<summary> Want to be a tester? </summary>\n<p>We are adding people in small groups. Being in the beta means the features are switched on for your account, you run them on a real server, and you tell us what confuses you. There is no minimum commitment, but the most useful feedback comes from a backup that runs on a schedule for a few weeks.</p>\n<p>Read <a href=\"https://docs.hexos.com/community/beta-programs/buddy-backups-and-virtual-machines\">what the beta involves</a> for what we ask of testers and what you can count on, then <a href=\"https://docs.google.com/forms/d/18XKSC5U0DPcaJL0RxrqRKqLl-mr7aS1WkTR9eftxOZw/viewform\">request a place with the signup form</a>.</p>\n</details>\n<p>Another blog post will go up tomorrow with an even deeper dive on this feature and how it works.  Stay tuned!</p>\n<h2>Virtual Machines</h2>\n<p><img src=\"https://docs.hexos.com/blog/virtual-machines-1.png\" alt=\"virtual-machines-1.png\"></p>\n<p>Right alongside Buddy Backups, Virtual Machines will start reaching test users very soon.</p>\n<p>We wanted virtual machines in HexOS to feel like everything else in HexOS: something you can set up without a tutorial open in another tab. So the whole process is wizard-driven, start to finish. Pick what you want to run, answer a few questions, and HexOS handles the configuration. You can even select apps to install automatically the moment the operating system finishes installing, so your virtual machine is actually useful the first time you log into it.</p>\n<p>Virtual machines are organized into three categories:</p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Desktops</strong> — a full graphical OS you can use like any other computer.</li>\n<li><strong>Servers</strong> — systems with no graphical desktop, for running services and workloads.</li>\n<li><strong>Virtual Appliances</strong> — purpose-built images like OpenWRT or the Home Assistant virtual machine, ready to run with minimal setup.</li>\n</ul>\n<p>There's a lot more to say here, and Virtual Machines will get their own dedicated post this week as well.</p>\n<h2>Deeper app integrations</h2>\n<p>One theme is going to show up again and again in HexOS over the coming months: the Command Deck shouldn't just launch your apps, it should work with them. Two places you'll see this first are the file browser and your app cards.</p>\n<h3>A file browser that does more than move files</h3>\n<p><img src=\"https://docs.hexos.com/blog/fileflows_integration_example.png\" alt=\"fileflows_integration_example.png\"></p>\n<p>The file browser we shipped in August covers the essentials: browse, upload, download, copy, move, rename, delete. That's the starting point, not the whole plan. We want the HexOS file browser to be a tool you use for real work, not just a place to move folders around.</p>\n<p>It already does something most file browsers don't: burn ISO images directly to a USB drive plugged into your server. Next up are integrations with the apps you've already installed. Take FileFlows as an example. Instead of opening FileFlows, configuring a flow, and pointing it at a directory, you'd click a file in the HexOS file browser and convert it from MPG to MP4 right there. FileFlows does the work; HexOS gives you the button. That's the pattern we're building toward across all kinds of file tasks.</p>\n<h3>App cards that show you what's happening inside</h3>\n<p><img src=\"https://docs.hexos.com/blog/hexos-app-widgets.png\" alt=\"hexos-app-widgets.png\"></p>\n<p>Today, an app card tells you an app is running and how much CPU and RAM it's using. But what about what's actually happening inside the app?</p>\n<p>Picture your dashboard showing what's playing in Jellyfin right now, what's queued and downloading, or who's connected to your game server, all without opening any of them. Our vision is for the HexOS dashboard to be the single place to see everything happening on your system, apps included. There's a lot more to unveil here as we build it.</p>\n<h2>HexOS 1.1 ships and early access pricing ends on Black Friday</h2>\n<p>All of this and more are the core of HexOS 1.1, and it all ships on Black Friday. That's also when early access pricing ends. The $199 early access sale ends December 1, and standard pricing of $299 per server for a lifetime subscription takes effect.</p>\n<p>The detailed Buddy Backups post comes next, and as always, tell us what you think in the community.</p>\n",
      "date_published": "2026-09-08T12:00:00.000Z",
      "date_modified": "2026-09-08T19:51:09.591Z",
      "tags": [
        "blog",
        "buddy backups",
        "virtual machines",
        "roadmap"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://docs.hexos.com/release-notes/command-deck/2026-09-03",
      "url": "https://docs.hexos.com/release-notes/command-deck/2026-09-03",
      "title": "September 3, 2026 - Automatic timezone detection, storage safety, and setup recovery",
      "summary": "Automatic timezone detection, storage safety, and setup recovery",
      "content_html": "<p>Here is a summary of changes shipped since our <a href=\"https://docs.hexos.com/release-notes/command-deck/2026-09-01\">last update</a>.</p>\n<h2>Community translations</h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Translators have a new way to find strings. Turn on the key inspector and every piece of translated text on screen is outlined: hovering names the string behind it, and clicking opens it in Weblate in your language. No more guessing which of the many strings sharing a short label is the one you saw. See <a href=\"https://docs.hexos.com/community/translating-hexos/key-inspector\">using the key inspector</a> to get started.</li>\n<li>We need your help! Want to translate HexOS into your language? <a href=\"https://docs.hexos.com/community/translating-hexos\">Learn how to contribute</a> and join the conversation on <a href=\"https://discord.gg/fCW2htvYdz\">Discord</a></li>\n<li>Languages ship to production once they reach 60% approved coverage</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Server timezone</h2>\n<ul>\n<li>HexOS now detects your server's timezone automatically from its IP address and sets it during setup. Previously, new servers defaulted to Pacific time regardless of location, which meant snapshot schedules, scrubs, and notifications ran at unexpected hours. A timezone picker is also available on the server settings screen if you need to adjust it manually.</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Storage</h2>\n<ul>\n<li>In some cases, drives belonging to a pool that had been exported but never imported were treated as unused. HexOS now recognizes these drives and will not offer or format them when you create a pool, replace a drive, expand a pool, or assign a hot spare, so an exported pool can no longer be overwritten by accident.</li>\n<li>Cache, log, special, dedup, and hot spare drives from a pool that is already in use no longer appear as loose drives during setup.