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Pets OS logo: two footprints

Pets OS download

Pets OS (sometimes written “Pet OS”) is an independent operating system created by Fionn Mpho Mwaba. It has its own kernel, file system, network stack, desktop and apps, and starts by itself from a UEFI boot disk. It is not based on Linux, Windows or macOS.

● Pets OS 11.2 · Preview · 2026-11-04

This is a preview for testing, not a finished everyday system. Try it in a virtual machine first. It has been tested in QEMU virtual machines only, not yet on a real PC.

Downloads

x86-64PreviewTested: QEMU (q35 + OVMF)

PC virtual machine disk

Recommended for trying Pets OS: a ready-to-run disk for QEMU, virt-manager or GNOME Boxes on Linux, Windows or Mac. Starts with UEFI and keeps your files on the disk.

Download PetsOS-11.2-x86_64-VM.qcow2 22.9 MB
Size:
22,937,600 bytes
SHA-256:
dbc850ddfbd8a8992f5bff013e1c5de6fba0f61a44d26e008cc536df245ed2b8
Needs:
QEMU 8+ with OVMF UEFI firmware, 2 GB RAM, 4 GB disk space
arm64PreviewTested: Mac (Apple silicon)

Mac with Apple silicon

Everything in one folder: the Pets OS disk, QEMU and UEFI firmware. Double-click to start Pets OS in its own window; macOS is not changed.

Download PetsOS-11.2-Mac-AppleSilicon.zip 38.8 MB
Size:
38,824,553 bytes
SHA-256:
425088cd6a29506a3b9cabd2d595cca5e9dc8a419d432d704e244f8e87131f47
Needs:
Mac with M1 or later, 2 GB free RAM, 3 GB disk space. The included QEMU needs macOS 26 or newer; on older macOS install QEMU with Homebrew (brew install qemu) and the start script uses it.
arm64PreviewTested: QEMU virt + edk2

ARM64 virtual machine disk

The raw UEFI disk for UTM or QEMU on ARM64 computers (QEMU virt machine).

Download PetsOS-11.2-arm64-VM.img.zip 23.5 MB
Size:
23,483,701 bytes
SHA-256:
77e09b40481f211227e9a90f4e42f3080ae598dba6fbf3169c73ad9040eea939
Needs:
UTM or QEMU (virt + edk2), 2 GB RAM, 2 GB disk space
x86-64PreviewTested: QEMU as SATA and USB disk

PC USB stick image

Boots an Intel or AMD PC with UEFI from a USB stick. Preview: not yet tested on a real PC — use a spare computer.

Download PetsOS-11.2-x86_64-USB.img.zip 22.0 MB
Size:
21,981,439 bytes
SHA-256:
815b660692e0ad18f1bf4293443c5b84ced253c3a59ecbe9fbddf8b0f5b8645e
Needs:
64-bit Intel/AMD PC with UEFI (Secure Boot off), 2 GB RAM, a 512 MB+ USB stick

All files are on GitHub Releases: github.com/Mwabampho/shouldbe-apps/releases/tag/petsos-v11.2. Checksums in one file: SHA256SUMS.txt.

Which download do I need?

  • To try Pets OS safely on any computer: use a virtual machine image (QEMU, UTM or virt-manager). Nothing on your computer is changed.
  • Mac with Apple silicon (M1 or later): the Mac package starts Pets OS in its own window with everything included. Pets OS cannot replace macOS on a Mac.
  • A spare Intel or AMD PC: the PC USB image boots the PC from a USB stick. Writing the image erases the USB stick, not the PC.

Release channels

Stable

No stable release yet. A stable release will only be marked once Pets OS has been tested on real computers.

Preview

Pets OS 11.2 (this page). Works in virtual machines; for testing and feedback, not for important files.

Not ready for general use

Development builds and experimental features (for example Windows programs on PCs) are labelled experimental inside Pets OS.

System requirements

  • Processor: x86-64 (Intel or AMD, 64-bit) or 64-bit ARM (arm64).
  • Firmware: UEFI (Secure Boot off; the Pets OS loader is not signed).
  • Memory: 2 GB RAM or more.
  • Disk: about 4 GB free for a virtual machine image (more for your files).
  • Virtual machines: QEMU 8 or newer (q35 machine with OVMF for PCs, virt with edk2 for ARM), or UTM on a Mac.
  • Real PCs: PS/2 or PS/2-emulated keyboard and touchpad/mouse, Intel e1000-family wired network, SATA (AHCI) or NVMe disk, Intel HD Audio. Wi-Fi and USB keyboards are not supported yet.

Install and first start

PC virtual machine (QEMU on Linux, Windows or Mac) — PetsOS-11.2-x86_64-VM.qcow2

  1. Install QEMU (Linux: your package manager; Mac: brew install qemu; Windows: qemu.org/download). You also need UEFI firmware for x86-64 (OVMF; it comes with QEMU as edk2-x86_64-code.fd).
  2. Start it: qemu-system-x86_64 -machine q35 -m 2048 -cpu max -drive if=pflash,format=raw,readonly=on,file=edk2-x86_64-code.fd -drive file=PetsOS-11.2-x86_64-VM.qcow2,if=none,id=d0 -device ide-hd,drive=d0 -nic user,model=e1000
  3. virt-manager / GNOME Boxes: import the existing disk, choose UEFI firmware, a SATA disk and an e1000 network card.
  4. On the first start Pets OS sets up its own partition on that disk and shows Welcome to Pets OS. Choose Set Up Pets OS and create your account.

