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How to Create a Bootable Kali Linux USB on macOS.md
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| # 🔹 How to Create a Bootable Kali Linux USB on macOS | |
| This guide shows how to format and write a Kali Linux ISO/IMG file to a USB drive using **Terminal** on macOS. | |
| --- | |
| ## 1. Download Kali Linux | |
| * Get the latest installer ISO/IMG from the [official Kali Linux download page](https://www.kali.org/get-kali/). | |
| * For Apple Silicon Macs, use the **ARM64 installer image**. | |
| --- | |
| ## 2. Identify the USB Drive | |
| List all disks: | |
| ```bash | |
| diskutil list external physical | |
| ``` | |
| Find your USB device (e.g., `/dev/disk4`). | |
| ⚠️ **Be absolutely sure of the correct disk — choosing the wrong one can erase your Mac’s internal drive.** | |
| --- | |
| ## 3. Unmount the USB Drive | |
| Unmount all mounted volumes from the USB: | |
| ```bash | |
| diskutil unmountDisk force /dev/disk4 | |
| ``` | |
| --- | |
| ## 4. Convert the ISO to IMG (if needed) | |
| Some Kali images come as `.iso`. Convert to `.img`: | |
| ```bash | |
| hdiutil convert -format UDRW -o ~/Downloads/kali.img ~/Downloads/kali-linux-2025.2-installer-arm64.iso | |
| ``` | |
| macOS will append `.dmg`, resulting in `kali.img.dmg`. | |
| --- | |
| ## 5. Write the Image to the USB | |
| Use `dd` to copy the image. | |
| ⚠️ This erases the entire USB drive. | |
| ```bash | |
| sudo dd if=~/Downloads/kali-linux-2025.2-installer-arm64.img.dmg of=/dev/rdisk4 bs=4m status=progress | |
| sync | |
| ``` | |
| Notes: | |
| * Use `/dev/rdiskX` (raw device) instead of `/dev/diskX` for faster writes. | |
| * Replace `disk4` with your actual USB device. | |
| --- | |
| ## 6. Eject the USB | |
| When the process finishes: | |
| ```bash | |
| diskutil eject /dev/disk4 | |
| ``` | |
| --- | |
| ## 7. Boot From USB | |
| * Insert the USB into the target computer. | |
| * Open BIOS/UEFI (usually **F12**, **DEL**, or **ESC** at startup). | |
| * Select the USB device to boot. | |
| * Install Kali Linux. | |
| --- | |
| ✅ **You now have a bootable Kali Linux USB installer created on macOS.** | |
| --- |
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