</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Apps</h2>\n<ul>\n<li>The app updates screen now shows every app with an update as a grid of app icons. Click an app to see its installed and available versions and update it on its own, or use <strong>Update all</strong> to apply everything at once.</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Setup and claiming</h2>\n<ul>\n<li>In some cases, a power cut or full storage pool could send a provisioned server back into the setup wizard. Command Deck now recognizes that the server is already set up and offers a one-click recovery path instead of walking through setup again. Servers with full pools also receive a clear explanation rather than a generic network error.</li>\n<li>Claiming a server that was reinstalled no longer creates a duplicate entry. Command Deck detects that the server matches an existing claim by name and replaces the old record, so reinstalled servers no longer consume an extra license slot.</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Reliability</h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Command Deck now maintains separate connection paths for its own traffic and TrueNAS traffic. If one path reconnects on a different backend node, the other continues uninterrupted. Previously, a backend restart could briefly interrupt both connections at once.</li>\n<li>Self-updates now fall back to a host-side restart if the standard middleware update path is unavailable, so updates complete even when the app container is in an unexpected state.</li>\n<li>When a TrueNAS login fails repeatedly (for example, after a password change or key rotation), Command Deck now backs off automatically instead of retrying in a tight loop. This prevents the server from becoming unresponsive to other requests during the recovery window.</li>\n<li>Real-time reporting (CPU, memory, network graphs) now recovers silently if the underlying data subscription drops, instead of requiring a page refresh to restore live updates.</li>\n<li>If a server's local database storage disappears (for example, after a pool is removed), the local interface now detects and reports the condition instead of retrying indefinitely in the background.</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>General</h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Notification toasts now remain hoverable and dismissible even while a dialog or side panel is open.</li>\n</ul>\n<p><strong>NOTE:</strong> 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 <a href=\"https://docs.hexos.com/troubleshooting/browser-cache\">here</a>.</p>\n",
      "date_published": "2026-09-03T17:05:32.004Z",
      "date_modified": "2026-09-03T17:08:27.301Z",
      "tags": [
        "release-notes"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://docs.hexos.com/release-notes/command-deck/2026-08-28",
      "url": "https://docs.hexos.com/release-notes/command-deck/2026-08-28",
      "title": "August 28, 2026 - Dashboard widgets, install scripts v6, cross-app linking, and storage polish",
      "summary": "Dashboard widgets, install scripts v6, cross-app linking, and storage polish",
      "content_html": "<p>Here is a summary of changes shipped since our <a href=\"https://docs.hexos.com/release-notes/command-deck/2026-08-27\">last update</a>.</p>\n<h2>Storage</h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Pool cards now show a hover readout of used and free space on the capacity ring</li>\n<li>In some cases, Western Digital drives connected via USB bridges were not triggering the SMR drive warning. This has been corrected.</li>\n<li>Empty states for apps, backups, and storage now use consistent pool-card-sized placeholders</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Folders</h2>\n<ul>\n<li>The &quot;restore folders&quot; notice now only appears for pools that were actually imported during setup, not for pools that were kept and already have their shares intact</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Setup</h2>\n<ul>\n<li>When private access mode has no local users, HexOS now offers to create one instead of showing an empty state</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Dashboard widgets</h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Curated apps can now place live widgets directly on your dashboard, showing real-time information from your running apps without opening them</li>\n<li>This is the backend infrastructure for widgets. You will see apps taking advantage of this soon.</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Install scripts v6</h2>\n<p>This release ships the backend for install scripts version 6, a significant upgrade to how curated apps are configured and connected. V6 merges lifecycle hooks, user-triggered actions, and widget declarations into a single unified schema. This means:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Apps can now offer hooks you can run on demand from the app's options, not just during install</li>\n<li>Cross-app linking lets one app's install connect it to another app automatically (for example, installing Seerr can install and connect Jellyfin in the same flow)</li>\n<li>Completed hook actions now show detailed checkpoint history in notifications instead of a generic one-liner</li>\n</ul>\n<p>You will see curated apps taking advantage of these capabilities soon. For more on how install scripts work, see the <a href=\"https://docs.hexos.com/features/apps/install-scripts\">install scripts documentation</a>.</p>\n<p><strong>NOTE:</strong> 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 <a href=\"https://docs.hexos.com/troubleshooting/browser-cache\">here</a>.</p>\n",
      "date_published": "2026-08-28T12:00:00.000Z",
      "date_modified": "2026-08-31T03:07:33.690Z",
      "tags": [
        "release-notes"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://docs.hexos.com/release-notes/command-deck/2026-08-27",
      "url": "https://docs.hexos.com/release-notes/command-deck/2026-08-27",
      "title": "August 27, 2026 - ZFS pool import, Update all, and server reliability",
      "summary": "ZFS pool import, Update all, and server reliability",