Mac with Apple silicon — PetsOS-11.2-Mac-AppleSilicon.zip

  1. Unzip the download and open the folder.
  2. Right-click Start Pets OS.command and choose Open (the first time macOS asks about downloaded scripts; or System Settings > Privacy & Security > Open Anyway).
  3. Pets OS starts in its own window using the QEMU and firmware included in the folder (macOS 26 or newer; on older macOS run brew install qemu first). Nothing is installed on your Mac and macOS is not changed.

ARM64 virtual machine (UTM, or QEMU on an ARM64 Linux computer) — PetsOS-11.2-arm64-VM.img.zip

  1. Unzip it to get PetsOS-11.2-arm64.img.
  2. UTM: Create a new virtual machine > Virtualize > Other, boot from the existing disk PetsOS-11.2-arm64.img, system QEMU virt, UEFI boot on, display ramfb, 2 GB memory or more.
  3. QEMU: qemu-system-aarch64 -machine virt -accel kvm (or hvf) -cpu host -m 2048 -bios edk2-aarch64-code.fd -drive file=PetsOS-11.2-arm64.img,format=raw,if=none,id=d0 -device virtio-blk-device,drive=d0 -device ramfb -device virtio-keyboard-device -device virtio-tablet-device -netdev user,id=n0 -device virtio-net-device,netdev=n0

A spare Intel or AMD PC from a USB stick — PetsOS-11.2-x86_64-USB.img.zip

  1. Unzip it to get PetsOS-11.2-x86_64-USB.img.
  2. Write it to a USB stick with balenaEtcher (or dd on Linux). This erases everything on the stick.
  3. Turn Secure Boot off in the PC's firmware settings, then start the PC from the stick using its boot menu (often F12, F11, F8 or Esc).
  4. Pets OS runs from the stick. It does not change the PC's internal disk unless you choose Settings > General > Storage > Install Pets OS on this PC, which only adds a Pets OS partition in unused space.

Untested on real PCs so far. Use a spare computer, back up first, and if the PC uses BitLocker, have its recovery key before changing firmware settings. Pets OS cannot replace macOS on a Mac.

Check the download

Compare the SHA-256 checksum of the file you downloaded with the one on this page:

  • Mac: shasum -a 256 FILE
  • Linux: sha256sum FILE
  • Windows (PowerShell): Get-FileHash FILE -Algorithm SHA256

Recovery

  • Recovery menu: press Esc while Pets OS starts (a hint shows for 2 seconds). Choose 1 to start normally, 2 to start the previous system, 3 for safe mode (only Pets OS's own apps, default screen settings) or 4 to see which systems are installed.
  • Automatic rollback: a system update is tried once. If the new system doesn't finish starting, Pets OS goes back to the previous one on the next start and tells you in Settings > General > Software Update. If it freezes, switch the computer or virtual machine off and on again.
  • Forgotten password: sign in with your recovery key, if you created one during setup (it is optional; without it a forgotten password cannot be recovered).
  • Starting again in a virtual machine: delete the disk file and use a fresh copy of the download. Your Pets OS files are on that disk file, so copy anything you need first.
  • On a PC: Pets OS only uses its own partition. To remove it, delete the Pets OS partition with your other system's disk tool; the USB stick can be erased and reused.

Known issues and limits

  • Tested only in QEMU virtual machines (PC: q35 + OVMF; ARM64: virt + edk2). It has not been tested on a real PC yet.
  • Real PCs: no USB keyboard or mouse support yet (xHCI), no Wi-Fi, no I2C touchpads, no GPU drivers (the firmware's screen mode is used), one CPU core.
  • On a PC started from the USB stick your files are kept on the PC's Pets OS partition or in memory, not on the stick. After installing on a PC, the USB stick is still needed to start.
  • ARM64 has drivers for the QEMU virt machine only, so on Macs it runs in a virtual machine. It cannot replace macOS on Apple silicon.
  • The disk is not encrypted. Accounts have passwords (PBKDF2), but anyone with the disk file can read it.
  • Web pages: Milo has its own engine; video, WebAssembly and some layouts don't work yet.
  • Windows programs on PCs are experimental and only small console programs run.
  • Some apps in O Store need the owner's Mac and are not in the public build (Clarice, Claude, Feet, Jobs, Syncro).

Release notes — Pets OS 11.2

  • System updates without a Mac: Settings > General > Software Update checks a signed update over Pets OS's own HTTPS connection, installs it into a second system slot and keeps the previous system to go back to.
  • Recovery menu (Esc at start-up), safe mode and automatic rollback of updates that don't start.
  • Separate downloads for each target: PC virtual machine disk, PC USB image, ARM64 virtual machine disk, and the Mac package with QEMU included. Each has a SHA-256 checksum.
  • The Workshop developer app is gone from every build.
  • From 11.1: Sonix 2.2.0 with a new look, one O Store, App Installer for .pet apps from websites, Samples Loop Studio, Rest as the file explorer, the Mac-style menu bar with Control Centre, experimental Windows console programs on PCs.
  • Version 11.1 images can't update themselves: download 11.2 once to get system updates.

Source code and licences

More about Pets OS