How to Install Kali Linux on a Bootable USB Drive — Complete Step-by-Step Guide

Kali Linux is a free, open-source operating system maintained by Offensive Security. It is based on Debian Linux and comes pre-loaded with over 600 cybersecurity tools including network scanners, password crackers, wireless attack tools, web application testers, forensics utilities, and much more. Security professionals, ethical hackers, penetration testers, and students worldwide use it as their primary toolkit.

Before you start, make sure you have everything on this list. Missing any of these will stop you at some point during the guide.

Always download Kali Linux from the official source — kali.org. Never download from third-party sites, torrents (unless using the official Kali torrent), or any link you are not 100% sure about. A tampered ISO could contain malware.

• 1
  Open your web browser and go to https://www.kali.org/get-kali/ — this is the only official download page.
• 2
  On the downloads page you will see several options. Click "Installer Images" — this is the standard full installation image. (Do NOT pick "Virtual Machines" or "Cloud" for a USB install.)
• 3
  You will see two architecture options. For almost all modern computers (any PC or Mac made in the last 10 years), choose 64-bit (amd64). Only choose 32-bit (i386) for very old computers.
• 4
  Click the download icon (the arrow-down button) next to the Kali Linux 64-bit Installer entry. A file ending in .iso will begin downloading. It is approximately 3.8 – 4.1 GB in size.
• 5
  Also download the SHA256SUMS file from the same row — you will use this to verify the ISO in the next phase. Click the checksum icon next to the download button.
• 6
  Wait for the download to complete. Save both files to the same folder (e.g. your Downloads folder). The ISO filename will look like: kali-linux-2024.2-installer-amd64.iso

A checksum is a fingerprint for a file. If even one byte of the ISO was changed (corrupted download, tampered file), the checksum will be completely different. Verifying it takes 2 minutes and confirms your ISO is genuine and unmodified. This is not optional — a bad ISO can waste hours of your time or worse.

• 1
  Open PowerShell — press Windows Key + X then click "Windows PowerShell" or "Terminal".
• 2
  Navigate to your Downloads folder: type cd ~/Downloads and press Enter.
• 3
  Run the checksum command below. Replace the filename with your exact ISO filename.

• 4
  Open the SHA256SUMS file you downloaded (right-click → Open with Notepad). Find the line for your ISO file and compare the hash. They must be identical — every single character.

Balena Etcher is the easiest, most beginner-friendly tool for creating bootable USB drives. It has a simple 3-step interface: pick the ISO, pick the USB drive, then click Flash. It works on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

• 1
  Go to https://etcher.balena.io/ and click the large "Download Etcher" button. Choose the Windows x64 Portable version (no install needed — just double-click to run).
• 2
  Once downloaded, double-click the .exe file to open Etcher. Windows may show a SmartScreen warning — click "More info" then "Run anyway". This is normal for portable apps.

• 3
  In Etcher, click "Flash from file". A file browser will open — navigate to your Downloads folder and select your kali-linux-2024.2-installer-amd64.iso file.
• 4
  Click "Select target". A list of connected drives will appear. Very carefully select your USB drive. Make sure you pick the correct drive — double-check the size matches your USB. The wrong choice will erase the wrong drive.
• 5
  Click the "Flash!" button. Windows will ask for administrator permission — click Yes. The flashing process begins.
• 6
  Wait for the process to complete. Etcher will first write the ISO (this takes 5–15 minutes depending on USB speed), then automatically verify what it wrote. Do not remove the USB during this process.
• 7
  When Etcher shows "Flash Complete!" with a green checkmark — your USB is ready. Windows may pop up asking you to "Format the disk" — click Cancel. The USB is correctly formatted for Linux booting, not Windows.

macOS users can use either Balena Etcher (easy, graphical) or the built-in dd command (advanced, powerful). Both work perfectly. If you are a beginner, use Etcher. If you are comfortable with the Terminal, dd is faster.

• 1
  Go to https://etcher.balena.io/ and download the macOS .dmg installer.
• 2
  Open the .dmg file and drag the Etcher icon into your Applications folder.
• 3
  Open Etcher from Applications. macOS may warn about an unverified developer — go to System Settings → Privacy & Security → Open Anyway.
• 4
  Follow the same 3 steps as Windows: Flash from file → Select your Kali ISO → Select your USB drive → Flash!
• 5
  Wait for the "Flash Complete!" message. Eject the USB safely when done.