      "content_html": "<p>Here is a summary of changes shipped since our <a href=\"https://docs.hexos.com/release-notes/command-deck/2026-08-24\">last update</a>.</p>\n<h2>ZFS pool import</h2>\n<ul>\n<li>The setup wizard now detects existing ZFS pools and imports them with data intact, instead of suggesting those drives for new pools</li>\n<li>When imported pools are present, setup defaults to keeping them and walks you through a review of inherited pools, folders, apps, and Time Machine backups</li>\n<li>Folders on imported pools whose SMB shares were lost can be restored as HexOS folders, including Time Machine shares and passphrase-locked datasets</li>\n<li>Pools can also be imported from the storage page after initial setup</li>\n<li>Drives belonging to imported pools are protected from being reused in new pool suggestions</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Apps</h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Update all is now available on the Installed apps screen, so you can apply every pending update in one action</li>\n<li>Apps under maintenance are automatically excluded from Update all to prevent interruptions</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Setup</h2>\n<ul>\n<li>In some cases, the adoptable folders notice could overlap with the folder list. It now appears below the folders with a dismiss action.</li>\n<li>Server errors during password changes are now surfaced clearly on the form instead of appearing as a validation error on the current password field</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Reliability</h2>\n<ul>\n<li>In some cases, a server could appear unreachable in Command Deck even though TrueNAS was running. Command Deck now detects and recovers lost middleware sessions automatically.</li>\n<li>Command Deck updates now apply cleanly without requiring a manual page refresh. In rare cases, browsers could cache an older version of the interface after an update.</li>\n</ul>\n<p><strong>NOTE:</strong> 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 <a href=\"https://docs.hexos.com/troubleshooting/browser-cache\">here</a>.</p>\n",
      "date_published": "2026-08-27T19:52:53.618Z",
      "date_modified": "2026-08-27T19:53:38.861Z",
      "tags": [
        "release-notes"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://docs.hexos.com/release-notes/command-deck/2026-08-24",
      "url": "https://docs.hexos.com/release-notes/command-deck/2026-08-24",
      "title": "August 24, 2026 - Danish language support, storage improvements, and dashboard polish",
      "summary": "Danish language support, storage improvements, and dashboard polish",
      "content_html": "<p>Here is a summary of changes shipped since our <a href=\"https://docs.hexos.com/release-notes/command-deck/2026-08-21-2\">last update</a>.</p>\n<h2>Dashboard</h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Long text on dashboard cards is now properly clamped with ellipses and hover titles, preventing overflow on translated strings and longer server names</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Memory testing</h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Memory test time estimates now use your server's measured reboot history for a more accurate countdown</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Storage</h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Pool delete confirmation now accepts the display name you gave the pool, not just the internal ZFS name</li>\n<li>Pool names are applied before the pool first appears on the dashboard, so you see your chosen name immediately</li>\n<li>In some cases, Western Digital drives with vendor-prefixed model strings were not triggering the SMR drive warning. This has been corrected.</li>\n<li>Resolved an issue on TrueNAS 25.04.0 where pool scrub scheduling could fail due to a legacy API serialization limitation</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>File browser</h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Upload notifications now name the uploaded folder and its destination for clearer context</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Danish language support</h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Danish is now available as a language option in Command Deck, thanks to the work of our community translators</li>\n<li>Want to help bring HexOS to your language? Contribute at <a href=\"https://translate.hexos.com\">translate.hexos.com</a> and join the conversation on <a href=\"https://discord.gg/fCW2htvYdz\">Discord</a></li>\n</ul>\n<blockquote class=\"is-contribute\">\n<p><strong>Thank you:</strong> renesdk for pushing Danish past the 60% approved threshold and making it the first community-translated language to ship in HexOS</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p><strong>NOTE:</strong> 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 <a href=\"https://docs.hexos.com/troubleshooting/browser-cache\">here</a>.</p>\n",
      "date_published": "2026-08-24T20:00:00.000Z",
      "date_modified": "2026-08-24T20:00:00.000Z",
      "tags": [
        "release-notes"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://docs.hexos.com/release-notes/command-deck/2026-08-21-2",
      "url": "https://docs.hexos.com/release-notes/command-deck/2026-08-21-2",
      "title": "August 21, 2026 - Introducing HexOS Imager, smarter uploads, and storage safety improvements",
      "summary": "Introducing HexOS Imager, smarter uploads, and storage safety improvements",
      "content_html": "<p>Here is a summary of changes shipped since our <a href=\"https://docs.hexos.com/release-notes/command-deck/2026-08-20\">last update</a>.</p>\n<h2>Introducing HexOS Imager</h2>\n<p>Installing HexOS on your server should not require hunting for ISOs or figuring out third-party tools like Balena Etcher or Rufus. We are building HexOS Imager: a single, purpose-built tool that downloads the latest HexOS installer and writes it to a USB drive for you. This update ships the public API that powers it, delivering available releases directly to the Imager so it always has the latest version ready. HexOS Imager is coming soon.</p>\n<h2>File browser</h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Upload progress is now weighted by file size, so a folder with one large file and several small ones reports an accurate percentage instead of jumping ahead</li>\n<li>Upload notifications now show the destination folder name instead of the last file that completed</li>\n<li>Folder uploads display the folder name in the activity card for clearer context</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Apps</h2>\n<ul>\n<li>App update cards now display current and available versions in a stacked layout, making it easier to see what is changing before you update</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Storage</h2>\n<ul>\n<li>USB drives are now excluded from pool expansion candidates for non-USB pools, preventing accidental additions that could compromise your storage</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Reliability</h2>\n<ul>\n<li>In some cases, servers could become temporarily unreachable due to a stale network connection that was not cleaned up. Command Deck now detects and tears down these connections automatically.</li>\n<li>Self-update delivery has been improved for servers with intermittent connectivity</li>\n</ul>\n<p><strong>NOTE:</strong> 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 <a href=\"https://docs.hexos.com/troubleshooting/browser-cache\">here</a>.</p>\n",
      "date_published": "2026-08-21T22:00:00.000Z",
      "date_modified": "2026-08-21T22:00:00.000Z",
      "tags": [
        "release-notes"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://docs.hexos.com/release-notes/command-deck/2026-08-21",
      "url": "https://docs.hexos.com/release-notes/command-deck/2026-08-21",
      "title": "August 21, 2026 - New app curations (Ratelog & Swiparr)",
