How to install Kali Linux on a USB stick
As I explained to you in the previous section of the tutorial, it is possible to start Kali Linux and use it directly via a USB device,
without modifying the computer’s hard disk: all you have to do is create a bootable USB stick starting from the operating system image and have the computer boot from it.
Is the solution particularly appealing to you?
Perfect! To begin with, download the version of Kali Linux that best suits you by taking it from the official website: identify it from the proposed table and, to start the download immediately,
press the HTTP entry located in its correspondence. For this guide, I will refer to the default 64-bit version of Kali Linux (the first on the list, so to speak).
Once this is done, download the Unetbootin program from this page by clicking on the button that best suits the operating system you are using, for example,
Download (Windows) if you are using Windows, then connect the USB drive on which you intend to install Kali Linux to your computer.
Once this operation is complete, start the program you just downloaded (copying it to the Applications folder, if you are using macOS), press the
Yes button (or type your administrator password if you are using a Mac), and, in the proposed window, place the check mark next to it under Disc Image .
At this point, press the button …
to select the Kali Linux ISO downloaded previously, make sure that the USB Drive item is selected in the Type drop-down menu, and that the drive letter of your key is specified in the Drive menu.
As you will discover shortly, Kali Linux supports persistent boot mode: this means, in fact, that you can make the operating system save,
if necessary, files and settings directly on the USB stick, making them available also to subsequent reboots.
To take advantage of this possibility, you must indicate the amount of space to dedicate to these files (in MB), by intervening in the text field
Space reserved for user files that will be protected from various restarts .
Once the settings are finished, press the OK button and wait patiently for the creation procedure to be completed.
If you need further clarification on this, I suggest you rely on my guide on how to create a bootable USB stick.
Once your drive is created, boot from it by setting your computer’s BIOS or UEFI to boot directly from USB;
if you can’t go through this step by yourself, you can refer to my guides on how to enter BIOS and how to install Ubuntu from the USB.
Once the start-up procedure is complete, the operating system shows a selection screen:
I suggest you select Live (amd64 ) or Live USB Persistence, which, as already mentioned, allows you to save files and settings directly on the USB stick
and to have them available also in subsequent start-ups. In this way, as explained at the beginning, the operating system runs completely from the USB stick and leaves no trace on the hard drive of the computer.
Once the system initialization sequence is complete, you can use Kali Linux however you like, with the certainty that no matter what you do, it won’t affect your computer’s hard drive.
As for access, the pre-configured root user password is too: you can use it if you need it to run the software on board.
How to install Kali Linux on a PC
Have you tried Kali by starting it as I showed you a little while ago, did you realize you appreciate this operating system and now would
you like to carry out a complete installation on your computer, so as to always have it available? Then this is the section of the tutorial that suits you best: below, in fact, I will explain how to install Kali Linux on a PC by performing a disk installation or creating a virtual machine.