Kali won’t boot after installation — how can I fix it?

See which one matches your situation:

1. Black screen after BIOS/UEFI

2. Boot loop

3. “No bootable device”

4. Stuck at GRUB

5. Kernel panic or error text

I’ll cover the main fixes below.

 Installed in VirtualBox or VMware (MOST COMMON)

If Kali is in a VM, try this first:

VirtualBox fixes

1. Power off the VM

2. Go to Settings → System

   • Motherboard → Enable EFI ❌ (turn OFF)

3. Processor

   • Enable PAE/NX

4. Display

   • Graphics Controller → VMSVGA

   • Video Memory → max (128 MB)

5. Start Kali

If you installed with EFI enabled, Kali may not boot unless the VM settings match.

GRUB shows but Kali won’t start

If you see a GRUB menu:

1. Select Advanced options for Kali

2. Boot an older kernel

3. If that works:

    

   sudo apt update
sudo apt install --reinstall linux-image-amd64 grub2
sudo update-grub


 Black screen after selecting Kali (GPU issue)

This is very common on laptops and newer GPUs.

Temporary fix (to boot once)

1. At GRUB, highlight Kali

2. Press e

3. Find the line starting with linux

4. Add one of these at the end:

    

   nomodeset


5. Press Ctrl + X to boot

Permanent fix (after login)

Change:

To:

Then:

 “No bootable device” error

This usually means GRUB wasn’t installed correctly.

Fix using the Kali installer USB

1. Boot from the Kali USB

2. Choose Rescue Mode

3. Mount your Linux partition

4. Reinstall GRUB:

    

   grub-install /dev/sda
update-grub


⚠️ Replace /dev/sda if your drive is different (like /dev/nvme0n1).

Dual-boot with Windows?

Common problems:

• Secure Boot enabled

• Fast Boot enabled

• Wrong boot mode (UEFI vs Legacy)

Fix in BIOS:

• Disable Secure Boot

• Disable Fast Boot

• Make sure Kali and Windows use the same mode (UEFI or Legacy)

If NOTHING works (safe reset)

If this is a fresh install and you don’t need the data:

• Reinstall Kali using:

  • Installer (not Live)

  • Guided – use entire disk

  • Let installer install GRUB automatically