      "summary": "New app curations (Ratelog & Swiparr)",
      "content_html": "<h2>New curated apps</h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://ratelog.org/en/\">Ratelog</a> — Ratelog is an app for rating movies and TV shows with a detailed category-based scoring system.</li>\n<li><a href=\"https://github.com/m3sserstudi0s/swiparr\">Swiparr</a> — Swiparr turns the dreaded &quot;what should we watch?&quot; question into a fun, collaborative experience.</li>\n</ul>\n<h3>Curation notes</h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Swiparr</strong>\n<ul>\n<li>The default media server URLs are already filled in.</li>\n<li>Log in using the same credentials you would use for Jellyfin or Emby.</li>\n<li>The first account that logs in becomes the admin account for Swiparr.</li>\n<li>We recommend enabling guest landing in the settings to make it easier for your friends and family to join a group without needing to log in.</li>\n</ul>\n</li>\n</ul>\n<blockquote class=\"is-contribute\">\n<p><strong>Thank you:</strong> Jakob Bjelvér for developing Swiparr and submitting it to the TrueNAS catalog at our request.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<h2>Polls</h2>\n<h3>Results of the previous poll</h3>\n<p>Which of the newly curated financial planning apps do you like the best?</p>\n<ol>\n<li>Actual Budget — 49 votes</li>\n<li>Sure — 20 votes</li>\n<li>Firefly III — 16 votes</li>\n</ol>\n<h3>New poll</h3>\n<p>Which of our curated media server apps do you like using the best?\nVote for your favorite on <a href=\"https://www.reddit.com/r/hexos/comments/1vu4x0r/august_20_2026_new_app_curations_ratelog_swiparr/\">Reddit</a> or at <a href=\"https://hub.hexos.com/topic/4889-august-20-2026-new-app-curations-ratelog-swiparr/\">HexOS Hub</a>.\nYou can also join our <a href=\"https://discord.gg/qEsYFrdnC\">Discord server</a> and vote there.</p>\n<p><strong>NOTE:</strong> 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 <a href=\"https://docs.hexos.com/troubleshooting/browser-cache\">here</a>.</p>\n",
      "date_published": "2026-08-21T20:00:00.000Z",
      "date_modified": "2026-08-21T20:00:00.000Z",
      "tags": [
        "release-notes"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://docs.hexos.com/release-notes/command-deck/2026-08-20",
      "url": "https://docs.hexos.com/release-notes/command-deck/2026-08-20",
      "title": "August 20, 2026 - File browser upgrades, instant app details, and reliability improvements",
      "summary": "File browser upgrades, instant app details, and reliability improvements",
      "content_html": "<p>Here is a summary of changes shipped since our <a href=\"https://docs.hexos.com/release-notes/command-deck/2026-08-17\">last update</a>.</p>\n<h2>File browser upgrades</h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Upload entire folders from your computer, with nested subfolders preserved</li>\n<li>Add more files to an active upload without waiting for it to finish</li>\n<li>Navigate files with arrow keys, matching the Finder and Explorer experience you are used to</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Apps</h2>\n<ul>\n<li>App details now open instantly from the catalog, with no loading delay</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Reliability</h2>\n<ul>\n<li>In some cases, a TrueNAS API key could become invalid after a system change. Command Deck now detects this and automatically reconnects with a fresh key, so your server stays online without manual intervention.</li>\n<li>We identified a scenario where setup wizard provisioning steps could appear out of order. Steps now always display in the correct sequence.</li>\n</ul>\n<p><strong>NOTE:</strong> 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 <a href=\"https://docs.hexos.com/troubleshooting/browser-cache\">here</a>.</p>\n",
      "date_published": "2026-08-20T12:00:00.000Z",
      "date_modified": "2026-08-21T04:00:17.263Z",
      "tags": [
        "release-notes"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://docs.hexos.com/release-notes/command-deck/2026-08-17",
      "url": "https://docs.hexos.com/release-notes/command-deck/2026-08-17",
      "title": "August 17, 2026 - File browser, USB burning, URL downloads, and app install improvements",
      "summary": "File browser, USB burning, URL downloads, and app install improvements",
      "content_html": "<p>Here is a summary of changes shipped since our <a href=\"https://docs.hexos.com/release-notes/command-deck/2026-08-07\">last update</a>.</p>\n<h2>File Browser</h2>\n<p>One of our most requested features is here. You can now manage your files without ever leaving Command Deck.</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Browse, inspect, and manage files on your server directly from Command Deck with a two-pane layout and details panel</li>\n<li>Switch between icon and list view modes</li>\n<li>Copy, move, delete, and rename files and folders with tracked progress and per-file transfer notifications</li>\n<li>Upload and download files directly to your NAS when on Local (this works over VPN connections as well, just not through the hosted Command Deck)</li>\n<li>Drag-and-drop upload support with bulk batching</li>\n<li>Download files from the internet directly to your server with optional checksum verification</li>\n<li>Shift-click range selection and Ctrl/Cmd-click toggle selection for managing multiple files at once</li>\n<li>Burn ISO files directly to USB devices attached to your server with verified writes and step-by-step progress tracking (Local connection required)</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Apps</h2>\n<ul>\n<li>First-boot-only install questions are now hidden from app Options after initial setup, keeping the settings view clean</li>\n<li>App update notifications are now grouped by day with the date each update was first detected</li>\n<li>Newly curated apps now appear newest-first in the catalog</li>\n<li>App version display now shows both the app version and TrueNAS catalog version</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Storage</h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Cache, log, special, and dedup vdev members are now correctly assigned to their pool instead of appearing as unused drives</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Reliability</h2>\n<ul>\n<li>DNS rebind protection detection: if your router is blocking Command Deck from reaching your server, HexOS now detects this and notifies you with guidance on how to fix it</li>\n<li>Improved hosted-mode banner: Return to Local is disabled until the local Command Deck is confirmed reachable</li>\n</ul>\n<p><strong>NOTE:</strong> 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 <a href=\"https://docs.hexos.com/troubleshooting/browser-cache\">here</a>.</p>\n",
      "date_published": "2026-08-17T20:27:07.308Z",
      "date_modified": "2026-08-20T19:30:00.000Z",
      "tags": [
        "release-notes"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://docs.hexos.com/release-notes/command-deck/2026-08-14",
