How to Install Kali Linux in VirtualBox on Windows 11

Kali Linux is certainly a one-of-a-kind operating system because it is one of the few platforms that allows both good and bad actors to utilize it freely. This operating system is heavily used by both security administrators and black hat hackers. The first detects and prevents security breaches, whereas the second discovers and potentially exploits them. This post is for you if you’re curious about it and want to try it out on your computer. This Mytechmode guide will show you how to install Kali Linux in VirtualBox on Windows 11.

Kali Linux

Kali Linux is a Debian-based Linux system. It’s a specialized operating system for network analysts and penetration testers. The fact that Kali comes pre-installed with a bevy of tools transforms it into an ethical hacker’s Swiss knife. In comparison to Backtrack, which featured multiple tools that performed the same purpose, Kali Linux promotes itself as a more refined successor with more testing-centric capabilities.

The Kali Linux distribution is primarily used for advanced penetration testing and security auditing. Kali comes with a large number of tools for various information security tasks like penetration testing, security research, computer forensics, and reverse engineering. It comes with over 600 penetration-testing apps preconfigured. Each piece of software has its own set of features and applications. Kali Linux does an excellent job of classifying these critical programs as follows:

• Password Attacks
• Stress Testing
• Web Applications
• Exploitation Tools
• Maintaining Access
• Information Gathering
• Vulnerability Analysis
• Wireless Attacks
• Reverse Engineering
• Reporting Tools
• Hardware Hacking
• Sniffing & Spoofing

Install Kali Linux on Your Windows 11 Laptop

Below you will find the step-by-step guide on how to install Kali Linux on VirtualBox on your Windows 11 PC or laptop. However, before going through the installation process, you need to make sure you have compatible hardware. Kali runs on i386, amd64, and ARM (ARMEL and ARMHF) systems. The hardware requirements are as follows:

• A minimum of 20 GB of disk space is required for the Kali Linux installation.
• RAM for i386 and amd64 architectures, a minimum of 1 GB (recommended 2 GB or more).

Step1. Enable Virtualization on your Windows 11 PC

Before proceeding with the other steps, you must first ensure that virtualization is enabled on your Windows 11 PC. Otherwise, the warning “Can’t start a session on the virtual machine” will be shown.

Here learn: How to Enable Virtualization on Windows 11 Laptop

Step 2. Install Virtual Machine on your Windows 11 

Before you can install Kali Linux on your Windows 11 computer, you must first download and install VirtualBox on your system. If you don’t want to encounter any issues when installing Kali Linux, you need also to install the extension pack. If you don’t know how to install them, we have step-by-step instructions for you. Please see the link provided below.

 Install VirtualBox to Windows 11 Laptop

Step 3. Download Kali Linux on Windows 11 Laptop

Whether you’re a newcomer looking to download Kali Linux for the first time, it’s a good idea to test it out first in a virtual machine to see if it’ll work for you. Users who want to try Kali Linux on a virtual machine can get VirtualBox images. Follow the procedures below to download the Kali Linux image for VirtualBox:

1. Go to the Get Kali | Kali Linux.

2. Select the (Virtual Machine) option and this will you to the section where download links are given.

3. Now, you can choose to download either 32-bit or 64-bit. Choose and click on the download button. This will download an OVA image, which can be imported into VirtualBox.

Step 4. Install Kali Linux on VirtualBox on Windows 11

You can install Kali Linux in VirtualBox on Windows 11 by simply importing the Kali Linux image into VirtualBox. To do that, follow the below steps:

1. Open the Oracle VirtualBox Application.

2. Go to the File menu, and select Import Appliance.

3. Next, click on the little folder icon on the right side to import the Kali Linux OVA file.

4. Choose the Kali Linux OVA file and click Open to continue.

5. Then, you will be taken back to the Appliance to Import window. Simply click Next to proceed.

6. In the Appliance settings window, you will see a summary of the settings of the system. and click Import.

7. Click Agree to Kali Linux Software License Agreement.

8. VirtualBox will now start Importing the Kali Linux OVA appliance, and this could take anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes to complete.

9. Kali Linux has been successfully installed on VirtualBox, congratulations. To start the Kali Linux Operating System, click on the Kali Linux VM and select Start.

10. On the login screen, enter kali as the username and password and click Log in.

Conclusion

To summarise, Kali Linux is an excellent operating system that is utilized by a wide range of experts, from security managers to black hat hackers. Because of its extensive utilities, reliability, and ease of use, it’s an operating system that every IT professional and computer enthusiast should be familiar with. This post demonstrated how to install Kali Linux using VirtualBox on a Windows 11 computer.

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