• 1
  Open Terminal (Cmd+Space, type "terminal", press Enter).
• 2
  First, find your USB drive's device identifier:

• 3
  Unmount the USB disk (replace disk2 with your actual disk number):

• 4
  Flash the ISO using dd. Use rdisk2 (raw disk — much faster than disk2). This will take 10–20 minutes:

On Linux, the dd command is the most reliable way to create a bootable USB. You can also use Balena Etcher if you prefer a GUI — the macOS instructions above apply. The dd method is shown here as it works on every Linux distribution.

• 1
  Plug in your USB drive. Then open a Terminal and identify the USB device:

• 2
  Unmount any mounted partitions on the USB (replace sdb with your device):

• 3
  Flash the ISO with dd:

The BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) or UEFI is the firmware that runs before your operating system. It decides which device to boot from first. By default, most computers are set to boot from the internal hard drive. You need to either change the boot order to put USB first, or use the one-time boot menu to select USB for a single boot.

• 1
  Plug in your Kali USB drive before you start the computer.
• 2
  Power on or restart your computer. As soon as the screen lights up, immediately and repeatedly press the BIOS entry key for your computer brand. You have about 2–3 seconds before Windows starts loading. The key is usually shown briefly on the first screen.

• 3
  Once inside BIOS/UEFI, use your arrow keys to navigate to the "Boot" tab or look for "Boot Priority" / "Boot Sequence" settings.
• 4
  Find the USB drive in the boot list. It will be labelled something like "USB: [Brand Name]", "Removable Device", or "USB HDD".
• 5
  Move the USB to the top of the list (position #1). Use the +/- keys, or F5/F6, or drag-and-drop if your BIOS has a mouse-friendly interface — it varies by manufacturer but the screen shows you the controls.
• 6
  Press F10 to Save and Exit (most BIOS). Confirm the save when asked. Your computer will restart.

After saving your BIOS changes, your computer will restart and boot from the USB. You will see the Kali Linux boot menu with several options. Here is exactly what each option means and which to choose.

• 1
  When the computer restarts, you should see the Kali Linux boot menu with a dragon logo and a list of options. If your computer boots into Windows instead, go back to BIOS and double-check the USB is at the top of the boot order.
• 2
  Use the arrow keys (↑ ↓) to highlight your choice, then press Enter. Here are your main options:

• 3
  Select "Live system (amd64)" and press Enter.
• 4
  Kali will start loading. You will see text scrolling by — this is normal. The boot process takes 1–3 minutes depending on your USB speed and computer hardware.
• 5
  After loading, Kali will automatically log in and show the desktop. The default credentials are:
  Username: kali    Password: kali

Welcome to Kali! Here is a quick orientation of what you are looking at and the first things you should do after booting for the first time.

• 1
  Top taskbar — Application launcher, workspace switcher, system tray (network, volume, clock).
• 2
  Applications menu (top-left, "Applications") — All tools organized by category: 01 - Information Gathering, 02 - Vulnerability Analysis, 03 - Web Application Analysis, 06 - Wireless Attacks, 09 - Sniffing & Spoofing, and more.
• 3
  File Manager — Access your USB drive and any other mounted storage. Note: in Live mode, files saved to the desktop or /home/kali will disappear on reboot.
• 4
  Terminal Emulator — The black terminal icon in the taskbar. This is where most of Kali's power comes from.

By default, Kali Live mode does not save anything — every reboot starts fresh. Persistence lets you save files, settings, and installed tools to a special partition on the USB drive that survives reboots. This turns your USB into a portable, personalized Kali installation.

• 1
  Boot into Kali Live (as you did in Phase 09). Open a Terminal.
• 2
  Find your USB device name:

• 3
  Create a new partition in the free space at the end of the USB using fdisk. The persistence partition must be ext4 format and labelled persistence exactly.

• 4
  Reboot the computer and at the Kali boot menu, select "Live system (amd64 persistence)" instead of the normal Live option.
• 5
  Kali will now save all changes — installed packages, created files, changed settings — to the USB drive's persistence partition. They will be there every time you boot with persistence.

If something is not working, check this table first. These are the most common problems beginners encounter, with clear solutions.