      "url": "https://docs.hexos.com/release-notes/command-deck/2026-08-14",
      "title": "August 14, 2026 - New App Curations (Palworld Server)",
      "summary": "New App Curation (Palworld Server)",
      "content_html": "<h2>New Curations</h2>\n<p>We have one experimental Curation this week.</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://docs.palworldgame.com\">Palworld Server</a> - Create and manage a multiplayer palworld server.</p>\n<h3>Curation info</h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Palworld Server\n<ul>\n<li>Experimental curation that requires users to portforward the port 38211 using the udp protocol in order for players outside your network to join\n<ul>\n<li>You can find instructions for how to port forward <a href=\"https://protonvpn.com/blog/port-forwarding\">here</a> for some of the most popular router brands. If your router brand was not there you can search online &quot;How to portforward on a {Router Brand} router&quot; for instructions.</li>\n</ul>\n</li>\n<li>Most configuration options are included as installation questions but all of them except admin password can be skipped for the default experience.</li>\n<li>You can press the <code>options</code> button for palworld server to modify the settings later if you choose.</li>\n<li>Login to the Palworld server rest api using the Username <code>admin</code>\n<ul>\n<li>Info at http://{server-IP-Address}:30443/v1/api/info</li>\n<li>Settings at http://{server-IP-Address}:30443/v1/api/settings</li>\n<li>Player list at http://{server-IP-Address}:30443/v1/api/players</li>\n<li>Read more about the Rest API <a href=\"https://docs.palworldgame.com/api/rest-api/palwold-rest-api\">here</a></li>\n</ul>\n</li>\n<li>How to join your palworld server\n<ul>\n<li>Open the Palworld game</li>\n<li>Select <code>Join Multiplayer Game</code></li>\n<li>At the bottom of the screen you can enter your server IP address\n<ul>\n<li>When joining locally the IP address will be http://{server-IP-Address}:38211</li>\n<li>When joining from outside the network the IP address will be http://{public-IP-Address}:38211\n<ul>\n<li>You can find your public IP address at the rest api settings page http://{server-IP-Address}:30443/v1/api/settings</li>\n<li>joining from outside the network does require portforwarding or network proxy</li>\n<li>Read more about Port forwarding <a href=\"https://drupalwebprod-files.up.ac.za/Public/media/492/documents/inline/2867938/up_it-services_home-5-port-forwarding.zp212999.pdf\">here</a></li>\n</ul>\n</li>\n</ul>\n</li>\n</ul>\n</li>\n</ul>\n</li>\n</ul>\n",
      "date_published": "2026-08-14T12:00:00.000Z",
      "date_modified": "2026-08-15T01:01:18.441Z",
      "tags": [
        "release-notes"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://docs.hexos.com/release-notes/command-deck/2026-08-07",
      "url": "https://docs.hexos.com/release-notes/command-deck/2026-08-07",
      "title": "August 7, 2026 - Redesigned navigation, community translations, and stability hardening",
      "summary": "Redesigned navigation, community translations, and stability hardening",
      "content_html": "<p>Here is a summary of changes shipped since our <a href=\"https://docs.hexos.com/release-notes/command-deck/2026-07-16\">last update</a>.</p>\n<h2>Buddy Backups: Coming Soon</h2>\n<p>This release includes the full infrastructure for Buddy Backups: peer-to-peer encrypted replication between HexOS servers. The networking layer, provisioning engine, scheduling system, and restore pipeline are all shipping in this update. The feature is currently gated as we finalize testing with our internal fleet, but the groundwork is live and ready. When Buddy Backups opens up, there will be nothing to install or update: it will simply activate on your existing Command Deck. Stay tuned.</p>\n<h2>Redesigned Navigation</h2>\n<ul>\n<li>New sidebar navigation with an icon rail that collapses for more screen space</li>\n<li>Unified sidebar across server and account areas for consistent navigation</li>\n<li>Settings redesigned as a master/detail layout with distinct routes for every section</li>\n<li>Account management rebuilt as a tile-grid page with responsive detail panes</li>\n<li>Theme switcher now supports dark, light, and system (OS preference) modes</li>\n<li>Mobile navigation consolidated into an offcanvas sidebar with a three-dot utilities menu</li>\n<li>Improved mobile layout with better spacing, alignment, and touch interactions</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Community Translations (i18n)</h2>\n<ul>\n<li>We need your help! Want to translate HexOS into your language? <a href=\"https://docs.hexos.com/community/translating-hexos\">Learn how to contribute</a> and join the conversation on <a href=\"https://discord.gg/fCW2htvYdz\">Discord</a></li>\n<li>HexOS Command Deck now supports community-contributed translations via Weblate at <a href=\"https://translate.hexos.com\">translate.hexos.com</a></li>\n<li>All user-facing strings are now translatable</li>\n<li>Languages ship to production once they reach 60% approved coverage</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Memory Testing</h2>\n<ul>\n<li>One-click memory test from the dashboard Memory card: HexOS reboots your server into Memtest86+ and runs a fully unattended test with machine-verified results</li>\n<li>No need to walk to the server or read the screen: results are recorded automatically and displayed when the server comes back online</li>\n<li>HexOS detects when installed memory changes (DIMMs added, removed, or swapped) and recommends a memory test via a health warning and notification</li>\n<li>ECC memory detection now reported on the memory details card</li>\n<li>This feature is launching as a beta hidden behind our &quot;dev mode&quot; while it goes through final testing</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Storage &amp; Folders</h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Pool capacity updates immediately after resilver or expansion completes instead of waiting for a cache refresh</li>\n<li>Storage sizes now format in TB past 1,000 GB with trimmed decimals</li>\n<li>Unused drives now correctly appear on the pool drives page</li>\n<li>Hide the Replace button for drives that are not pool members</li>\n<li>SMB share options are now preserved when editing a folder</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Setup &amp; Compatibility</h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Motherboard name now displayed in system devices</li>\n<li>Private LAN addresses are now rejected in the manual WAN IP entry dialog</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Reliability</h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Renaming a network interface no longer causes a brief server disconnection</li>\n<li>Switch to local mode is now available whenever a local access domain exists, even if the health probe lags</li>\n<li>Duplicate TrueNAS alert emails are now suppressed with a cooldown window</li>\n<li>LAN IP detection is now stable on servers with multiple network interfaces</li>\n<li>HexOS app updates now reach servers with intermittent connectivity</li>\n<li>Dashboard telemetry charts are now smoother and more responsive on longer time ranges</li>\n</ul>\n<p><strong>NOTE:</strong> 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 <a href=\"https://docs.hexos.com/troubleshooting/browser-cache\">here</a>.</p>\n",
