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.
• For Apple Silicon Macs, use the ARM64 installer image.

2. Identify the USB Drive

List all disks:

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:

diskutil unmountDisk force /dev/disk4

4. Convert the ISO to IMG (if needed)

Some Kali images come as .iso. Convert to .img:

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.

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:

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.