      "date_published": "2026-08-07T15:05:54.397Z",
      "date_modified": "2026-08-20T19:30:00.000Z",
      "tags": [
        "release-notes"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://docs.hexos.com/release-notes/command-deck/2026-08-01",
      "url": "https://docs.hexos.com/release-notes/command-deck/2026-08-01",
      "title": "August 1, 2026 - New App Curations (Actual Budget, Firefly 3 and Sure)",
      "summary": "New App Curations (Actual Budget, Firefly 3 and Sure)",
      "content_html": "<h2>New Curations</h2>\n<p>We have curated 3 financial apps this week.\nVote for your favorite on <a href=\"https://www.reddit.com/r/hexos/comments/1vd2qj1/august_1_2026_new_app_curations_actual_budget/\">reddit</a> or at <a href=\"https://hub.hexos.com/topic/4853-august-1st-2026-new-app-curations-actual-budget-firefly-3-and-sure/\">HexOS Hub</a>.\nYou can also join our <a href=\"https://discord.gg/qEsYFrdnC\">Discord server</a> and vote there</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://actualbudget.org\">Actual Budget</a> - Actual Budget is a super fast and privacy-focused app for managing your finances.\n<a href=\"https://www.firefly-iii.org\">Firefly III</a> - Firefly III is a free and open source personal finance manager.\n<a href=\"https://sure.am\">Sure</a> -  Sure is an all-in-one personal finance platform.</p>\n<h3>Curation info</h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Actual Budget\n<ul>\n<li>Experimental curation that uses self signed https certificate.</li>\n<li>Users can expect to see certificate warnings regularly.</li>\n</ul>\n</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Curation Updates</h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Syncthing\n<ul>\n<li>Bug fix - Media, Movies and Shows folders are now connected as intended.</li>\n</ul>\n</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Special Acknowledgments</h2>\n<ul>\n<li>khowe085\n<ul>\n<li>Reported the Syncthing bug</li>\n</ul>\n</li>\n</ul>\n",
      "date_published": "2026-08-01T12:00:00.000Z",
      "date_modified": "2026-08-02T00:19:48.066Z",
      "tags": [
        "release-notes"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://docs.hexos.com/release-notes/command-deck/2026-07-26",
      "url": "https://docs.hexos.com/release-notes/command-deck/2026-07-26",
      "title": "July 26, 2026 - New App Curations (BentoPDF & Paperless-ngx)",
      "summary": "New App Curations (BentoPDF & Paperless-ngx)",
      "content_html": "<h2>New Curations</h2>\n<p><a href=\"https://github.com/alam00000/bentopdf/\">BentoPDF</a> - BentoPDF is a PDF toolkit built for privacy.\n<a href=\"https://docs.paperless-ngx.com\">Paperless-ngx</a> - Paperless-ngx is a document management system.</p>\n<h2>Special Acknowledgments</h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://hub.hexos.com/topic/4744-paperless-ngx/\">melle</a>/<a href=\"https://github.com/mellester\">mellester</a>\n<ul>\n<li>Curated Paperless-ngx</li>\n</ul>\n</li>\n</ul>\n",
      "date_published": "2026-07-26T23:51:46.408Z",
      "date_modified": "2026-07-31T03:17:56.492Z",
      "tags": [
        "release-notes"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://docs.hexos.com/release-notes/command-deck/2026-07-19",
      "url": "https://docs.hexos.com/release-notes/command-deck/2026-07-19",
      "title": "July 19, 2026 - New App Curations (Affine & Sportarr)",
      "summary": "New App Curations (AFFiNE & Sportarr)",
      "content_html": "<h2>New Curations</h2>\n<p><a href=\"https://affine.pro\">AFFiNE</a> - AFFiNE is a workspace with fully merged docs, whiteboards and databases.\n<a href=\"https://sportarr.net\">Sportarr</a> - Sportarr automatically tracks and organizes live sports events across all major sports.</p>\n<h2>Curation Setup Information</h2>\n<h3>Sportarr</h3>\n<p>Follow the setup wizard for Sportarr and refer to the following for step 4 &amp; 6</p>\n  <details>\n  <summary> Step 4: Leave the library folder as \"/media/sports\" </summary>\n<p><img src=\"https://docs.hexos.com/release-notes/7-19-26/sportarr_2.png\" alt=\"sportarr_2.png\" class=\"align-center\"></p>\n  </details>\n  <details>\n  <summary> Step 6: Input your IP address and the port \"30024\" </summary>\n<p><img src=\"https://docs.hexos.com/release-notes/7-19-26/sportarr_3.png\" alt=\"sportarr_3.png\" class=\"align-center\"></p>\n  </details>\n<h2>Special Acknowledgments</h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://github.com/Sportarr\">The Sportarr Developer</a>\n<ul>\n<li>Curated the Sportarr App.</li>\n</ul>\n</li>\n</ul>\n",
      "date_published": "2026-07-19T19:27:16.168Z",
      "date_modified": "2026-08-02T00:22:06.429Z",
      "tags": [
        "release-notes"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://docs.hexos.com/release-notes/command-deck/2026-07-16",
      "url": "https://docs.hexos.com/release-notes/command-deck/2026-07-16",
      "title": "July 16, 2026 - Performance telemetry, live app metrics, international keyboard support, and storage intelligence",
      "summary": "Performance telemetry, live app metrics, international keyboard support, and storage intelligence",
      "content_html": "<p>Here is a summary of changes shipped since our <a href=\"https://docs.hexos.com/release-notes/command-deck/2026-07-06\">last update</a>.</p>\n<h3>Dashboard &amp; Telemetry</h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Historical performance charts for CPU, memory, network, and disk are now available on dashboard cards with configurable time ranges</li>\n<li>Per-core CPU visualization with a hexagonal grid layout and live temperature monitoring</li>\n<li>Smooth sliding-window animation for real-time telemetry charts with expandable full-size dialogs</li>\n<li>Charts freeze on hover for tooltip inspection, and time range selections persist across sessions</li>\n<li>Temperature unit preference (Celsius or Fahrenheit) available in global settings</li>\n<li>Dashboard sections can now be toggled between horizontal scroll and grid layout per section</li>\n</ul>\n<h3>Apps</h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Live per-app resource metrics (CPU, RAM, network throughput, disk I/O) on the app detail panel</li>\n<li>App News and Maintenance system for communicating app-specific updates and temporarily gating installs</li>\n<li>Clear messaging when attempting to update a stopped app, with an option to start it first</li>\n<li>App catalog now automatically syncs before installing newly published apps, preventing install failures users were reporting</li>\n<li>App credentials and other secrets are now persisted when uninstalling and restored on reinstall if the app data/config directories are not optionally deleted, so apps on reinstall reconnect to existing data without manual reconfiguration</li>\n<li>Polished app update and upgrade UI with improved dark mode contrast, theme-aware notification backgrounds, and version info on in-progress upgrades</li>\n<li>Fixed app version briefly displaying &quot;vundefined&quot; during loading transitions</li>\n</ul>\n<h3>Storage</h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Pool protection level and expand eligibility are now derived from actual ZFS topology instead of drive count, correctly handling imported and mixed-layout pools</li>\n<li>In-progress drive replacements now show as a single &quot;Rebuilding&quot; drive instead of a phantom removed drive</li>\n<li>Pool data refreshes automatically when drive replace and pool expand tasks complete</li>\n<li>Storage UI polish: improved drive select placeholder, alert icon sizing, and warning/error styling consistency</li>\n</ul>\n<h3>Setup &amp; Compatibility</h3>\n<ul>\n<li>International keyboard layout support during server claiming — US, UK, German (QWERTZ), and French (AZERTY) layouts are now handled, with password normalization so console and web logins match</li>\n<li>SMB transport encryption is now set to DESIRED by default, resolving connection failures for Windows 11 24H2+ clients that require SMB signing</li>\n<li>Forward compatibility with TrueNAS 27 API-key authentication</li>\n<li>Upgrade guide link now shown when a server is running an unsupported TrueNAS version</li>\n</ul>\n<h3>Settings</h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Expert-mode setting for changing TrueNAS web UI ports and bind address from the Command Deck, freeing ports 80/443 for reverse proxies</li>\n<li>Health check details panel no longer flashes an error state while scrub data loads</li>\n<li>Folder create and edit dialogs now fully reset on close</li>\n</ul>\n<h3>Reliability</h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Local backend now connects to TrueNAS over middlewared's loopback listener, making the connection independent of web UI port and bind address changes</li>\n<li>Fixed theme resetting to dark mode when opening the account panel</li>\n</ul>\n<p><strong>NOTE:</strong> 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 <a href=\"https://docs.hexos.com/troubleshooting/browser-cache\">here</a>.</p>\n",
      "date_published": "2026-07-16T12:00:00.000Z",
      "date_modified": "2026-08-20T19:30:00.000Z",
      "tags": [
        "release-notes"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://docs.hexos.com/blog/2026-7-15",
      "url": "https://docs.hexos.com/blog/2026-7-15",
      "title": "Mixing and Matching Drives, Finally: What ZFS AnyRAID Means for Your Home Server",
      "summary": "Mixed-size drives often leave usable storage capacity stranded in traditional RAID-Z configurations. As storage costs rise, organizations need more flexible ways to maximize the capacity of the drives they already own.",
      "content_html": "<p>If you've ever built a home server or NAS, you've run into this problem: you have a few drives lying around, they're not all the same size, and traditional RAID makes you feel like you're wasting half of them. Buy a shiny new 12TB drive to replace an aging 4TB one, and RAID-Z just shrugs and treats it like a 4TB drive anyway. All that extra space sits there, unused, until every single drive in the array has been upgraded.</p>\n<p>We think that's a bad deal for home users, and last month our CEO, Jon Panozzo, sat down with Allan Jude of Klara Inc. for a webinar on the fix: a new ZFS feature called <strong>AnyRAID</strong>. If you're not a storage nerd, don't worry — we're going to walk through what it is, why we cared enough to help fund it, and when you can expect to actually use it.</p>\n<p>Prefer to watch instead of read? Here's the full webinar:</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/FEXPQMw5BiQ?si=ZzSInH0HSe0JgZtE\">https://www.youtube.com/embed/FEXPQMw5BiQ?si=ZzSInH0HSe0JgZtE</a></p>\n<p>Otherwise, read on for the breakdown below.</p>\n<h2>Why Eshtek and HexOS Sponsored This</h2>\n<p>Here's the thing: HexOS exists to make self-hosting and home servers accessible. And one of the most common frustrations we hear from our community is exactly this drive-mismatch problem. Home servers rarely start out with a matched set of identical drives — they grow organically. You add a drive here, replace a failing one there, maybe inherit a couple of drives from an old PC. Traditional RAID punishes that kind of setup.</p>\n<p>That's why we made the decision to sponsor this project with Klara. Mixing and matching drive sizes without losing capacity isn't a nice-to-have for home servers and self-hosters — it's one of the most practical, wallet-friendly improvements ZFS could get. We wanted to see it happen, so we put resources behind it.</p>\n<h2>The Problem with Traditional RAID-Z</h2>\n<p>Without getting too deep into the weeds: in a traditional RAID-Z array, every drive is treated as if it's the size of the <em>smallest</em> drive in the group. Mix two 4TB drives with two 6TB drives, and ZFS treats the whole array as if it were four 4TB drives. That extra 4TB of space across your bigger drives? Gone. Wasted.</p>\n<p>It gets worse when you try to upgrade. Swap a small drive for a bigger one, and you still don't get any benefit until <em>every</em> drive in the array has been replaced. For enterprise environments with matched hardware, this isn't usually a big deal. But for home servers built from whatever drives you have on hand, it can mean giving up a huge chunk of the storage you paid for.</p>\n<h2>How AnyRAID Fixes This</h2>\n<p>AnyRAID takes a fundamentally different approach. Instead of treating whole drives as building blocks, it breaks every drive into small, equal-sized chunks called &quot;tiles.&quot; Those tiles get mapped to physical locations on your disks and striped together to form your storage array — and because tiles (not whole drives) are the building block, ZFS can pull extra tiles from your larger drives instead of ignoring that space.</p>\n<p>The practical upshot: mix a couple of 4TB drives with a couple of 6TB drives, and you actually get to use that extra capacity, instead of watching it go to waste. In our testing scenarios, this recovered more than an entire drive's worth of usable space in some mixed-drive setups — without giving up ZFS's data protection.</p>\n<p>And because AnyRAID tracks where tiles live with a &quot;map,&quot; it opens up flexibility that was never possible before:</p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Expansion</strong> — add a new drive, and its space becomes available right away, without changing your array's protection level.</li>\n<li><strong>Rebalancing</strong> — ZFS can shuffle tiles around behind the scenes to make the best use of new, larger drives you add later.</li>\n<li><strong>Contraction</strong> — you can actually <em>remove</em> a drive from an array and have its data safely relocated elsewhere, something that just isn't possible with traditional RAID-Z today.</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>What About Performance?</h2>\n<p>Any time you change how storage works under the hood, there's a fair question: does it slow things down? The honest answer is: a little, in certain scenarios — but it's very unlikely to matter for a home server.</p>\n<p>The tradeoffs AnyRAID introduces mostly show up under intensive, latency-sensitive enterprise workloads — think busy databases or high-transaction business applications. For the kind of things a home server or self-hosting setup is actually doing — media streaming, file storage, backups, running a handful of apps — AnyRAID will perform just fine. This is a case where the flexibility gain is worth far more than the performance cost, especially for the audience it's built for.</p>\n<h2>When Will You See This in HexOS?</h2>\n<p>We know this is the question everyone actually wants answered, so let's lay out the roadmap as we currently understand it:</p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>OpenZFS 2.5</strong> — targeted for later this year, likely toward the end of 2026. This is where the full AnyRAID feature set lands upstream, including AnyRAID support for RAID-Z1, Z2, and Z3 (the initial 2.4 release only covered AnyRAID mirrors), along with pool contraction and rebalancing.</li>\n<li><strong>TrueNAS SCALE</strong> — once AnyRAID is accepted upstream, the next step is getting it into TrueNAS SCALE, which will likely be the SCALE 27 release, expected sometime next year.</li>\n<li><strong>HexOS</strong> — the final step is bringing support into HexOS itself. Since we build on top of TrueNAS, this should be the simplest part of the journey. Our goal is to have this done by the end of 2027.</li>\n</ol>\n<p>We want to be upfront that these are our best current estimates, not promises. Upstream open source development can shift based on code review feedback, testing, and priorities we don't fully control. But the trajectory is clear, and progress is being made.</p>\n<h2>The Bottom Line</h2>\n<p>AnyRAID solves a real, everyday problem for home server builders: it lets you actually use the capacity of mismatched drives instead of wasting it, it makes growing (or shrinking) your storage array far more flexible than it's ever been with ZFS, and any performance tradeoffs are the kind that enterprise workloads need to worry about — not home servers.</p>\n<p>This is exactly why Eshtek chose to sponsor this project in the first place. We want ZFS to be as efficient and approachable as possible for the home server and self-hosting community, and AnyRAID is a big step in that direction. We'll keep you updated as it makes its way through OpenZFS, into TrueNAS SCALE, and eventually into HexOS itself.</p>\n",
      "date_published": "2026-07-15T18:27:05.923Z",
      "date_modified": "2026-07-15T19:49:28.306Z",
      "tags": [
        "blog"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://docs.hexos.com/release-notes/command-deck/2026-07-09",
      "url": "https://docs.hexos.com/release-notes/command-deck/2026-07-09",
      "title": "July 9, 2026 - New App Curations (Rackula, Warracker & Wiki.js)",
      "summary": "3 new app curations and updates to snapotter",
      "content_html": "<h2>New Curations</h2>\n<p>With today's batch of apps we have more than doubled our curations.</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://github.com/RackulaLives/Rackula\">Rackula</a> - Rackula is a Drag-and-drop rack layout designer.\n<a href=\"https://github.com/sassanix/warracker\">Warracker</a> - Warracker is a warranty tracker to monitor expirations, store receipts, files.\n<a href=\"https://js.wiki\">Wiki.js</a> -  Wiki.js is an open source Wiki software</p>\n<h2>Curation Updates</h2>\n<p><a href=\"https://github.com/snapotter-hq/SnapOtter/releases/tag/v2.0.0\">Snapotter</a> has released Version 2.0 which expands its feature set beyond just images.</p>\n<p>To update to 2.0 you will need to uninstall the app and reinstall it.</p>\n<blockquote class=\"is-warning\">\n<p>Be sure to check the box <code>Also remove application settings and config files</code></p>\n</blockquote>\n<h2>Curation Setup Information</h2>\n<h3>Wiki.js</h3>\n<p>If you would like to use local storage for Wiki.js use <code>/data</code> for the local path.</p>\n<details>\n  <summary> Wiki.js local storage path </summary>\n<p><img src=\"https://docs.hexos.com/release-notes/wiki.js.png\" alt=\"wiki.js.png\" class=\"align-center\"></p>\n  </details>\n",
      "date_published": "2026-07-09T18:46:17.760Z",
      "date_modified": "2026-08-02T00:20:35.305Z",
      "tags": [
        "release-notes"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "https://docs.hexos.com/release-notes/command-deck/2026-07-06",
      "url": "https://docs.hexos.com/release-notes/command-deck/2026-07-06",
      "title": "July 6, 2026 - DIF drive support, new curated apps, and self-healing improvements",
      "summary": "DIF drive support, new curated apps, and self-healing improvements",
      "content_html": "<p>Here is a summary of changes shipped since our <a href=\"https://docs.hexos.com/release-notes/command-deck/2026-06-26\">last update</a>.</p>\n<h3>Setup</h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Ex-enterprise SAS drives with T10 Protection Information (DIF) formatting are now automatically detected during setup, with a dedicated Format Drives step to prepare them before pool creation</li>\n</ul>\n<h3>Storage</h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Stale pool references in user preferences are now automatically corrected or removed, preventing errors when a previously selected pool no longer exists</li>\n</ul>\n<h3>App Curations</h3>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://github.com/Jeosas/snapotter\">Snapotter</a> - Snapotter is a snapshot management tool for your server.</li>\n<li><a href=\"https://pairdrop.net\">PairDrop</a> - PairDrop enables local file sharing between devices on the same network.</li>\n<li><a href=\"https://mealie.io\">Mealie</a> - Mealie is a self-hosted recipe manager and meal planner.</li>\n<li><a href=\"https://linkwarden.app\">Linkwarden</a> - Linkwarden is a collaborative bookmark manager for organizing and preserving web content.</li>\n<li><a href=\"https://usememos.com\">Memos</a> - Memos is a lightweight, self-hosted note-taking and knowledge base.</li>\n</ul>\n<h3>Increased Reliability</h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Main connections are now verified and self-healed on host startup if it is stalled, not running or stopped</li>\n</ul>\n<p><strong>NOTE:</strong> 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 <a href=\"https://docs.hexos.com/troubleshooting/browser-cache\">here</a>.</p>\n",
      "date_published": "2026-07-06T20:00:00.000Z",
      "date_modified": "2026-08-20T19:30:00.000Z",
      "tags": [
        "release-notes"
      ]
    }
  ]
}